Fritzlar

Religion paper #1 – St Boniface Perhaps no other Christian missionary ever had such a great influence on such a large portion of the world as St Boniface did on the Germanic tribes in the 7th century. By the time of his martyrdom, nearly all of the Germans, Hessians, and a large portion of the Frisians had converted to the Christian faith. Boniface worked tirelessly for the faith for many years, and eventually died a martyr in 754. Boniface was born in what is now Devon County in modern-day England. His given name was Winfrid. While he was a boy, he was inspired to become a missionary after several missionaries spent some time at his family’s house. As he grew older, Winfrid studied at the monasteries in England and was ordained a priest at about the age of 30. After his ordination, Winfrid was called by the Holy Spirit to become a missionary. His first trip began in 716, when he traveled to Frisia, which is now part of the modern-day Netherlands. Earlier missionaries to Frisia had attempted to convert the people living there, but had had only mixed results. When Winfrid arrived, he found that those Christian practices that had been accepted by a portion of the populace had been mixed with pagan traditions, or had fallen victim to full paganism. Winfrid’s earliest efforts towards converting the Frisians met with hostility and disinterest. By nature, Winfrid was prone to despair and disappointment. He was a timid person, but the obstacles he encountered in his quest to convert…