Saint Ansgar was born in France in 801 AD. After his mother's death, Ansgar entered the Benedictine abbey of Corbie in Picardy. According to the "Life of Ansgar," when young Ansgar saw in a vision that his mother was in the company of Mary, the mother of Jesus, his careless attitude toward spiritual matters changed, and he became a devout monk. In 822, Ansgar was sent to the new abbey of Corvey, where he became a teacher and preacher.
St. Ansgar accompanied King Harold to Denmark and did missionary work there. When the Swedish king Bjorn at Hauge requested missionaries for his Swedes, Ansgar went there, suffering capture by pirates and other hardships. He also built the first Christian Church in Sweden. He became Abbot of New Corbie and the first Archbishop of Hamburg in about 831. After that, he initiated a mission for all the Scandinavian people. He went to Rome, where Pope Gregory IV made him archbishop and papal legate to the Scandinavians and Slavs, earning him the title of "the Apostle of the North." Ansgar's success was due to his great preaching ability, the holiness of his life, and the miracles he is reputed to have performed. He was devoted to the poor and the sick, imitating the Lord in washing their feet and serving them at the table. He died peacefully in Germany in the year 865 without achieving his wish to be a martyr.
O God, who willed to send Saint Ansgar to enlighten many peoples, grant us, through his intercession, that we may always walk in the light of Your truth. Amen.
Prepared and updated by:
Jonathan Fabian Ginunggil,
Penampang, Sabah Malaysia.
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