At his first Mass to celebrate the Feast Day of St Boniface, one of the Patrons of the Diocese of Plymouth, the new Bishop of Plymouth, the Right Reverend Nicholas Hudson, reflected on the extraordinary legacy of one of Devon’s most distinguished sons.
Preaching at the Mass, the Bishop drew attention to the missionary character of the territory: “All of our diocesan patrons are martyrs. It reflects, I think, the very missionary nature of this territory.”
Boniface – born Winfrid, traditionally in Crediton – went on to become one of the most important figures in eighth-century European Christianity. The Bishop described him as “a pastor who knew the risk he was taking and yet was prepared to lay down his life for the sheep.”
Bishop Nicholas quoted Boniface’s own words, written shortly after his arrival on the Continent, highlighting the saint’s sense of urgency: “We are not mute dogs or taciturn observers or mercenaries fleeing from wolves. On the contrary, we are diligent pastors who watch over Christ’s flock.”
Among Boniface’s many accomplishments, the Bishop recalled his felling of Donar’s sacred oak at Geismar, his founding of the Abbey of Fulda, his establishment of many dioceses, and his crowning of Pepin as King of the Franks at Soissons – achievements that shaped the Christian character of early medieval Europe.
Boniface’s life ended in martyrdom. At the age of 73, in Utrecht, he crossed into unevangelised territory to await new converts when a hostile band descended upon his camp. He saw the danger coming and told his attendants not to resist, and was among the first to fall.
The Late Pope Benedict XVI, “identified three pillars of Boniface’s achievements – all of which can be summarised under the banner of unity,” the Bishop shared. He went onto share those pillars:
“1. Boniface’s commitment to the unity of faith, to the presentation of doctrine and Scripture as a united whole;
“2. Boniface’s commitment to call into unity with the Supreme Pontiff and with one another the churches of England, Germany & France;
“3. Boniface’s nurturing of a cultural unity – a continuity with the Benedictine instinct to assimilate Christian-Roman Culture into the Germanic.”
“This Diocese is rightly proud to have produced such a figure,” the Bishop said and concluded with a call to renewed mission for the Diocese today: “In an age when we know the need for our own mission to be deepened, at a time when many shadows fall across our world, we should call on Boniface with increasing fervour – to bless our endeavours, to help us begin to be the Diocese the Lord desires us to be.”
Image © Mazur/cbcew.org.uk