St. Kilian

St. Kilian was born around 640 in Ireland and died a martyr around 689 at Würzburg in Franconia (modern Germany). A monk formed in the Irish Church, he was, like many of his countrymen, moved by missionary zeal to leave his homeland and carry the Gospel to the peoples of central Europe. Consecrated a bishop at Rome, he set out with a small band of companions, among them the priest Colman and the deacon Totnan, to evangelize the region around Würzburg.

He won many to the faith, including the local duke Gozbert. But when Kilian, upholding the Church's law, told the duke that his marriage to his brother's widow was unlawful, the duke's wife, fearing the loss of her position, had Kilian and his two companions secretly put to death. Honored as the 'Apostle of Franconia,' he is venerated as a martyr, and his memory remains especially dear to the Church at Würzburg, of which he is a patron.