St. Tarcisius: Feast Day, Patronage & Prayers
Feast day: August 15 (commemorated in the Roman Martyrology; not on the General Roman Calendar)
Patron of: Altar servers and first communicants.
About St. Tarcisius
St. Tarcisius was a young Christian of Rome, probably an acolyte, who was martyred in the third or early fourth century. What we know of him comes chiefly from a poem written by Pope St. Damasus in the late fourth century and placed near his burial in the Catacomb of St. Callixtus.
According to that ancient poem, Tarcisius was carrying the Blessed Sacrament to Christians, perhaps to prisoners awaiting martyrdom, when he was stopped by a mob who demanded to see what he carried. He refused to hand over the sacred Body of Christ to those who would profane it, and he was beaten to death rather than give it up. Damasus compared him to St. Stephen, the first martyr. Later tradition added that the Host could not be found on his body. Because of his love for the Eucharist, Tarcisius has long been the patron of altar servers and first communicants, and Pope Benedict XVI spoke of him to thousands of altar servers in 2010. His witness invites us to treasure the Eucharist above everything.
Prayers to St. Tarcisius on Daily Catholic Prayers
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