Saint Richard of Chichester stained glass window, Berwick Church
Saint Richard
Richard of Wich naquit à
Droitwich (Worcester) en 1197. D'abord chancelier de l'université d'Oxford
(1235), il se mit au service de son ami Edmond d'Abingdon, archevêque de
Canterbury. Ordonné prêtre à Orléans lors d'un séjour en France où mourut
l'archevêque, il rentra en Angleterre pour devenir évêque de Chichester (1244)
où il eut à lutter contre les entreprises du roi Henri III. Prélat réformateur,
il combattit les maux de l'Eglise d'alors : le népotisme et la simonie. Très
austère pour lui-même, il était d'une infinie bonté pour les pauvres. Il mourut
à Maison-Dieu, près de Douvres le 3 avril 1253.
Saint Richard de
Chichester
Chancelier de
l'université d'Oxford, évêque de Chichester (+ 1253)
Confesseur et évêque de
Chichester.
Gentleman anglais, né à
Wiche dans le Worcestershire, le second fils des châtelains locaux se montre
d'abord secourable à ses parents ruinés, en travaillant à la ferme familiale.
Devenu adulte, il peut enfin assouvir sa passion des études à Oxford, Paris et
Bologne, les trois perles universitaires de l'époque. En 1235, il devient
chancelier de l'Université d'Oxford. Il n'a pas 40 ans. Juriste réputé, le
voilà conseiller des trois archevêques successifs de Cantorbéry: Edmond, Riche
et Boniface de Savoie. Il défend l'indépendance de l'Église face au pouvoir
royal. Tardivement ordonné prêtre en France, il est d'abord curé de paroisse
avant de redevenir chancelier de l'archevêque. Promu évêque de Chichester,
chef-lieu du Sussex Occidental, il y restera une décennie, persécuté par Henri
III, mais vénéré de ses diocésains.
De nombreuses paroisses
sont sous son patronage comme celle de Chichester en
Angleterre où l'hôpital aussi
porte son nom, celle de Barnesville aux
États-Unis d'où provient l'illustration ci-contre... (sites en anglais)
À Chichester en
Angleterre, l'an 1253, saint Richard, évêque, qui fut privé par le roi Henri
III de son temporel, obligé de loger dans une maison d'emprunt et de manger à
la table d'autrui, mais, malgré ces entraves, il visita à pied ses paroisses,
veilla à la dignité du culte et aux mœurs des prêtres et, quand son temporel
lui fut restitué, distribua de larges aumônes aux pauvres.
Martyrologe romain
SOURCE : https://nominis.cef.fr/contenus/saint/913/Saint-Richard-de-Chichester.html
A
head stop in the west doorway of St Margaret's Church, Rottingdean, East
Sussex, depicting St. Richard of Chichester.
Saint Richard
Saint Richard est né
en 1198, Célestin III étant Pape, Othon IV empereur du saint Empire romain
germanique, Alexis III l’un des derniers empereurs de Byzance, Philippe
II-Auguste roi de France et Richard Cœur-de-Lion roi d’Angleterre. Il naît au
château de Wich, près de Worcester en Angleterre.
Il manifesta pour son
frère aîné un dévouement extrême, se mettant à son service afin de relever sa
fortune en ruines ; puis, abandonnant les biens qu’il avait reconquis et que
son frère lui avait donnés, il quitte le monde, va étudier à Oxford, à Paris et
à Bologne, où il prend les grades les plus élevés.
De retour à Oxford, saint
Edmond, archevêque de Cantorbéry, l’attache à lui comme chancelier en 1234, et
saint Richard le suit dans son exil en 1240.
Ordonné Prêtre à Orléans,
saint Richard est appelé à l’évêché de Chichester en 1245, et comme le roi
Henri III s’opposait à son élection, il se rend à Rome et est sacré par le Pape
Innocent IV.
Deux années durant il fut
persécuté par le roi, qui ne céda que sur les instances et les menaces du
Souverain Pontife.
Saint Richard, rentré
dans son diocèse, y prit un soin admirable des pauvres, des infirmes, de la
discipline ecclésiastique et des souffrances du peuple. Il prêcha ensuite la
Croisade (le roi et les nobles refusèrent leur concours) et se mit en route
pour les Saints lieux ; mais la mort l’arrêta, le 3 avril 1253, comme il se
rendait à Douvres. Innocent IV était Pape, saint Louis IX roi de France,
Baudouin II roi latin de Constantinople et Henri III roi d’Angleterre.
