ST. ANSGAR OF THE NORTH (FEB. 3RD)

St. Ansgar of Hamburg, Apostle to the Danes

Edited by Bp. Joseph (Ancient Church of the West) 

Today, we celebrate the holy life and missionary zeal of Saint Ansgar, the Apostle of the North, whose unwavering faith and tireless labors brought the light of Christ to the pagan lands of Denmark and Sweden. Amidst the raging storms of heathen idolatry, he fearlessly proclaimed the Gospel, bearing the cross into the strongholds of darkness, that the name of the Lord might be glorified even in the uttermost parts of the earth. 

Born in AD 801, in the Frankish kingdom, Ansgar was raised in the monastic life, nurtured in the sacred Scriptures and the wisdom of the Church. From his youth, he burned with a divine desire to spread the Gospel among those who had not yet heard the name of Christ. In time, this desire found its fulfillment when King Harald Klak of Denmark, newly baptized, sought missionaries to accompany him back to his homeland. Ansgar, like the Prophets Samuel and Isaiah, answered that call with the simple response: “Here am I, send me!"

The journey to Denmark was perilous and drought with dangers. The Viking Danes, steeped in the worship of false gods, scorned the Gospel as weak, and resisted conversion. Yet Ansgar, clothed in the armor of faith, proclaimed Christ with boldness, proving the Faith to be manly and strong, establishing a school for Danish youth, and laying the first foundations of the Church in the land. 

Not content with this labor alone, he pressed further into Sweden, where he was welcomed by King Björn at Birka. There, amidst the strongholds of Thor and Odin, he built a small church of rough hewn timber and preached Christ crucified, baptizing those who turned from idols to serve the living God. In these dark lands, where men once trembled before evil spirits and cruel demons, St. Ansgar made known the words of the Psalmist: "The earth is the Lord’s, and the fullness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein" (Psalm 24:1). 

St. Ansgar’s mission was not without suffering. His companions fell away, and his work was often undone by persecution. The heathen raged, tearing down what he had built, and forcing him to flee. Yet he did not waver. "If only I may lead one soul to Christ," he declared, "I shall count my life well spent." His heart ablaze with the fire of the Gospel, evil quaked before him and scattered like the darkness in the morning dawn. 

As the first Archbishop of Hamburg-Bremen, he worked tirelessly to support the missions, enduring Viking raids and political upheaval. Though the Christian foothold in the North remained fragile, Ansgar entrusted his labors to God, believing in the promise: "Ask of me, and I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession" (Psalm 2:8). 

On February 3rd, AD 865, having fought the good fight and finished his course, St. Ansgar entered into his eternal rest. Though his immediate efforts bore little fruit, his toil was the seed of faith that would later blossom into the full Christianization of Scandinavia, a country that remained soundly Christian for a thousand years. The lands where once his voice was silenced would, in time, resound with the praises of Christ. 

Today, we honor St. Ansgar, not merely as a missionary, but as a confessor of the faith, a light in the darkness, and a herald of the Coming Kingdom in the far reaches of the North. His life is a testament to the power of perseverance in Christ, showing us that no labor for the Gospel is in vain, no matter how difficult! 

COLLECT

O ALMIGHTY GOD, who didst call thy servant Ansgar to preach the Gospel unto the nations that sat in darkness, and to endure trials manifold for the sake of thy kingdom: Grant that we, being steadfast in faith and fervent in charity, may labor for the spread of thy truth, and so walk in the light of thy countenance; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Ghost, ever one God, world without end. Amen.

St. Ansgar, pray for us!