From: "Waldtraud" 

March 20th - St. Wulfram of Fontenelle, OSB B (RM)
 (also known as Wolfram, Wulfran)

Died at Fontenelle, France, April 20, c. 703 (or 720?); feast of his
translation, October 15. The story of Saint Wulfram takes us back to the
days of
the Franks and the dark gods of the north, and of the wild Teutonic tribes and
old Norse sagas, when a handful of devoted men sailed into the northern night
with the Cross at their prow and challenged the power of Odin and Thor.

Wulfram came of a gentler race, born and bred in a civilized land, nurtured in
the wealthy home of his father, an official of King Dagobert. He found his first
employment in the French court under Clotaire III, and, in 682, was
rewarded with the archbishopric of Sens in place of its rightful bishop,
Saint Amatus.
But, strangely moved by God's Spirit to acknowledge the see's licit bishop and
by the challenge of the pagan lands, within three years he laid aside his high
employments and gave his property of Maurilly to the Church. In order to prepare
himself to take the Gospel to the Frisians and obtain the help of monks, he
retired for a time at Fontenelle. Then he set sail for Scandinavia with a
small
group of followers.

Longfellow in his poem, "The Saga of King Olaf", vividly
describes how during
the voyage Wulfram, surrounded by his choristers chanting into the night, held
service on deck:


To the ship's bow he ascended,
By his choristers attended,
Round him were the tapers lighted,
And the sacred incense rose.
On the bow stood Bishop Sigurd,
In his robes as one transfigured,
And the Crucifix he planted

It was a hard and evil time, and only with great difficulty did his enterprise
make headway. The son of king Radbod was converted. Wulfram, however, was
allowed to settle and to preach the Gospel. The missionaries had some
success,
but as in other parts of Europe during the period, the attitude of the king was
likely to be decisive.

Wulfram found that children were sacrificed to appease their heathen gods, hung
on roadside gibbets, or fastened to posts on the shore and left to drown with
the tide. On great pagan festivals, the people would cast lots to see who should
be sacrificed. Immediately the chosen one would be hanged or cut into pieces. In
vain he appealed to Radbod to prohibit such inhuman practices, but the king
replied that it was the custom of the country and he could not alter it. He
even
cynically challenged Wulfram to rescue the victims if he could, whereupon
Wulfram, taking him at his word, strode into the raging sea to save two
children
who were helpless and almost submerged.

At other times he cut down the bodies of those who were nearly dead from
the gallows to which they were tied and restored them as in the case of
Ovon. The
lot decided that Ovon should be sacrificed. Wulfram earnestly begged King Radbod
to save him: but the people ran to the palace, outraged at such a
sacrilege. After much discussion they agreed that if Wulfram's God should
save Ovon's life,
he should ever serve him and be Wulfram's slave. The saint went into
prayer. After hanging on the gibbet for two hours, the man was left for
dead. The cord
hanging him broke. When the body fell to the ground, Ovon was found to be alive.
He was given to the saint and became a monk and priest at Fontenelle.

The missionaries and their miracles so impressed the inhabitants that, filled
with fear and wonder, they renounced their false gods and were baptized,
and even Radbod himself was converted. But at the point of baptism, Radbod
asked where his ancestors were. Wulfram answered that hell was the destiny
of idolators. Radbod then declared: "I will go to hell with my
ancestors rather than be in heaven without them." Radbod later sent
for Saint Willibrord to baptize him, but when the saint arrived the king
was already dead. Thus, he never experienced the mercy of the sacrament.

For twenty years Wulfram continued his arduous missionary activity until failing
health compelled him to return to France; but always he is remembered as
the captain of a Christian crew, who "bore the White Christ"
through the vapors of
the northern night.

His relics were translated from Fontenelle to Abbeville, where Wulfram is
venerated as patron and where several miracles occurred. In 1062, his
relics were moved to Rouen. Both his feasts are celebrated in Croyland
Abbey (Lincolnshire), England, probably because their abbot Ingulfph
(1086-1109) was a
monk of Fontenelle. The vita of Wulfram was written by the monk Jonas of
Fontenelle eleven years after his death (Attwater2, Benedictines,
Encyclopedia,
Farmer, Gill, Husenbeth).

Saint Wulfram is depicted in art as baptizing a young king. Sometimes (1) the
young king is near him; (2) he is shown arriving by ship with monks and
baptizing the king; or (3) he is shown baptizing the son of King Radbod
(Roeder).

Wulfram is venerated at Fontenelle, Frisia, and Sens (Roeder).



"Every time that one sees himself urged on, with vehemence of affection, to any
particular work, even though it be holy and important, he ought to put it off to
another occasion, and not take it up again until his heart has recovered perfect
tranquillity and indifference. This should be done to prevent self-love
from sullying the purity of our intention"
 -St Vincent de Paul

St. Francis de Sales once stopped in the course of a journey to visit St. Jane
Frances de Chantal, who had been eagerly expecting him, that she might confer
with him about her own spiritual interests. She was the more desirous of doing
this, because she had enjoyed no such opportunity for three years and a half, on
account of the numerous occupations in which he was engaged. When they met, the
holy prelate said: "We have a few hours free, Mother; which of us two shall be
the first to speak?" "Myself" she answered, with some haste,
"for certainly my
soul greatly needs to pass under your eye." At this, the Saint,
wishing to correct the anxiety she showed about speaking to him, with
serious but gentle
gravity rejoined: "Do you then still nourish desires, Mother? Have you
yet a choice? I expected to find everything angelic. We will then put off
speaking of
you until we meet next, and for the present talk about the affairs of our
Congregation" The good and holy Mother, without a word of objection,
laid aside
all that related to herself, though she was holding in her hands a list of
things she had wished to speak of; and for four successive hours they
discussed
the interests of the Institute, and then parted.

(Taken from the book "A Year with the Saints".  March - Mortification)

Bible Quote
10. Jesus answered, and said to her: If thou didst know the gift of God, and who
he is that saith to thee, Give me to drink; thou perhaps wouldst have asked of
him, and he would have given thee living water. (John 4:10)



The second sorrowful mystery prayer of the Eucharistic Rosary, to be
offered before the Blessed Sacrament:

The Scourging of our Lord at the pillar, offered for penitence and mortification:

O good Jesus! scourged and covered with wounds, the sins committed by men
against the  holy virtue of purity thus torture Thy innocent flesh; and in 
the Blessed Sacrament impure hearts insult Thee by their sacrilegious 
communions.

O Thou bloody Victim, scourged at the pillar, patient Victim abused in the
Sacrament, we adore Thee and we beg of Thee, through the intercession of
Thy holy Mother the grace of mortifying our senses.

Imprimatur:  + John M. Farley, Archbishop of New York, Sept 19, 1908.

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