The
Shrine of Saint Richard, in Chichester Cathedral, with tapestry designed by
Ursula Benker-Schirmir. Altar designed by Robert Potter and icon of St Richard
(bottom right) by Sergei Fyodorov. The Cathedral has some outstanding examples
of contemporary craft, art and design within its interior. In Advent 2011 the
area was refurnished with new candlesticks and other furniture.
SAINT RICHARD
Évêque de Chichester
(1197-1253)
Saint Richard naquit en Angleterre. Ses parents occupaient alors un rang élevé
et jouissaient d'une belle fortune; mais ils tombèrent dans une misère si
profonde, qu'après leur mort, leur fils aîné fut longtemps retenu en prison
pour dettes. Richard, son frère, travailla généreusement à sa délivrance; mais
il s'appauvrit lui-même au point d'être obligé de gagner sa vie comme valet de
ferme.
Bientôt il put aller à Paris continuer les bonnes études qu'il avait déjà
faites dans sa jeunesse. Il se lia d'amitié avec deux amis choisis, aussi
pauvres que lui; ils n'avaient qu'un manteau à tous les trois et se voyaient
obligés de n'aller prendre leurs leçons que l'un après l'autre. Leur nourriture
était plus que frugale, un peu de pain et de vin leur suffisait, et ils ne
mangeaient de chair ou de poisson que le dimanche. Cependant Richard assura
depuis que ce fut là pour lui le beau temps, tant il était absorbé par la
passion de l'étude. Ses succès furent prompts et remarquables, si bien qu'à son
retour en Angleterre il professa fort brillamment à l'Université d'Oxford.
Quelques années plus tard, sa modestie, sa chasteté, sa douceur et sa dévotion
lui attirèrent le respect et l'amour de tout le monde; il fut élu chancelier de
l'Université. Nommé ensuite évêque de Chichester, il eut à subir quelques temps
les vexations du roi Henri III, en guerre avec Rome, mais il rétablit la paix
par ses prières et ses procédés de conciliation.
Devenu désormais libre dans l'exercice de son ministère, il se fit remarquer
par sa grande condescendance pour les petits et par sa miséricorde pour les
pauvres. Comme on lui disait que ses dépenses excédaient ses revenus: "Il
vaut mieux, dit-il, vendre son cheval et sa vaisselle d'argent que de laisser
souffrir les pauvres, membres de Jésus-Christ."
Un jour, distribuant du pain, il en eut assez pour contenter trois mille
pauvres, et il lui en resta pour cent autres qui survinrent après. Ces
multiplications merveilleuses se renouvelèrent plusieurs fois. Il honorait les
religieux et les embrassait souvent: "Qu'il est bon, disait-il, de baiser
les lèvres qui exhalent l'encens des saintes prières offertes au
Seigneur!"
Il mourut en baisant le Crucifix et en invoquant Marie contre les ennemis du
salut.
Abbé L. Jaud, Vie des Saints pour tous les jours de l'année, Tours, Mame,
1950.
SOURCE : http://magnificat.ca/cal/fr/saints/saint_richard.html
.jpg)
.jpg)
Richard de Chichester,
Chancelier de l'université d'Oxford, évêque de Chichester († 1253)
Saint Richard naquit en Angleterre. Ses parents occupaient alors un rang élevé
et jouissaient d'une belle fortune ; mais ils tombèrent dans une misère si
profonde, qu'après leur mort, leur fils aîné fut longtemps retenu en prison
pour dettes. Richard, son frère, travailla généreusement à sa délivrance ; mais
il s'appauvrit lui-même au point d'être obligé de gagner sa vie comme valet de
ferme.
Bientôt il put aller à Paris continuer les bonnes études qu'il avait déjà
faites dans sa jeunesse. Il se lia d'amitié avec deux amis aussi pauvres que
lui ; ils n'avaient qu'un manteau à tous les trois et se voyaient obligés de
n'aller prendre leurs leçons que l'un après l'autre.
En 1235, il devient chancelier de l'Université d'Oxford. Il n'a pas 40 ans.
Juriste réputé, le voilà conseiller des trois archevêques successifs de
Cantorbéry: Edmond, Riche et Boniface de Savoie. Il défend l'indépendance de
l'Église face au pouvoir royal. Tardivement ordonné prêtre en France, il est
d'abord curé de paroisse avant de redevenir chancelier de l'archevêque. Promu
évêque de Chichester, chef-lieu du Sussex Occidental, il y restera une
décennie, persécuté par Henri III, mais vénéré de ses diocésains. En effet le
roi s’y oppose, le pape lui-même l’ordonne et le confirme dans sa charge. On
lui retire ses biens et son habitation. Pendant deux ans il demande le gîte et
le couvert à des amis. Mais sans que cela ne l’inquiète ni ne le détourne de sa
mission.
