Well, today's matchup is an odd pairing. You might even say that Felix of Burgundy and Oscar are an...Odd Couple. Anyway, we're confident you'll choose the right criteria for your vote and ignore the fact that one of these two may be a neat freak and the other a slob. Frankly, we have no idea.
Yesterday, Origen defeated Hilda of Whitby 55% to 45% to advance to the Saintly Sixteen. Go vote!
Felix of Burgundy
Felix of Burgundy is known as the Enlightener of East Anglia and credited with bringing Christianity to the east of England, founding the University of Cambridge, and consecrating a small, furry animal as bishop—but we’ll save the legends for a later round of Lent Madness.
Felix was born and ordained in Burgundy, the French region perhaps better known for its wines, but not much was written about him until his arrival in East Anglia, which today includes the English counties of Norfolk and Suffolk. Some sources claim he previously had met Sigebert, who would become king of East Anglia, when the latter was in exile. Through their friendship, Sigebert became a Christian, and when he returned to East Anglia in 630 CE to take the throne, he invited his “spiritual father” Felix to join him as its first bishop.
Together, Felix and Sigebert founded a school “wherein boys should be taught letters,” according to The Ecclesiastical History of the English People by the Venerable Bede. Felix supplied the teachers for the school, which later became the University of Cambridge. Not long afterward, Sigebert abdicated the throne to enter a monastery and eventually became a saint himself.
Felix remained bishop of East Anglia for 17 years. In that time, he founded churches, monasteries, and schools throughout the area and brought not only Christianity but also happiness to its people. “He delivered all the province of East Anglia from long-standing unrighteousness and unhappiness,” Bede writes in a play on the saint’s name, which means “happy.”
Felix died in 647 or 648 and was buried at Dommoc, his episcopal see, which has since been swallowed by the sea. His body was moved to Soham and then, after a Viking attack destroyed the monastery, rescued dramatically under the cover of a miraculous—or, perhaps, typically English—fog.
While those places may no longer remain, the impact Felix made while there certainly does. He is buried at a Benedictine abbey in Ramsey and remembered by the Church of England on March 8.
Collect for Felix of Burgundy
O God, our heavenly Father, who raised up your faithful servant Felix, to be a bishop and pastor in your Church and to feed your flock: Give abundantly to all pastors the gifts of your Holy Spirit, that they may minister in your household as true servants of Christ and stewards of your divine mysteries; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
Oscar
Contrary to the similar sounding names, Oscar (commonly known as Ansgar) is not related to either Loki or Thor of Asgard. Rather, Ansgar is a derivation of the Germanic Oscar. Ansgar translates roughly to mean the “spear of God”—a most appropriate name for a man who was called to teach the word of God to Vikings. And, like Loki and Thor, Ansgar/Oscar has a cinematic claim to fame in the modern TV show “Vikings.”
Born in 801 in Amiens, in present-day France, to a noble family, Oscar entered a Benedictine monastery following the death of his mother. It is said that Oscar had a vision of his mother at the side of Mary, the mother of God, and his cavalier attitude to the church was transformed into a more serious appreciation.
Because of his noble background, Oscar was sent to Jutland (around modern-day Denmark) to serve as a missionary to the baptized King Harald Klak. Under Harald, Oscar built a school for Christian teaching for the children of Jutland. When Harald died, the new Viking king was not a Christian, so Oscar moved back to Germany.
However, the north was not done with Oscar. The new king of Sweden, Bjorn at Hauge, wanted a missionary to build a school. Oscar returned to Scandinavia and built a congregation of northerners, living out his call to bring Christianity to the Vikings and earning the moniker Apostle to the North. In 831, Oscar returned to Worms to receive his next call from the pope: Archbishopric of Hamburg-Bremen. His charge included a mission to evangelize the people of Denmark, Sweden, and Norway.
Considered the founder of the Denmark and Swedish arm of the church, Oscar provides a witness to us on how we can bring to Christ others who are different from us and come from varying traditions and cultures. Oscar was known for making relationships across cultures and cultivating understanding rather than discord during these turbulent times. His feast day is February 3, which is the date of his passing in 865.
Collect for Oscar
Almighty and everlasting God, we thank you for your servant Oscar, whom you called to preach the Gospel to the people of Denmark, Sweden, and Norway. Raise up in this and every land evangelists and heralds of your kingdom, that your Church may proclaim the unsearchable riches of our Savior Jesus Christ; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
114 comments on “Felix vs. Oscar”
Had to go with Oscar. He’s likely to thank in part for my ancestors being Christian
I am Danish and my husband is Swedish. Without Oscar, our families might not have had the Christian Faith to pass down to us✝️
"Oscar" is "O" in the internat'l phonetic alphabet. It is the nautical signal for "man overboard," and the Navy's training dummy is called "Oscar." Oscar the Grouch entertains and teaches children. Oscar Romero, martyr of El Salvador, is one of the great saints of th 20th century. Oscar, missionary to the Vikings, gets my vote.
Let us hope that Felix's funny "furry creature" is not a nutria/coypu/ragondin, an invasive species that destroys wetlands.
These furry creatures create wetlands, whether you want them or not, and they leave massive teethmarks. I'm impressed, aren't "chew"?
(Don't look at the url if you don't want to know the animal yet.)
https://www.beaversww.org/
Felix for me as I attended schools in Norfolk and Suffolk (East Anglia) and the furry creature is very Canadian
The furry creature belongs to Oregon State University, but I'm sure they will share.
