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The Wingham Advance-Times, 1985-06-19, Page 23SPORTS & FITNESS ONTARIO Alex Baumann's two gold medals in swimming—in world record time—at the 1984 Olympics were the "best ever" per- formances by a -Canadian. After his first award presentation, he acknowledged an appreciative audience by toss- ing frisbees—a traditional swim team victory salute—to a cheering crowd. ever An official Canadian Olympic Swim team frisbee, along with other team memorabilia, are featured at Queen's Park in an exhibit entitled: 'Celebration of Amateur Sport' presented by Sports and Fitness Ontario. Ontario Ministry of Tourism and Recreation Moments with St. BY JOHN MARTENS The month of June is per- haps of all the months of the year the most beautiful time in the cycle of the seasons. Spring has unfolded in all its splendor, while the equili- brium of summer with its sometimes oppressive heat and humidity is not yet upon us. For a moment or two our thoughts return to an earlier June long ago, when undpub- tedly, nature's grandeur also sang the praise of the Crea- tor. We are thinking of that day, June 5, in the year of our Lord 754, when the An- glo-Saxon missionary St. Bo- niface was murdered with 54 of his helpers by- pagan Fri- sians near Dokkum in the northern Netherlands. That fateful date in June is not • generally remembered and commemorated as, for example, March 17 in con- nection with St. Patrick. But though no special attention is paid to the memory of St. Boniface and his, assistants on the particular day in the lands of Christendom or even in those parts where he was slain, it should be otherwise. For St. Boniface, known as "the apostle to, the Ger- mans,* was instrumental in bringing great multitudes of continental Teutonic pagans to a knowledge of the Chris- tian faith and the rudiments of civilization.. No better time of the year, then than the month of June to recall a few short episodes from the life of St. Boniface, the famous English mission- ary who leftsuch an indelible imprint on the history of Christianity in Western Eu- rope. The circumstances of his martyrdom are known to ,every schoolboy in the re- gions where he worked ,so long ago. YOUTHFUL ZEAL St. Boniface, at birth, was given the name. Winnifred by his parents, a Saxon name if ever there was one. Young Winnifred, early in life, chose a church career and felt attracted to mission work. There were opportuni- ties galore in western contin- ental Europe in those days. Just across the North Sea, in what is now the northern and central part of The Nether- lands, there. still lived pa - OTHER MAKITA, SPECIALS 12" Chop Saw Reg. 369.00 71/4" Circular Saw Reg. 214.00 1 - 3/16" Recipro Saw 16 Gauge Metal Shear NOW 5187" Plus many more tool specials. 3/8" Cordless Drill Kit 6012HDW *'2 speeds and 5 fastening torques to get the job done * 3 -way switch for forward, reverse or neutral * Dial adjustment for torque * Fine balance and handling * Comes with Phillips bit, chuck key, battery, charger and carrying case Reg. Price 220.00 For the an Jdz€' e9° company gans at that time. In the Kingdom of Frisia, only spo- radic efforts had been made thus far to acquaint the peo- ple with the Christian gospel. Some progress had been made by a certain monk named' Willibrord, but the Frisians were still largely adhereing to their heathen gods, such as Woten and, Thunar. Christianity, in ge- neral, did not seem to have much appeal to the heathen Frisians. Perhaps there was a rea- son for this. South of Fries- land stretched the Christian kingdom of the Franks, inve- terate enemies of the Fri- \ sians. The Frisians must T have looked upon the Chris- tian religion of their enemies with misgivings, and any at- tempt to introduce this reli- gion of their antagonists into Frisia itself met with fierce resistance. Against this political back- drop of the time, it is easy to understand that St. $oniface was facing a difficult and dangerous task in his efforts to evangelize the people of Friesland. Yet, St. Boniface came and went to Friesland not (Ince, but on three diffe- rent mission trips. It was during the last trip that he fell in the battle for the hearts and souls of the Fri- sian people. As we have al- ready said, it was in the month of June that he yield- ed his life in the green Fri- sian countryside. St. Boniface, well-known though his name is to the people of Holland and Fries- lan.d even after so many years, did, of course, not work exclusively among the