Comme évêque, Richard vivait dans une grande austérité, offrant la plupart de
ses revenus comme aumônes. Il parcourt son diocèse, assiste les pauvres et les
malades, sanctionne les prêtres dévergondés. Quand le roi revient à de
meilleures dispositions à son égard et lui rend ses biens, voilà qu’il vend ses
chevaux et sa vaisselle et construit un hôpital pour les vieillards et les
indigents.
En 1250, Richard fut l'un des collecteurs de la levée de fonds pour les
croisades et deux ans plus tard le roi le nomma pour prêcher la croisade à
Londres. Il fit des efforts acharnés pour soulever l'enthousiasme pour la cause
dans les diocèses de Chichester et Cantorbéry.
Alors qu'il était en route pour Douvres, où il devait consacrer une nouvelle
église dédiée à saint Edme, il tomba malade. En arrivant à Douvres, il alla
dans un hôpital appelé la « Maison Dieu », procéda à la cérémonie de
consécration le 2 avril et mourut le matin suivant. La fin de sa vie s’accompagne
de miracles spectaculaires.
SOURCE : http://www.forum-politique.org/religion/saint-jour-t78698-200.html
.jpg)
Also
known as
Richard de Wych
Richard Backedine
Richard of Wich
Richard of Droitwich
Richard of Burford
16
June (Anglican Communion)
Profile
Second son of Richard and
Alice de Wych. His father died when
the boy was
young. The family fell upon hard times, but as soon as he became old enough,
Richard took over management of their estates and brought them back to
profit. Educated at Oxford, England,
in Paris, France,
and in Bologna, Italy. Chancellor of Oxford University.
Legal advisor to Saint Edmund
Rich and Saint Boniface
of Savoy, the Archbishops of Canterbury. Priest. Bishop of Chichester. Miracles and cures occured
at his shrine in Chichester.
His patronage of coachmen began
with the Milanese Guild
of Coachmen,
possibly because Richard drove carts and wagons on the family farm.
Born
c.1197 at
Droitwich, Worcestershire, England as Richard
de Wych
3
April 1253 at
Dover, Kent, England of
natural causes
1262 by Pope Urban
IV at Viterbo, Papal
States (part of modern Italy)
—
Chichester, England, diocese of
bishop with
a chalice on
its side at his feet because he once dropped the chalice during
a Mass and
nothing spilled from it
kneeling with the chalice before
him
ploughing his
brother’s fields
a bishop blessing his
flock with a chalice nearby
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Readings
Thanks be to Thee, my
Lord Jesus Christ For all the benefits Thou hast given me, For all the pains
and insults Which Thou has borne for me. O most merciful Redeemer, Friend, and
Brother, May I know Thee more clearly, Love Thee more dearly, Follow Thee more
nearly, Day by day. Amen.” – prayer by Saint Richard
MLA
Citation
“Saint Richard of
Chichester“. CatholicSaints.Info. 30 May 2020. Web. 26 May 2021.
<https://catholicsaints.info/saint-richard-of-chichester/>
SOURCE : https://catholicsaints.info/saint-richard-of-chichester/
St. Richard's Catholic Church -
Bald Knob, Arkansas
St. Richard de Wyche
Bishop and confessor,
b. about 1197 at Droitwich, Worcestershire, from which his surname is
derived; d. 3 April, 1253, at Dover. He was the second son of Richard and
Alice de Wyche. His father died while he was still young and the family property fell
into a state of great delapidation. His elder brother offered to
resign the inheritance to him, but Richard refused the offer, although he
undertook the management of the estate and soon restored it to
a good condition. He went to Oxford,
where he and two companions lived in such poverty that they had only
one tunic and hooded gown between them, in which they attended
lectures by turns. He then went to Paris and
on his return proceeded Master of Arts. At Bologna he
studied canon law, in which he acquired a great reputationand
was elected Chancellor of the University
of Oxford.
His learning and sanctity were
so famed that Edmund Rich, Archbishop of Canterbury,
and Robert
Grosseteste,Bishop of Lincoln,
both offered him the post of chancellor of their respective dioceses.
