Walking with the Saints Podcast | Feast of St. Boniface, Patron Saint of Germania | June 5

Walking with the Saints Podcast | Feast of St. Boniface, Patron Saint of Germania | June 5 St. Boniface, the “APOSTLE OF THE GERMANS.” Boniface worked to root out paganism in Frisia, a place in the northwestern part of Europe, now Germany, and to restore its Christian faith. Numerous writers wrote about him and thus, there are many legends and traditions written, one of which is his cutting of the oak tree which served as idol for the pagans in Frisia. But there are also many information lacking in the story of his life. He was born in England in 680 to a Christian family and his baptismal name was Winfrid. At an early age, he followed a monastic life in his own home though his father gave his consent only later. He studied in a Benedictine monastery. Later, he taught in that abbey school and at age 30, he became a priest. Around 716, when his abbot died, he was offered and was expected to assume the position. Winfrid, however declined the position and set out in a missionary expedition to Frisia. But he stayed only one year because of the war in that city. He went to Rome and the pope renamed him Boniface, after a martyr named Boniface of Tarsus. He was appointed Bishop for Germania, but there was no place to exercise his ministry because the Church was not properly organized.  In 732, Boniface went again to Rome and reported to Pope Gregory III about his evangelization in Germany. He was conferred the pallium of an archbishop with the jurisdiction over the whole of Germany but still there was no real place for his jurisdiction. He went to Rome and for sometime, worked particularly for the unity between the Church of Rome and the Frankish church (composed of a Germanic tribe) who paid very little to the authority of Rome. In 738, he went back to Rome and this time he was made papal legate for Germany. Boniface found help in Charles Martel a good Christian. Charles Martel established four dioceses in Germany and gave them to Boniface. In 745, he was given Mainz as metropolitan See. In742, one of his disciples founded an abbey and gave Boniface the freedom to evangelize the place. According to German historian Gunther Wolf, the high point of Boniface’s career was the so-called Concilium Germanicum. He was able to establish strict guidelines for the Frankish clergy. He had the support of the papacy and of the rulers of Bavaria..By appointing his own bishops in Wurzburg and Erfurt he was able to retain some independence from the rulers of those places. He was intent in converting the Frisians, but after baptizing many of them, a group of armed robbers came and killed him. The Frisian bandits, ransacked their possessions but did not find the riches they were expecting. Instead, they found pages of sacred texts. It was June 5, 754. There was a report that at the moment of death, Boniface held up a Gospel as protection. Boniface’s remains were moved from Frisia to Ultretch, and then to Mainz. The body was eventually buried in the abbey church of Fulda. Veneration of Boniface began immediately after his death. The grave and the relics became the center of the abbey. Every Monday, the monks could be seen praying and prostrating before his tomb. In honor of St. Boniface many works of art and memorials were created and grand celebrations took place in 1805, 1855, 1905, 1954, 11980, 2004. St. Boniface is particularly remembered in connection with the Christian rule: TO FOLLOW CHRIST IS TO FOLLOW THE WAY OF THE CROSS. His feastday is June 5. Virtue: piety, humility, courage, obedience, perseverance, charity, simplicity Prayer: “St. Boniface, help us, especially the youth to know and follow the will of God for us.”