Wulfram (or Wulfrann), St

Wulfram (or Wulfrann), St.

apostle to the Frisians and bishop of Sens, was of patrician family, and was born about A.D. 650, at Milly. He became monk and abbot at Fontenelle, to which monastery he donated his family-seat of Milly, and afterwards was chaplain to the French court, and bishop of Sens. In 684 or 685 he devoted himself, with several brother monks, to the missionary work among the Frisians, his personal associate for a time being a Burgundian count named Gangulf or Gengulf, who was afterwards killed by a clergyman, the paramour of his wife. Wulfram is credited, while in the prosecution of his missionary labors, with having recovered a lost paten from the sea by prayer; with having cured paralytics and other invalids by anointing them with oil; with having preserved alive a boy who was hanged by the Frisians in honor of their divinities, and two other boys who were about to be drowned from similar, motives. Tradition states that Wulfram was on the point, of baptizing Radbod, the Frisian king, when the latter, standing with one foot in the water, inquired whether his unbaptized ancestors were to be found in heaven or in hell, and being assured that they were in hell, withdrew his foot and declared that he would not be separated from his royal ancestors. The devil thereupon appeared to the king and incited him to persist in idolatry, until he was driven away by the sign of the cross. Radbod, however, died unbaptized. Wulfram, about 689, returned to Fontenelle, and died in 695 (others say 720 or 740). The martyrologies assign to him March 20. See Bolland, Aeta SS. Martyr. (Antw. 1668), 3, p. 143-165; Rettberg, Kirchengesch. Deutschlands (Gött. 1848), p. 574 sq., and the literature there referred to; also Herzog, Real- Encyklop. s.v.