Saint Ansgar, the “Apostle of the North" was born in France. He entered the Benedictine Order and went to Denmark to evangelize pagan Scandinavia. He was made Archbishop of Hamburg in 831 and Archbishop of Bremen in 854 and began missionary work in Germany, Sweden and Denmark. He built the first Catholic church in Sweden. In the 13 years that he struggled to convert these countries, he had some success. He was an extraordinary preacher, a humble ascetic and was devoted to the poor and sick. He died peacefully in Bremen in 865.
