St. Wulfram of Sens
Wulfram of Fontenelle,
Also known as Wolfram, Wulfrannus
Feast day: March 20
Patron of Abbeville, France
Died at Fontenelle, France, April 20, . 703/720
feast of his translation, October 15.
The story of Saint Wulfram takes us back to the days of the Franks and the dark gods of the north, and of the wild Teutonic tribes and old Norse sagas, when a handful of devoted men sailed into the northern night with the Cross at their prow and challenged the power of Odin and Thor.
Wulfram came of a gentler race, born and bred in a civilized land, nurtured in the wealthy home of his father, an official of King Dagobert. He found his first employment in the French court under Clotaire III, and, in 682, was rewarded with the archbishopric of Sens in place of its rightful bishop, Saint Amatus. But, strangely moved by God's Spirit to acknowledge the see's licit bishop and by the challenge of the pagan lands, within three years he laid aside his high employments and gave his property of Maurilly to the Church. In order to prepare himself to take the Gospel to the Frisians and obtain the help of monks, he retired for a time at Fontenelle. Then he set sail for Scandinavia with a small group of followers.
Longfellow in his poem, The Saga of King Olaf, vividly describes how during the voyage Wulfram, surrounded by his choristers chanting into the night, held service on deck:
To the ship's bow he ascended,
By his choristers attended,
Round him were the tapers lighted,
And the sacred incense rose.
On the bow stood Bishop Sigurd,
In his robes as one transfigured,
And the Crucifix he planted
It was a hard and evil time, and only with great difficulty did his enterprise make headway. The son of king Radbod was converted. Wulfram, however, was allowed to settle and to preach the Gospel. The missionaries had some success, but as in other parts of Europe during the period, the attitude of the king was likely to be decisive.
Wulfram found that children were sacrificed to appease their heathen gods, hung on roadside gibbets, or fastened to posts on the shore and left to drown with the tide. On great pagan festivals, the people would cast lots to see who should be sacrificed. Immediately the chosen one would be hanged or cut into pieces. In vain he appealed to Radbod to prohibit such inhuman practices, but the king replied that it was the custom of the country and he could not alter it. He even cynically challenged Wulfram to rescue the victims if he could, whereupon Wulfram, taking him at his word, strode into the raging sea to save two children who were helpless and almost submerged.
At other times he cut down the bodies of those who were nearly dead from the gallows to which they were tied and restored them as in the case of Ovon. The lot decided that Ovon should be sacrificed. Wulfram earnestly begged King Radbod to save him: but the people ran to the palace, outraged at such a sacrilege. After much discussion they agreed that if Wulfram's God should save Ovon's life, he should ever serve him and be Wulfram's slave. The saint went into prayer. After hanging on the gibbet for two hours, the man was left for dead. The cord hanging him broke. When the body fell to the ground, Ovon was found to be alive. He was given to the saint and became a monk and priest at Fontenelle.
The missionaries and their miracles so impressed the inhabitants that, filled with fear and wonder, they renounced their false gods and were baptized, and even Radbod himself was converted. But at the point of baptism, Radbod asked where his ancestors were. Wulfram answered that hell was the destiny of idolators. Radbod then declared: "I will go to hell with my ancestors rather than be in heaven without them." Radbod later sent for Saint Willibrord to baptize him, but when the saint arrived the king was already dead. Thus, he was never experienced the mercy of the sacrament.
For twenty years Wulfram continued his arduous missionary activity until failing health compelled him to return to France; but always he is remembered as the captain of a Christian crew, who "bore the White Christ" through the vapors of the northern night.
His relics were translated from Fontenelle to Abbeville, where Wulfram is venerated as patron and where several miracles occurred. In 1062, his relics were moved to Rouen. Both his feasts are celebrated in Croyland Abbey Lincolnshire, England, probably because their abbot Ingulfph 1086-1109 was a monk of Fontenelle. The vita of Wulfram was written by the monk Jonas of Fontenelle eleven years after his death
Wulfram of Fontenelle,
Also known as Wolfram, Wulfrannus
Feast day: March 20
Patron of Abbeville, France
Died at Fontenelle, France, April 20, . 703/720
feast of his translation, October 15.
