SAINTS DAYS COMMEMORATED IN 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