The Collect
O GOD, who dost support and defend is
with the glorious witness of thy blessed martyr Alphage: Grant us to
go forward in his footsteps, and ever to rejoice in fellowship with
him; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Saint Alphege (Ælfheah) was an
Anglo-Saxon Bishop of Winchester, later the Archbishop of Canterbury.
He became an anchorite before being elected abbot of Bath Abbey. His
reputation for piety and sanctity led to his promotion to the
episcopate, and eventually, to his becoming archbishop. Saint Alphege
furthered the cult of Dunstan and also encouraged learning. He was
captured by Viking raiders in 1011 and killed by them the following
year after refusing to allow himself to be ransomed.
Saint Alphege was canonised in 1078.
