Who is St. Thorlak, the patron of Iceland?

[ad_1] Cathedral of Christ the King in Reykjavik, Iceland. / Credit: Wirthi, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons CNA Newsroom, Dec 23, 2024 / 04:00 am (CNA). The Scandinavian island nation of Iceland celebrates its national patron, St. Thorlak Thorhallsson, on Dec. 23.Although Iceland’s national assembly declared him a saint in 1198, only five years after his death, this “unofficial” canonization did not become an official part of the Church’s liturgical calendar until Pope John Paul II confirmed him as…