Who is St. Tarcisius?

Meet the patron saint of altar servers and first communicants.

Transcript

00:00 St. Tarsisius is a mysterious but inspirational saint who lived during the 3rd century.

00:10 Little is known about his life except that he resided in Rome during the days of the

00:13 Emperor Valerian, a time of Christian persecution, and that he may have been as young as 12 years

00:18 old.

00:19 At that time, Christians were forced to celebrate Masses in secret.

00:22 It was after one such Mass that Tarsisius volunteered to carry the Eucharist to prisoners

00:26 and the sick.

00:27 As he walked through the streets, Tarsisius was stopped by a group of pagan acquaintances.

00:32 When they realized he was a Christian, the mob kicked and stoned him.

00:35 Even so, Tarsisius protectively clutched the Holy Eucharist to his breast as he lay dying.

00:40 According to one tradition, at that moment the consecrated host miraculously became one

00:45 with the boy's own flesh.

00:46 Due to his deep love and reverence for the Holy Eucharist, St. Tarsisius is a patron

00:51 saint of altar servers and first communicants.

00:53 [MUSIC PLAYING]

00:57 [MUSIC PLAYING]

01:00 (gentle music)

01:03 [BLANK_AUDIO]