CrucisSt. Ansgar
St. Ansgar was born on 8 September 801 near Amiens in Frankish Gaul, and died on 3 February 865 at Bremen. A Benedictine monk formed in the monasteries of Francia, he answered the call to carry the faith into the pagan lands of the north, first accompanying a converted Danish king homeward and then undertaking a bold mission to Sweden, where he established one of the first Christian congregations in Scandinavia.
Made archbishop of Hamburg (later joined with Bremen) and papal legate for the northern peoples, he devoted his life to the difficult and often discouraging work of evangelizing Denmark and Sweden, building churches, ransoming captives, and caring for the poor, though much of what he planted would only take firm root generations later. Humble and ascetic, he is honored as the 'Apostle of the North,' the pioneer of Christianity in Scandinavia, and is a patron of Denmark.
Selected quotes
“Labor for souls though you see no fruit, for the reward is in the laboring, not the counting.”
“Carry the light to the cold north, where the longest night most longs for the dawn of Christ.”
“Go where you are not wanted for the sake of the One who was not wanted, and you will find him there.”