Richard accepted the archbishop's offer and
thence forward became St. Edmund's intimate friend and follower. He
approved the archbishop's action in
opposing the king on the question of the vacant sees, accompanied him
in his exile toPontigny,
was present at Soissy when he died, and made him a model
in life. Richard supplied Matthew
Paris with material for his biography, and, after attending the
translation of his relics to Pontigny in
1249, wrote an account of the incident in a letter published by Matthew
Paris (Historia major, V, VI). Retiring to the house of
the Dominicans at Orléans,
Richard studied theology,
was ordained priest,
and, after founding a chapel in honour ofSt.
Edmund, returned to England where
he became Vicar of Deal and Rector of Charring. Soon
afterwards he was induced by Boniface
of Savoy, the new Archbishop of Canterbury,
to resume his former office of chancellor.
In
1244 Ralph Neville, Bishop of Chichester,
died; the election of Robert Passelewe, Archdeacon of Chichester,
to the vacant see, was quashed by Boniface at
a synod of his suffragans, held 3 June, 1244, and on his
recommendation the chapter elected Richard, their choice being
immediately confirmed by the archbishop. Henry
III was indignant, as Robert Passelewe was a favourite, and he
refused to surrender to Richard the temporalities of his see.
The Saint took his case to Innocent
IV, who consecrated him
in person at Lyons,
5 March, 1245, and sent him back to England.
But Henry was immovable. Thus homeless in his own diocese,
Richard was dependent on the charity of his clergy,
one of whom, Simon of Tarring, shared with him the little he
possessed. At length, in 1246, Henry was induced by the threats of
the pope to
deliver up the temporalities. As bishop,
Richard lived in great austerity, giving away most of
his revenues as alms.
He compiled a number of statutes which
regulate in great detail the lives of the clergy,
the celebration of Divine service, the administration of the sacraments, church
privileges, and other matters. Every priest in
the diocese was
bound to obtain a copy of these statutes and
bring it to the diocesan synod (Wilkins,
"Concilia", I, 688-93); in this way the standard
of life among the clergy was
raised considerably. For the better maintenance of his cathedral Richard
instituted a yearly collection to be made in every parish of
the diocese on Easter or Whit Sunday.
The mendicant
orders, particularly the Dominicans,
received special encouragement from him.
In 1250 Richard was named as one of the collectors of the subsidy for the crusades (Bliss, "Calendar of Papal Letters", I, 263) and two years later the king appointed him to preach the crusade in London. He made strenuous efforts to rouse enthusiasm for the cause in the Dioceses of Chichester and Canterbury, and while journeying to Dover, where he was to consecrate a new church dedicated to St. Edmund, he was taken ill. Upon reachingDover, he went to a hospital called "Maison Dieu", performed the consecration ceremony on 2 April, but died the next morning. His body was taken back to Chichester and buried in the cathedral. He was solemnly canonized byUrban IV in the Franciscan church at Viterbo, 1262, and on 20 Feb. a papal licence for the translation of his relicsto a new shrine was given; but the unsettled state of the country prevented this until 16 June, 1276, when the translation was performed by Archbishop Kilwardby in the presence of Edward I. This shrine, which stood in the feretory behind the high altar, was rifled and destroyed at the Reformation. The much-restored altar tomb in the south transept now commonly assigned to St. Richard has no evidence to support its claim, and no relics are known to exist. The feast is celebrated on 3 April. The most accurate version of St. Richard's will, which has been frequently printed, is that given by Blaauw in "Sussex Archaeological Collections", I, 164-92, with a translation and valuable notes. His life was written by his confessor Ralph Bocking shortly after his canonization and another short life, compiled in the fifteenth century, was printed by Capgrave. Both these are included in the notice of St. Richard in the Bollandist "Acta Sanctorum".
Sources
HARDY, Descriptive catalogue of MSS. relating to the history of Great
Britain and Ireland, III (London, 1871), 136-9; Acta SS., April, I
(Venice, 1768), 277-318; CAPGRAVE, Nova legenda Angliae (London,
1516), 269; PARIS, Historia major, ed. MADDEN in R. S., II, III
(London, 1866); Annales monastici, ed. LUARD in R. S. (London,
1864); Flores historiarum, ed. IDEM in R. S., II (London,
1890); Rishanger's Chronicle, ed. RILEY in R. S. (London, 1865);
TRIVET, ed. HOG, Annales sex regum Angliae (London, 1845); Calendar
of Papal Letters, ed. BLISS, I (London, 1893); Vita di S. Ricardo vescovo
di Cicestria (Milan, 1706); STEPHENS, Memorials of the See of
Chichester (London, 1876), 83-98, contains the best modern life;
WALLACE, St. Edmund of Canterbury (London, 1893), 196-205;
GASQUET, Henry III and the Church (London, 1905), 222, 343;
CHALLONER, Britannia sancta (London, 1745), 206-13; STANTON, Menology
of England and Wales (London, 1887), 141-3.
