Overview
St Willibrord
(658—739) missionary, archbishop of the Frisians, and abbot of Echternach
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(658–739),
‘Apostle of Frisia’. A Northumbrian, he spent twelve years in an Anglo-Saxon religious community in Ireland. In 690 he went as a missionary to W. Frisia. On a visit to Rome in 692 he gained Papal support for his mission, and on a second visit in 695 he was consecrated Abp. of the Frisians. Pepin gave him a site for his cathedral outside Utrecht, and in 698 he founded the monastery of Echternach. His work extended to Denmark, Heligoland, and Thuringia. Feast day, 7 Nov.
The Society of St Willibrord, founded c.1910, exists to foster relations between the C of E and the Old Catholic Churches.
Subjects: Religion