I am happy to vote for Felix.
Oscar seems have carried the Beloved Community of God and Jesus and us to many that he touched. May we continue that work!!
Interesting that Felix is remembered by the C of E on my mother's birthday. Something to ponder.
My first thought upon reading the bios was, "This is impossible! They're so much alike!" After reading through again, and ruminating, I'm going for Oscar. I want to hear more about his "making relationships across cultures and cultivating understanding rather than discord during these turbulent times."
Jutland is not "around" modern Denmark but is the mainland part of Denmark. It is the site of Aarhus, the second largest city in the country.
People may think of Denmark as just an island, because the island of Zealand is the site of Copenhagen, the capital and largest city.
Oscar's ministry to Denmark and Sweden extends to all of Scandinavia, Greenland and the great north and to the many around the world who bear the message which he carried.
The Jutes gave Beowulf a great deal of trouble. "His sword arm hankered to greet the Jutes." If only our epic poets would rise to the challenges of today . . .
Although I wanted to read about the consecration of a furry animal, I dreamed about nalbinding, a Viking precursor to knitting, last night, so I had to cast my vote for A star (Oscar).
"Oscar was known for making relationships across cultures and cultivating understanding rather than discord during these turbulent times." If he advances to the Saintly Sixteen I will probably vote for him. (My high school teams were also the Vikings.) But I spent several wonderful weeks in East Anglia one summer, so I have to cast my first-round vote for Felix. BTW - if Felix is eliminated, I still want to know about the small, furry bishop!
Although I have a fondness for Cambridge and East Anglia, where Felix, "the happy" served for years of tranquility, I give the Spiritual nod to Oscar who dutifully traveled to different kingdoms to bring good news. To be such a missionary that a king gives up his crown for robes of a monk is worthy of the golden halo.
While in seminary I lead a worship service that was listed in "A Dog Lovers Guide to the Bay Area" as being a pet friendly worship service. (Ok so it was a Drive In service -- established long before COVID made such things popular and the dogs remained in the cars or on leash in the parking lot of the shopping center.) Consecrating a small fury animal as bishop sealed my vote in favor of Felix
This is way to much fun. I am learning while enjoying the teaching- thank you
Voted for Felix because of my love of Britain and my admiration for Cambridge University. I loved traveling around the country visiting the beautiful cathedrals and monasteries while we lived in London. Felt a twinge of pity for poor Felix because his body had to be rescued a couple of times.
Oscar for me in honor of my great-nephew, Oscar.
This is a great match up. I voted for Oscar. A vision of his dead mother with the Virgin Mary....miraculous.
I'll vote for a guy whose names translates "spear of God" just about every time.
And also, go ORIGEN!
Well, dam! both of these two seem to have been good and faithful bishops, though we lack many details such as whether either of them put the cap back on the toothpaste or hung the toilet paper properly. But I'm happily voting for Felix, for his colorful background of hailing from a wine region and allegedly consecrating a critter as bishop. Only disappointed it wasn't a cat (yes, I googled).
Is Felix unique in being both canonized and dammed?
I guess not, since the furry bishop was an industrious sort too! 🙂
Although I work for Cambridge University Press & Assessment, my vote is for Oscar. We need more cross-cultural understanding!
Bishop Felix right gladly did he
To East Anglia bring felicity.
But the ocean reclaimed
Dommoc town, since renamed
“England’s only episcopal sea”.
Brilliant!
It just hit me ... Felix and Oscar! Apparently haven't had enough coffee yet. The SEC never fails to deliver.
I love this pairing, being a longtime fan of the show. My wife and I still binge watch The Odd Couple each New Year's Eve, thanks to a local station.
But these are not the Felix and Oscar I know from Neil Simon, these are two French men who end up making their fame somewhere else. How to choose? I have ties both to England and Scandinavia, but those to the latter are tenuous at best. Still, I have been to Denmark, Sweden and Iceland and love them all. So it is Oscar for me!
Before I read and vote, I just want to say that I really appreciated the humor today!!! I needed a chuckle!!!
Oh no.... I ended up picking Felix because I want to know about the squirrel.
Could not vote for Felix on St Patrick's Day. Although he did a good job in bringing Christ to the Angles and Saxons, he and they represented the Church of Rome which disapproved of the less punitive Christianity of my Irish ancestors. Oscar, living later, was not a part of the controversy which Rome had won by his time.
Though I do like the furry not-a-feline animal that Felix consecrated as a bishop, I'm half Swedish, so my vote was not that hard of a choice. Also, I grew up watching Oscar the Grouch on TV. Also, I like that in his LentMadness profile image Saint Ansgar is not only holding a church in his hands, he, unlike Felix, remembered to wear green for the Feast of Saint Patrick (I'm also a wee bit of Irish).
Ancient and hoary that I am, I remember Felix as a cartoon cat from days of yore. Felix may predate Schrodinger who, unlike Felix, can appear in two places simultaneously, sort of a saintly bilocation, a remarkable feline trait.
FELIX is not recorded as founding a school in The Saints of the Anglican Calendar by Kathleen Jones , Canterbury Press 2000. He is said to have been based at Dunwich which has now fallen into the sea through erosion. I wd love for Cambridge to have been founded in the 7th century as a very keen alumna but our official founding date is 1209.
Felix, because coastal erosion around the world is now a BIG DEAL, and it even had an impact back then.
Voted for Oscar because he made "relationships across cultures and cultivating understanding rather than discord." Sorely needed in our world right now!