Eustochium

Eustochium (* about 368 in Rome, † September 28 419 or 420 in Bethlehem ), born Julia of Rome, was a consecrated virgin in the early church. Eustochium was one of four children of Saint Paula and the Roman senator Toxotius and is also venerated as a saint. Your Memorial Day in the Catholic and the Orthodox Church is September 28.

After the death of Toxotius Paula lived with her daughter Eustochium a secluded life in the ways of the desert fathers.

As the church father Jerome 382 returned from Palestine, he became her spiritual director. Hymettius, an uncle Eustochiums, and his wife Praetextata tried to persuade the young Eustochium to give up life in the seclusion and turn to the worldly pleasures, but in vain. Around the year 384 she vowed solemnly a virgin life for the sake of the Kingdom. On this occasion, wrote St. Hieronymus her his famous letter De custodia virginitatis. A year later - after the death of Eustochiums sister Blaesilla - Jerome returned back to Palestine, where he and Paula Eustochium followed a little later. 386 they accompanied him on his journey to Egypt, where they visited the hermits of the desert Sketischen to learn about their way of life and to be able to take some of it for themselves. In the autumn of the same year they returned to Palestine and settled permanently in Bethlehem.

Paula and Eustochium immediately started the construction of four monasteries and a hospice near the birthplace of Christ. During the construction of monasteries they lived in a small house in the neighborhood. One of the monasteries of monks was purchased and placed under the direction of Jerome. The other three were colonized by Paula, Eustochium and the many consecrated virgins, who had joined them.

The three communities of women to the supervision of St.. Paula were under, had a common chapel, in which all the sisters met several times a day for common prayer hours. From Jerome is narrated that Paula and Eustochium were doing the most menial tasks. The largest part of their time though they spent with the study of spiritual scriptures under the guidance of Jerome. Eustochium was fluent in Latin and Greek and was able to read the Hebrew texts. Many of the comments of Jerome have survived thanks to the work Eustochiums. He dedicated his comments on the books of the prophets Isaiah and Ezekiel.

The letters written to Jerome spiritual instruction Eustochiums are, as he himself wrote, very numerous. After the death of Paula in 404 Eustochium took over the leadership of the women's communities. This was not an easy task, since the women were, now impoverished because of the abundant alms which Paula had given. The hl. Hieronymus also proved here as a helpful and wise counselor.

417 monasteries in Bethlehem were attacked by violent criminals, the one burned by them while tortured and killed many of the young women. This violence may have been instigated by John II, the Patriarch of Jerusalem, and representatives of Pelagianism, which had been criticized by Jerome. Jerome and Eustochium appealed to Pope Innocent I, who strongly condemned the patriarch, because he had this fact admitted.

Eustochium died shortly thereafter. Her successor as head of the women's communities was her niece, Paula the Younger. It is believed that this is when hl. Eustochius acted from Tours to a nephew Eustochiums; possibly belong to their relatives weitläufigeren the hl. Perpetua and St.. Volusianus.