Feast Day of Pope St. Boniface IV
St. Boniface was the son of a physician named John. He was a student under Saint Gregory the Great and a Benedictine monk in Rome. He served as deacon under Saint Gregory the Great; and he was a dispenser of alms and patrimonies. Chosen 67th Pope in 608, he converted the Roman temple of the old gods, the Pantheon, to a Christian church dedicated to Our Lady and all the Martyrs in 609, the first such conversion of a temple from pagan to Christian use. Boniface supported the expansion of the faith into England, and met with the first bishop of London. He encouraged reforms among the clergy, and balanced it with improvements in their living and working conditions. He corresponded with Saint Columba. Late in life he converted his own house into a monastery and lived there, dividing his time between his papal work and life as a prayerful monk.
Pope St. Boniface IV, pray for us.