05/06/2026
“The Church is like a great ship being pounded by the waves of life’s different stresses. Our duty is not to abandon ship, but to keep her on her course.” - Boniface (675-754), Archbishop & Missionary, Martyr
Boniface was an English monk born with the English name ‘Winfred.’ He ministered in Germanic lands, exhibiting such dedication to the dangerous environment that his work received the attention of Pope Gregory II, who made him a bishop and renamed him ‘Boniface,’ after an early Christian martyr. Martyrdom seemed certain for Boniface in his missionary work. A significant, bloody tradition for German pagans centered around an oak tree named “Thunder Oak” (or “Thor’s Oak”). In an annual festival, a small child was ritually sacrificed at the roots of the tree as the culmination of worship. Vastly outnumbered by the pagans, Boniface appeared at the festival with an ax and proclaimed, “here the cross of Christ shall break the hammer of the false god Thor.” As he set his ax to the tree, a large wind toppled the oak to the ground. Boniface then pointed to an evergreen tree, made visible by the fall of the oak. “This little tree… is the sign of an endless life, for its leaves are ever green… Let this be called the tree of the Christ-child; gather about it, not in the wild wood, but in your own homes; there it will shelter no deeds of blood, but loving gifts and rites of kindness.” Many believe this is the origin of the Christmas tree. Boniface established churches and Benedictine communities throughout Germania. Later, he was set upon by robbers. Holding up a copy of the Gospels as his only defense, a sword pierced through the book and took his life.
Almighty and everlasting God, you called your servant Boniface to preach the Gospel to the Germans: Raise up in this and every land evangelists and heralds of your kingdom, that your Church may proclaim the unsearchable riches of our Savior Jesus Christ; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
Art and history by Ben Lansing
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