heathen Frisians. In central Germany also, ' he was ex- tremely active and achieved outstanding results. In May- ence he established his arch - episcopal See and further north in Fulda a monastic house of great fame. SENT BY THE POPE As an obedient servant of the church, St. Boniface went, of course, where the head of the church, the Pope of Rome, sent him. The Pope saw fit to dispatch him to central Europe, where paganism was still strong. After all, the Pope and his advisers must have reason- ed, there were only the Alps as a barrier against the pagan peoples to the north. Was it not much more im- portant to Christianize the regions of central Europe, where a vigorous and war- like Teutonic heathenism might be tempted to marshal its forces for a push to the south across the Alps into Christian Italia and into Rome? It is, however, in Frisia that St. Boniface preferred to work, and here we see him in action when circum- stances and the official mis- sionary strategy of the mo- ment, as prescribed by Rome, permitted. Some progress had been made by a certain monk named Willibrord, but the Frisians were still largely adhereing to their heathen gods, such as Woten and Thenar. Christianity, in ge- neral, did not seem to have much -appeal to -the -heathen Frisians. Perhaps there was a rea- son for this. South of Fries- land stretched the Christian kingdom of the Franks, inve- terate enemies of the Fri- sians. The Frisians must Crossroads—June 19, 1985—Page 5A Boniface have looked upon the Chris- tian religion of their enemies with misgivings, and any at- tempt to introduce this reli- gion of their antagonists into Frisia itself met with fierce resistance. Against this political back drop of the time, it is eas tib'' understand that St. Bonif?ce was facing a difficult and dangerous task in his efforts to evangelize the people of Friesland. Yet, St. Boniface came and went to Friesland not once, but on three differ- ent missions trips. It was during the last trip that he fell in the battle for the hearts and souls of the Fri- sian people. As we have al- ready said, it was in the month of June that he yield- ed his life in the green Fri- sian countryside. St. Boniface, well' -known though his name is to the people -of Holland and Fries- land even after so many years, did, of course, not work exclusively among the heathen Frisians. In central Germany also, he was ex- tremely active and achieved outstanding results. In May- ence he established his arch- efilscopal See and further north in Fulda a monastic house of great fame. Boniface's fame, however, does not solely rest on his ac- tivities as a missionary either in Germany or in Frisia. Contributing to it are a host of other factors. He also made his mark as a con- fidant and adviser of three successive popes and as an able organizer of the early Roman Catholic Church. Boniface was the most influ- ential churchman of his times. His organizing genius and career as a preacher in the field were decisive for all time in pushing back the forces of paganism from much of central. Europe. Besides his spiritual quali- ties and organizational abili- ties, St. Boniface possessed still other talents. His advice in matters of church disci- pline or mission was eagerly sought after, and his energe- tic efforts to promote Chris- tianity were matched by what must have been a pro- digious physical stamina and strength. Hear what. St. Wili- bald, his biographer, has to tell us about an incident which occurred on the mis- sionary trail in central Ger- many. It shows us Boniface as a man eager to strike a li- teral blow or two for Chris- tianity. CHALLENGE TO PAGANS Near Geismar in Hessen, central Germany, stood an ancient oak. In its spreading branches, Thunar, ,the Teu- tonic god of thunder, was supposed to dwell. Boniface wanted to expose the impo- tence of the heathen gods and, in the presence of an enormous multitude of pa- gans, put the axe to the vene- rated arbor. In horror and rage the pa- gan crowd witnessed this extraordinary spectacle, so the biographer says. Fully expecting the wrath of Thu- nar to descend upon the bold Christian preacher, the crowd stood aghast for a long moment:-- Butnothing--hap- pened. And then a mighty wind shook the top of the tree, all the leaves trembled and great branches came tumbling down as if Thunar, aroused from his astonish- ment at the audacity of the Why � TR/ES HARDER ? MARK CULLEN OFCQURSE foreign assailant. was stretching his limbs and making ready to throw his thunderbolt -at the impudent intruder. The next moment, however, the tree trunk split from top to bottom, the four parts crashing down, nar- rowly missing Boniface him- self, so the biographer in- forms us. In the general con- fusion Thunar must have made good his escape from the presence of the redoubt- able Christian preacher. The fact is that Thunar and his fellow Tuetonic deities were in full retreat now. The story — or legend, if you will of the oak of Geismar por- trays a vigorous Boniface; it shows him as a man of some muscle power and of a some- what adventurous bent' He may not have found it be- neath his dignity to grab the spokes of the wheels when some vehicle off his mission- ary caravan threatened to •get bogged down in the mud of Europe's primitive medi- eval trails. The incident of Geismar happened around 725 A.D. when St. Boniface was still relatively young and strong. AFTER 30 YEARS Thirty years later, in June 754 much of his 'physical strength was gone. That was when Boniface. visited Frisia for the third time in his mis- sionary career. Historians have wondered aloud why St. Boniface time and again re- turned to Friesland with gos- pel in hand. Did he find it easier to communicate with the Frisians whose langu- age, after all, was closely a- kin to his own. Anglo-Saxon, more so than the Teutonic speech of central Germany? It is possible. Or were the Frisians better listeners? Who knows? Whatever unsuspected or hidden qualities 'in the Fri- sian national character may have impressed the mission- ary, time and again he felt compelled to return to their country. Far from his home in England, St. Boniface and his mostly youthful helpers died for . a great, but ulti- mately victorious cause. In the first week of June. we owe it to ourselves and to Bonita 's memory to de- vote some moments off res- pectful attention to the Christian genius o one of the greatest Englishmen, mis- sionaries, and leading lights of civilization that the his- tory of mankind has brought forth. Pilgrims visit the place where he was slain;.. histo- rians retrace his steps a- cross Europe and have writ- ten volumes about his activi- ties. In the abbey of Fulda, founded by Boniface himself, rests the ancient Bible that he held over his head to ward off the murderous blows of the pagan Frisians. The an- cient book is heavily da- maged, but it is intact and complete. Modern yeysions of that volume are ltifiund in many languages all over the world; also in Friesland in - its own Frisian language. That is what St. Bonif ce would have wanted. That is why he came to the north to Friesland, not once, but three times. His last day was a day in June, when the but- tercups and daisies were blooming and it was still spring in Friesland. May each returning spring re- ' mind us to keep ever green the emmory of this stalwart ambassador of the King or-F.- kings. f.kings. In the little town of Docs, kum there is a statue of the "Apostle of the Frisians". At the° foot of the momument, the following Latin words are inscribed: "Creditonln Anglia natus Bonifatius Dockingae in Frisia denatus fuldae in Germania hymatus". It translates:4' "St. Boni- face, born near Crediton in England, died near Dockum in Friesland. Resting forever in Fulda in Germany." We read also on the monu- ment: "Hic Bonifatio lumen vitae extort um DCCLIV. Hie Frisiae evangelii lumen exortum." "There the light of life was take from St. 'Boniface A.D. 754. There the light of the Gospel rose in Friesland." There, we might add, his- tory was made. • Hummel cellist worth. $90 By James G. McCollam Q. Please tell me when this Hummel was made and what is currentvalue is. The Trade Mark is shown below the figurine. A. Yourfigurine, with Trade Mark 4 (1963-1972), is called "Sweet Music". It is selling for about $90. You might be interested in collecting other Hummels featuring musical instru- ments. For example, No: 2, "Little Fiddler"; No. 85, "Serenade"; No. 110, "Let's Sing"; No. 185, "Accordion Boy"; No. 240, "Little Drummer". 0 0 0 Send your questions about antiques with picture(s), a detailed description stamp -- ed, self-addressed envelope, and $1 per item to James G. McCollam, P.O. Box, 720, Clifton Park, NY 12065. All questions will be answered but published pictures can- not be returned. because he's the new boy on the block in Listowel! 111 LL EN NT 1 1 MARK CULLEN HIGHWAY 23 N.(WALLACE AVE.) LISTOWEL, Phone (519)291 -3791 -SALES HRS. 9 to 9 MONDAY to FRIDAY,.SATURDAY 9 to 5 -SERVICE HRS. 8to5 MONDAY,to FRIDAY P