When was boniface born

In his early 40s he left the seclusion of the monastery to do missionary work on the Continent. Because his first efforts in Frisia now the Netherlands were unsuccessful, Winfrith went to Rome in search of direction.

Pope Gregory II renamed him Boniface, "doer of good," and delegated him to spread the gospel message in Germany. In the missionary monk set out on what was to be a very fruitful venture. He made converts by the thousands.

Once, the story goes, he hewed down the giant sacred oak at Geismar to convince the people of Hesse that there was no spiritual power in nature. In the Pope consecrated him bishop for all of Germany. For 30 years Boniface worked to reform and organize the Church, linking the various local communities firmly with Rome.

He enlisted the help of English monks and nuns to preach to the people, strengthen their Christian spirit, and assure their allegiance to the pope. He founded the monastery of Fulda, now the yearly meeting place of Germany's Roman Catholic bishops. The Holy Father instructed him to reform the German Church. The pope sent letters of recommendation to religious and civil leaders.

Boniface later admitted that his work would have been unsuccessful, from a human viewpoint, without a letter of safe-conduct from Charles Martel, the powerful Frankish ruler, grandfather of Charlemagne. Boniface was finally made a regional bishop and authorized to organize the whole German Church.

He was eminently successful. During a final mission to the Frisians, Boniface and 53 companions were massacred while he was preparing converts for confirmation. In order to restore the Germanic Church to its fidelity to Rome and to convert the pagans, Boniface had been guided by two principles.

The first was to restore the obedience of the clergy to their bishops in union with the pope of Rome. The second was the establishment of many houses of prayer which took the form of Benedictine monasteries.

Once again, he and his followers roamed the countryside destroying shrines, building churches, and baptizing thousands. One group of these new converts was due to arrive at Dorkum on the River Borne. But while Boniface and his 52 companions awaited the neophytes, a gang of pagan predators arrived on the shore seeking loot. Though he had earlier traveled under the armed protection of the Frankish ruler, he was now far beyond its reach. Boniface, at his first synod, had ensured that clergy would not carry arms, so all he had to defend himself was the book in his arms, which he used as a shield.

The new Christians, who had fled upon seeing the raiders, returned to find Boniface and his companions slaughtered. Next to their bishop lay a copy of Ambrose's writings on The Advantage of Death , with two deep slashes in it.

The book is still on display in Fulda, Germany. Actually, Boniface spent a small percentage of his life as a missionary. His historical significance is found more in his strong advocacy of Roman order in the church, his reform of the Frankish churches, his uniting churches in southern and central Germany, and his revitalizing nominal Christians in northern Europe.

But he thought of himself mainly as a missionary, as did countless others. From the eighth century to the eleventh, he became one of missionaries' top role models. Sections Home. Bible Coronavirus Prayer. Subscribe Member Benefits Give a Gift. Subscribers receive full access to the archives.