St. Ansgar had to be filled with the gift of Knowledge from the Holy Spirit. Knowledge is the correct estimation of created things and their relative value before God. In St. Ansgar’s life, he worked dilligently for the Lord and yet much of his work was destroyed. He did not see the fruits of his labor. But he knew, the fruit would come from the Lord.
Franciscan Media says of his life: “The ‘apostle of the north’ (Scandinavia) had enough frustrations to become a saint—and he did. He became a Benedictine at Corbie, France, where he had been educated. Three years later, when the king of Denmark became a convert, Ansgar went to that country for three years of missionary work, without noticeable success. Sweden asked for Christian missionaries, and he went there, suffering capture by pirates and other hardships on the way. Fewer than two years later, he was recalled, to become abbot of New Corbie (Corvey) and bishop of Hamburg. The pope made him legate for the Scandinavian missions. Funds for the northern apostolate stopped with Emperor Louis’s death. After 13 years’ work in Hamburg, Ansgar saw it burned to the ground by invading Northmen; Sweden and Denmark returned to paganism.”
St. Ansgar, pray for us.