Fr. Bob Kus 
Today’s missionary hero was originally Winfred, but somewhere in his adult life, Pope Gregory II renamed him Boniface.
Winfred was born in England around 672. Against his father’s wishes, he became a Benedictine monk. In time, he went to the Germanic peoples to see what he could do to spread the Christian faith. There, he found that although there were traces of Christianity, for the most part the people had lost the basics of the faith and intermingled their beliefs with pagan beliefs.
He also discovered that the priests were very lax in their religious observance, and many of them were not in harmony with their bishops. In short, he found the clergy each doing his own thing. Part of the problem was, of course, a lack of education, a lack of discipline, and a lack of solid leadership. So, Boniface tried to remedy the situation as best he could.
After being consecrate a bishop, Boniface established many monasteries in Germany and encouraged Religious Sisters to engage in education. In time, Germany became a leading light of the Christian faith in Europe, and Boniface is credited for being a unifier of Europe.
He died in 754 and is honored as a saint not only by Catholic Christians, but also by many Protestant denominations and Orthodox Christians. His feast day is today, June 5.
