St. Ansfrid's in Amersfoort, Netherlands

Today is a special day. It’s Good Shepherd Sunday, which means there’s a lot of extra attention to vocations to the priesthood in a lot of Dutch parishes, but for Amersfoort it’s an extra special Sunday: on May 3, it’s the feast day of St. Ansfrid of Utrecht. Saints.SQPN.com has the following entry for St. Ansfrid:

Also known as Ansfridus of Utrecht and Ansfried of Utrecht. Memorial 3 May

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Count of Brabant. Married to Hilsondis; father of one daughter; after the girl’s birth, Ansfrid and Hilsondis, lived as brother and sister. Courtier and knight in the service of Holy Roman Emperor Otto III and Saint Henry II. After many years of this life he realized a call to religious life, and in 974 he gave up his life as a soldier. In 992 he founded a convent at Thorn, Netherlands, which his wife and daughter entered; his daughter eventually became abbess.

He founded a Benedictine monastery at Heiligenberg, Germany, and planned to enter it as a monk, but in 994, in the face of local opposition, he was named bishop of Utrecht, Netherlands by Otto. Late in life his eyesight began to fail, and by 1006 he was blind; though he kept the title of bishop, he was finally able to retire to the Heiligenberg abbey where he spent his remaining days as a prayerful monk. There is a single church dedicated to Saint Ansfrid; it is located in Amersfoort, Netherlands.

Born c.940 in the Brabant region; Died 3 May 1010 in Amersfoort, Netherlands of natural causes

“Until today I have combated for temporal glory in the defense of the poor, widows and orphans. Henceforth I place myself under the protection of the Virgin Mary and I will fight unceasingly for the conquest of souls, the glory of God and my own salvation.”

– Saint Ansfrid as he gave up his arms for the religious life

Now, I happen to know a priest who says Mass in that church who is in dire need of LOTS of collegues, so what are you waiting for! Start praying for vocations. We need more priests and one can never have enough saints