Huddleston, Gilbert. "St. Richard de Wyche." The Catholic
Encyclopedia. Vol. 13. New York: Robert Appleton Company,1912. 2
Apr. 2015 <http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/13043b.htm>.
Transcription. This article was transcribed for New Advent by Herman F. Holbrook. For Richard M. Toporoski, Ph.D., of St Michael's College, Toronto.
Ecclesiastical approbation. Nihil Obstat. February 1, 1912. Remy Lafort, D.D., Censor. Imprimatur. +John Cardinal Farley, Archbishop of New York.
Copyright © 2021 by Kevin
Knight. Dedicated to the Immaculate Heart of Mary.
SOURCE : http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/13043b.htm
St.
Richard's Church. Columbia Falls, Montana
St. Richard, Bishop and Confessor
From his life by Ralph Bocking, some time his Confessarius, in two books, dedicated to Isabel, countess of Arundel; extant in the Acta Sanctorum. The same is abridged in Surius. See another life of this saint in Capgrave, written also soon after his death; and F. Papebroke, t. 1. April, p. 277.
A.D. 1253.
ST. RICHARD was born at the manor of Wiche, famous for its salt wells, four
miles from Worcester, being second son to Richard and Alice de Wiche. In order
to keep faithfully his baptismal vows, he from his infancy always manifested
the utmost dislike to gay diversions, and ever held in the highest contempt all
worldly pomp: instead of which his attention was wholly employed in
establishing for himself a solid foundation of virtue and learning. Every
opportunity of serving others he regarded as his happiness and gain. The
unfortunate situation of his eldest brother’s affairs gave him an occasion of
exercising his benevolent disposition. Richard condescended to become his
brother’s servant, undertook the management of his farms, and by his industry
and generosity effectually retrieved his brother’s before distressed
circumstances. Having completed this good work, he resumed at Paris those
studies he had begun at Oxford, leading with two select companions a life of
piety and mortification, generally contenting himself with coarse bread and
simple water for his diet; except that on Sundays and on particular festival
she would, in condescendence to some visitors, allow himself a little meat or
fish. Upon his return to England, he proceeded master of arts at Oxford, from
whence he went to Bologna, in Italy, where he applied himself to the study of
the canon law, and was appointed public professor of that science. After having
taught there a short time, he returned to Oxford, and, on account of his merit,
was soon promoted to the dignity of chancellor in that university. St. Edmund,
archbishop of Canterbury, having the happiness of gaining him for his diocess,
appointed him his chancellor, and intrusted him with the chief direction of his
archbishopric; and Richard was the faithful imitator of his patron’s piety and
devotions. The principal use he made of his revenues was to employ them to
charitable purposes, nor would he on any terms be prevailed on to accept the
least present in the execution of his office as ecclesiastical judge. He
accompanied his holy prelate in his banishment into France, and after his
blessed death at Pontigni, retired into a convent of Dominican friars in
Orleans. Having in that solitude employed his time in improving himself in
theological studies, and received the order of priesthood, he returned to
England to serve a private curacy, in the diocess of Canterbury. Boniface, who
had succeeded St. Edmund in that metropolitan see, compelled him to resume his
office of chancellor with the care of his whole diocess. Ralph Nevil, bishop of
Chichester, dying in 1244, King Henry III. recommended to that see an unworthy
court favourite, called Robert Passelew: the archbishop and other prelates
declared the person not qualified, and the presentation void, and preferred
Richard de Wiche to that dignity. He was consecrated in 1245. But the king
seized his temporalities, and the saint suffered many hardships and
persecutions from him and his officers, during two years, till his majesty
granted him a replevin: upon which he recovered his revenues, but much
impaired. Afterwards having pleaded his cause at Rome before Pope Innocent IV.
against the king’s deputies, and obtained a sentence confirming his election,
he had permitted no persecution, fatigue, or difficulty to excuse him to
himself for the omission of any part of his duty to his flock: so now, the
chief obstacles being removed, he redoubled his fervour and attention. He in
person visited the sick, buried the dead, and sought out and relieved the poor.
