Daily Martyrology for July 8

In the first century, Sts. Aquila and Prisca, disciples of St. Paul. This couple lived in Corinth, Ephesus and Rome, and in each place they were prominent contributors to the Christian community.

About 674, St. Disibod, bishop and Irish missionary to Germany. According to St. Hildegard’s telling of his life, with two companions he founded a monastery near Bingen, which became a center of evangelization in the region. The monastery was resettled from Hirsau in the twelfth century. It was a double community, and St. Hildegard lived there for over twenty years before moving to Bingen to found her own community for women. She wrote a life of Disibod.

Around 689, St. Kilian, bishop, an Irish missionary who with some companions evangelized the area around Wúrzburg. He and two companions were murdered, reportedly for criticizing a royal marriage.

In 1153, blessed Pope Eugene III. He was from the area around Pisa and became a monk at Clairvaux in 1137, then abbot of a Cistercian monastery outside of Rome. He was elected pope in 1145, which St. Bernard thought was a mistake, because Eugene had so little experience. However, he proved to be a vigorous church leader. He had to deal with many complex political issues. He also called the Second Crusade, which was a failure. When Eugene died, Peter the Venerable wrote of him to St. Bernard: “Never have I known a truer friend, a more trustworthy brother, a kinder father.” St. Bernard wrote his treatise On Consideration for Eugene to guide him in his responsibilities as pope.

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Our daily martyrology was written by Fr. Hugh Feiss, OSB. Copyright © 2008 by the Monastery of the Ascension, Jerome, ID 83338.