Pontiff recalls 1200th anniversary of death of St. Ludger

August 31, 2009

In a Latin-language letter, Pope Benedict recalled the 1200th anniversary of the death of St. Ludger, apostle of the Saxons and the Frisians in what is now northwestern Germany. “By the force of his preaching and the example of his life,” the Pontiff wrote, “he called peoples beholden to pagan customs to the Christian life.”

Written on August 20 and published August 29, the letter was addressed to Cardinal Joachim Meisner of Cologne, the pontifical envoy to a September 6 Mass at St. Ludger’s Basilica in Werden an der Ruhr in the Diocese of Essen.

 

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Further information:

• Lettera Del Santo Padre All’inviato Speciale Alle Celebrazioni Del Xii Centenario Della Morte Di San Ludgerus, Primo Vescovo Di Münster E "Apostolo Dei Sassoni E Dei Frisoni" (Werden An Der Ruhr -Diocesi Di Essen- Germania, 6 Settembre 2009)
• St. Ludger (Diocese of Essen)
• St. Ludger (Catholic Encyclopedia)