St. Sigfrid of Sweden

St. Sigfrid of Sweden was an English missionary bishop of the eleventh century, honored as one of the apostles of Sweden. Sent, according to tradition, from England to preach the Gospel in the still largely pagan North, he labored in the Swedish lands with zeal and patience, establishing the faith, ordering the young Church, and is remembered above all for baptizing Olof Skötkonung, the first Christian king of Sweden.

His mission was marked by suffering, including the martyrdom of three of his nephews and helpers, whose deaths he bore with forgiveness, interceding that their killers be spared the full penalty of the law. Tirelessly founding churches and preaching across the country until his death around the year 1045, he laid deep foundations for Swedish Christianity and was venerated as a saint soon after; his memory is kept on 15 February.