SAINTS DAYS FOR June
5 June Saint Boniface
The Apostle of the Germans, born Wynfryth in the kingdom of Wessex (c.672),
probably at Crediton (now in Devon, England), was a missionary who
propagated Christianity in the Frankish Empire during the 8 th Century, He is
the patron saint of Germany and the first archbishop of Mainz, He was killed
on 5 June 754 in Dokkum, Frisia , buried in Fulda, which became a site of
pilgrimage. Facts about his life are well documented, ‘vitae’, legal documents,
sermons and letters are preserved. In 723 he felled the Donar Oak near the
present-day town of Fritzlar in northern Hesse. He called upon the god to
strike him down if he cut this holy tree, but his vita told that a great wind arose
and blew the oak down, but did not kill Boniface, so the people were amazed
and converted to Christianity. He built a chapel on the site from the wood and
dedicated it to St Peter, today it’s the site of the cathedral in Fritzlar. He
enjoyed the personal protection of the Carolingian kings and was made papal
legate to Germany. Some traditions credit him with the invention of the
Christmas tree (although this is not mentioned in the vitae). Through his efforts
to reorganise and regulate the church of the Franks, he helped shape Western
Christianity.
9 June St Columba (born 7 Dec 521, died 9 June 597)
Irish abbot and missionary, he studied in Ireland under St Finnan, a dispute
with him led to war and exile, but he remained active in Irish politics, became a
diplomat among the
tribes. He founded Iona
as a base for the
mission to the Picts, but
also Irish abbeys of
Kells, Derry and Swords.
He was a man of letters
and transcribed ca 300
Latin books, apparently
the Book of Kells was
produced in Iona. 3 of
his hymns survive
among early Latin hymns. He died and was buried in Iona, which became a
place of pilgrimage, many Scottish kings wanted to be buried there. When
Vikings attacked in 794 his bones were taken to safety, eventually they were
divided between the Irish and the Scots as Holy Relics. The Monymusk
Reliquary from around 750 contained a relic of St Columba. It became a
powerful symbol of nationhood & was carried before the Scots army in battle.
The reliquary is thought to be the Brechbannock, which was carried by Robert
the Bruce at Bannockburn 1314, now it is in the National Museum of Scotland.
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