Welcome to Saintly Summer!
Each week, we’ll dive into the life of a different saint whose story inspires and strengthens our faith. This week, we kick things off with St. Boniface, whose feast day is June 5th. Known as the Apostle of Germany, St. Boniface was a Benedictine monk and missionary bishop who boldly brought the Gospel to a people torn between Christianity and paganism. From reforming clergy to chopping down a tree dedicated to the Norse god Thor (spoiler: he didn’t get struck by lightning!), Boniface’s story is one of courage, truth, and unwavering faith. Whether you’re learning alongside your kids or seeking a summer faith boost, join us for these bite-sized jolts of inspiration—rooted in the lives of the saints and the call to live with purpose.

Jolt of Faith – Full Text
Jolt of Faith 6/5 – Saintly Summer – Meet St. Boniface: Apostle of Germany + Tree-Chopping Miracle

This summer, our Jolts of Faith will be looking at the lives of different saints.We’re gonna be following, similar thing that’s going on with our families right now, where our families are getting information each week, some tips on, catechesis, and some of the lives of the saints. So we’re also gonna be talking about, some saints. So this week, we’re talking about St. Boniface, his feast day is actually today, June 5th .He is known as the Apostle of Germany.He was a Benedictine monk who lived in the seventh and eighth centuries and was sent by the pope to the Germanic region to try to bring the people from paganism to Christianity.And pagan or, Christianity had already actually been established in that region, but a lot of those Christians had fallen back to their old pagan ways.

So Boniface was sent there as the first bishop of that region to set things right. He began by reforming the clergy, so helping the priests in the region who had been, becoming lax in their faith, to get back to their their roots and to actually lead the people closer to God.He’s famous for a story of chopping down a tree that was dedicated to, the Norse god Thor. And the people surrounding this scene were so surprised that Boniface wasn’t struck by lightning that they realized Christianity must be the true faith, and so they converted. Boniface is also a martyr.He and several companions were killed by common thieves as they were traveling through the wilderness.And his life is, though ending in kind of a tragic way is a reminder to us that faithfulness to Jesus and giving witness to the gospel is not always easy, but always richly rewarded, by the God who loves us.