June 5 Saint Boniface, Bishop and Martyr

The Apostle to the Germans

Known as the Apostle to the Germans, he is considered one of the most important Anglo-Saxon missionaries and the one who brought Christianity to the Germanic lands of old.

Born around 673 in the county of Wessex, England with the name of Winfrid (or Winfried), he entered the Benedictine monastery of Nursling near present-day Southampton. In 716 he decided to undertake missionary activity on the continent starting with the Frisians, but had no success. For this reason, in 719 he went to Rome to ask for the Pope’s support. Pope Gregory II not only gave him the official task of evangelizing the Frankish territory, but also gave him a new name: Boniface, which means "he who brings a good destiny".

He managed to reorganize the Church in the eastern area of ​​the Frankish Empire. He founded several monasteries, including Fulda, which became an important spiritual and cultural center. He was also responsible for founding or renovating the dioceses of Salzburg, Freising, Passau, Regensburg, Würzburg, Eichstätt, and Erfurt. He was appointed Bishop of Mainz and later also took on the role as Papal Legate for Germany.

One of the most famous episodes of his apostolate is the felling of the sacred oak dedicated to the god Donar, near Fritzlar. With this gesture, which occurred without consequences, he symbolically demonstrated the impotence of the pagan gods causing great astonishment among the population.

At the age of about 80, Boniface undertook a final mission in Frisia where he had already been years before without success. His life was taken on June 5, 754 (or, according to some sources, in 755) murdered near Dokkum, where he was envangelizing with his companions. He is buried in Fulda, in the monastery he founded.