The story of Saint Wulfram takes us back to the days of the Franks and the dark gods of the north, and of the wild Teutonic tribes and old Norse sagas, when a handful of devoted men sailed into the northern night with the Cross at their prow and challenged the power of Odin and Thor.
Wulfram came of a gentler race, born and bred in a civilized land, nurtured in the wealthy home of his father, an official of King Dagobert. He found his first employment in the French court under Clotaire III, and, in 682, was rewarded with the archbishopric of Sens in place of its rightful bishop, Saint Amatus. But, strangely moved by God's Spirit to acknowledge the see's licit bishop and by the challenge of the pagan lands, within three years he laid aside his high employments and gave his property of Maurilly to the Church. In order to prepare himself to take the Gospel to the Frisians and obtain the help of monks, he retired for a time at Fontenelle. Then he set sail for Scandinavia with a small group of followers.
Longfellow in his poem, The Saga of King Olaf, vividly describes how during the voyage Wulfram, surrounded by his choristers chanting into the night, held service on deck:
To the ship's bow he ascended,
By his choristers attended,
Round him were the tapers lighted,
And the sacred incense rose.
On the bow stood Bishop Sigurd,
In his robes as one transfigured,
And the Crucifix he planted
It was a hard and evil time, and only with great difficulty did his enterprise make headway. The son of king Radbod was converted. Wulfram, however, was allowed to settle and to preach the Gospel. The missionaries had some success, but as in other parts of Europe during the period, the attitude of the king was likely to be decisive.
Wulfram found that children were sacrificed to appease their heathen gods, hung on roadside gibbets, or fastened to posts on the shore and left to drown with the tide. On great pagan festivals, the people would cast lots to see who should be sacrificed. Immediately the chosen one would be hanged or cut into pieces. In vain he appealed to Radbod to prohibit such inhuman practices, but the king replied that it was the custom of the country and he could not alter it. He even cynically challenged Wulfram to rescue the victims if he could, whereupon Wulfram, taking him at his word, strode into the raging sea to save two children who were helpless and almost submerged.
At other times he cut down the bodies of those who were nearly dead from the gallows to which they were tied and restored them as in the case of Ovon. The lot decided that Ovon should be sacrificed. Wulfram earnestly begged King Radbod to save him: but the people ran to the palace, outraged at such a sacrilege. After much discussion they agreed that if Wulfram's God should save Ovon's life, he should ever serve him and be Wulfram's slave. The saint went into prayer. After hanging on the gibbet for two hours, the man was left for dead. The cord hanging him broke. When the body fell to the ground, Ovon was found to be alive. He was given to the saint and became a monk and priest at Fontenelle.
The missionaries and their miracles so impressed the inhabitants that, filled with fear and wonder, they renounced their false gods and were baptized, and even Radbod himself was converted. But at the point of baptism, Radbod asked where his ancestors were. Wulfram answered that hell was the destiny of idolators. Radbod then declared: "I will go to hell with my ancestors rather than be in heaven without them." Radbod later sent for Saint Willibrord to baptize him, but when the saint arrived the king was already dead. Thus, he was never experienced the mercy of the sacrament.
For twenty years Wulfram continued his arduous missionary activity until failing health compelled him to return to France; but always he is remembered as the captain of a Christian crew, who "bore the White Christ" through the vapors of the northern night.
His relics were translated from Fontenelle to Abbeville, where Wulfram is venerated as patron and where several miracles occurred. In 1062, his relics were moved to Rouen. Both his feasts are celebrated in Croyland Abbey Lincolnshire, England, probably because their abbot Ingulfph 1086-1109 was a monk of Fontenelle. The vita of Wulfram was written by the monk Jonas of Fontenelle eleven years after his death
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