Saint Boniface

Saint Boniface was born around 675 in Anglo-Saxon England, traditionally linked with Crediton in Devon, and was given the name Wynfreth (or Winfrid). Drawn to God from an early age, he became a Benedictine monk, a learned teacher, and a priest, but he refused the comfort of advancement at home in order to carry the Gospel abroad. In 716 he set out as a missionary to Frisia, and after early setbacks he went to Rome, where Pope Gregory II renamed him Boniface and sent him as missionary bishop to the peoples of Germania. With courage and pastoral wisdom, Boniface preached Christ, founded monasteries and churches, and helped organize enduring dioceses across the German lands. He worked closely with the popes and the Frankish rulers, and was later made Archbishop of Mainz, strengthening the unity and reform of the Church in Europe. In 754, while evangelizing in Frisia, Boniface was martyred with 52 companions. His relics rest at Fulda, a lasting place of pilgrimage. He is honored as the “Apostle to the Germans” and is patron of Ibagué and places bearing his name. His feast day is June 5.