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.
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