Saint Boniface

In 729AD Boniface (680-754), a bishop originally from Devon in South West England was commissioned by Pope Gregory II to evangelize Germany. The English missionary, spent twenty five years aggressively defying the pagan Saxon’s gods, demolishing their shrines and cutting down their trees, before being murdered near Dokkum in Frisia. It is thought the motive was robbery.
An inspirational and successful missionary, Boniface bought Germany into Christian Europe. The “Apostle to the Germans” had a well-developed mission strategy in which he kept in touch with the Christians back home in England who prayed for him and sent him money, supplies and workers. On his mission field Boniface built churches on holy sites and founded monasteries with the facilities for teaching people academic and agricultural disciplines. He was also one of the pioneers in recruiting women into mission by bringing over nuns from Britain to teach education and domestic science.