How to make Paella
Today I am feasting with… Saint Paschal Baylón!
To celebrate his feast day, I’m making Paella, a traditional Spanish dish.
The Life of Saint Paschal
Paschal Baylón was born on May 16th, 1540 on the feast of the Pentecost. The meaning of the word paschal relates to Easter and Paschal’s parents christened him after the Easter season. Growing up, Paschal spent most of his days shepherding sheep and teaching himself how to read.
At the age of twenty four, Paschal entered the Reformed Franciscans as a religious brother. His jobs included serving as a cook, porter, gardener, and the official beggar who went around asking for alms. Paschal would never waste food and often shared the better part of his dinner with the poor. He spent most of his religious life as a porter, causing his fellow friars to caution him from giving too generously to the poor.
Paschal Baylón died in 1592 at the age of fifty-two. Pope Alexander VIII canonized Saint Paschal on October 16th, in the year of our Lord, 1690. His feast day is May 17th and he is the patron saint of cooks, shepherds, and Eucharistic Congresses.
Saint Paschal, pray for us!