ST SIGFRID, BISHOP AND CONFESSOR - 15 FEBRUARY

 

ALL SAINTS CELEBRATED IN FEBRUARY

Saints celebrated on the 15th of February

WELCOME!

SAINT SIGFRID, BISHOP AND CONFESSOR

The holy bishop and confessor Sigfrid of Wexiö (Vexio [Växjö]) on the Heiligensee (Saints' Lake [Helgasjön]) in Sweden was an Englishman by birth, of noble blood, but of an even nobler heart. According to the martyrologies, Sweden owes him its conversion to Christianity, which is why he is also called their apostle (of the Goths, Swedes, and Normans). 

He landed there at the beginning of the 11th century under King Olaf (Olaus) and worked with great effort to spread the Gospel until his blessed end. The cathedral church of Wexiö [Växjö] is said to have been built by him. One day, as he was celebrating Holy Mass, he saw Jesus present in the form of a handsome boy, just as he was showing the Holy Host to the faithful prior to Holy Communion. Among his assistants, the Bollandists* list the holy chaplain Aschillus, who was consecrated bishop by him, and his three relatives (nephews):

Vinamannus, Unamannus, and Sunamannus, who died as martyrs by being weighed down and sunk in the lake near Wexiö (hence the name Saints' Lake). In addition, Saint David is mentioned (venerated on July 15). According to the Bollandists* Saint Sigfrid went to his eternal reward around the year 1045 (Butler* [III. 85] writes that his death took place in 1002) and was buried in the cathedral church of Wexiö [Växjö], where his tomb became famous for many miracles. 

Pope Adrian IV canonized him in 1158. He formerly had his own Mass with sequence. Currently, only his office has its own hymns for Lauds and Vespers. In Church art he is often depicted finding and burying the three holy assistants who had drowned in the water. 

(Information from Stadler's Complete Encyclopedia of Saints, Volume 5, Augsburg, 1882, p. 289)

*A hagiography source used by the authors 

Stadler's Complete Encyclopedia of Saints - Sources and Abbreviations

PRAYER:

Grant, we beseech you, almighty God, that the venerable feast of Saint Sigfrid may increase our devotion and promote our salvation. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Sources of these articles (in the original German): books.google.co.uk, de-academic.com, zeno.org, openlibrary.org