St. William of Roskilde was an English priest who was chaplain to King Scanute. The zealous servant of God was traveling with the King on one of His Majesty's trips from England to Denmark when he saw the ignorance, idolatry, and superstition that so many Danes lived in, and was so moved by compassion that he decided to stay behind and preach Christ and his Gospel. Later, he was promoted to the Episcopal see of Roskilde in Zealand. The majority of William's affairs revolve around his tireless efforts to change King Sweyn Estridsen's behavior. St. William confronted Sweyn after he had once executed some of his subjects not only without a trial but also inside a church. True to his name, William—whose name means "Strong Helmet"—held out his pastoral staff and forbade Sweyn from entering the house of God until his hands were free of the blood he had wrongfully shed. He offered his neck, declaring that he was prepared to die in defense of the Church of God, as he saw some of the courtiers agitatedly draw their swords. Sweyn thereupon made a public admission of guilt and later offered some land as a peace gift to the church of Roskilde. William and Sweyn had great affection for each other, and for some years the saint and the penitent concurred to promote the cause of religion. King Sweyn died in 1070, and St. William died a few days later while waiting outside the church to receive the King's body. They were buried together at Roskilde.
St. William of Roskilde, pray for us that we will find true joy in living the Gospel amidst the trials.
Jonathan Fabian Ginunggil,
Most High Servant,
Jesus, Mary, Joseph Ministry of Love
(Blessed and Saints and the Nine Choirs of Angels)
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