When his steward complained that his alms exceeded his income: “then,” said he,
“sell my plate and my horse.” Having suffered a great loss by fire, instead of
being more sparing in his charities, he said, “Perhaps God sent us this loss to
punish our covetousness;” and ordered upon the spot more abundant alms to be
given than usual. Such was the ardour of his devotion, that he lived as it were
in the perpetual contemplation of heavenly things. He preached the word of God
to his flock with that unction and success, which only an eminent spirit of
prayer could produce. The affronts which he received, he always repaid with
favours, and enmity with singular marks of charity. In maintaining discipline
he was inflexible, especially in chastising crimes in the clergy: no
intercession of the king, archbishop, and several other prelates could prevail
with him to mitigate the punishment of a priest who had sinned against
chastity. Yet penitent sinners he received with inexpressible tenderness and
charity. Whilst he was employed in preaching a holy war against the Saracens,
being commissioned thereto by the pope, he fell sick of a fever, foretold his
own death, and prepared himself for it by the most melting ejaculations of
divine love and thanksgiving. He died in an hospital at Dover, called God’s
House, on the 3d of April, in the year of our Lord 1253, of his episcopal
dignity the ninth, of his age the fifty-sixth. His body was conveyed to
Chichester, and interred before the altar which he himself had consecrated in
his cathedral to the memory of St. Edmund. It was removed to a more honourable
place in 1276, on the 16th of June, on which day our ancestors commemorated his
translation. The fame of miraculous cures of paralytic and other distempers,
and of three persons raised to life at his tomb, moved the pope to appoint
commissaries to inquire into the truth of these reports, before whom many of
these miracles were authentically proved upon the spot; and the saint was
solemnly canonized by Urban IV. in 1262.
Rev. Alban Butler (1711–73). Volume IV: April. The Lives
of the Saints. 1866.
SOURCE : http://www.bartleby.com/210/4/032.html
St
Richard's Catholic Church, Slindon
Richard Backedine B (RM)
(also known as Richard of Wyche, of Droitwich, of Chichester, of Burford)
Born at Droitwich (formerly called Wyche), Worchestershire, England, in 1197;
died at Dover, England, 1253; canonized 1262.
"Thanks be to Thee,
my Lord Jesus Christ
For all the benefits Thou hast given me,
For all the pains and insults
Which Thou has borne for me.
O most merciful Redeemer, Friend, and Brother,
May I know Thee more clearly,
Love Thee more dearly,
Follow Thee more nearly,
Day by day. Amen."
--Saint Richard of
Chichester.
Richard's surname was
Backedine, but he is better known as Richard Wyche or 'of Wich.' He was born
into a family who held property and were counted among the minor nobility. Even
as a toddler Richard haunted holy Mass. At five, standing on a chair, he was
already preaching sermons: "Be good; if you are good, God will love you;
if you are not good, God will not love you." A little simplistic but what
do you expect of a five-year old? His knowledge of Latin amazed the pastor and
the fervor of his prayers confounded his mother. His parents decided that the
fruits of the earth would go to the eldest son, but those of heaven would go to
the youngest--he would belong to the Church.
Richard's parents died while he was still small, and the heavily mortgaged
family estate was left to his elder brother, who had no gift for management.
The brother allowed the land to fall into ruin. When Richard was old enough, he
served his brother out of kindness as a laborer to help rebuild the estate. He
actually tilled the land for a time, and directed the replanting of the ruined
gardens.
In time his management paid off, and the property was restored to its former
value. His brother wanted to give it to Richard, but Richard only wanted to
spend time with his books. Abandoning the estates and the possibility of a
marriage to a wealthy bride, Richard went off to the newly opened Oxford
University to finish his studies. At Oxford he became acquainted with the
Dominicans who had arrived in 1221, Franciscans such as Grosseteste, and Saint
Edmund Rich, who was then chancellor of the university and became one of
Richard's lifelong friends.
Later, he went to Paris as a student of theology, and was so poor that he
shared a room with two others. They lived on bread and porridge, and having
only one good coat between them, they could only go one at a time to lectures,
wearing it in turn, while the others remained at home. After taking his degree
in Paris and finishing his master's degree at Oxford, he studied Roman and
canon law at Bologna for seven years. There he received his doctorate and the
esteem of many.
When one of his tutors offered to make Richard his heir and give him his
daughter in marriage, Richard, who felt called to a celibate life, made a
courteous excuse and returned to Oxford at age 38. In 1235, he was appointed
chancellor of the university and then of the diocese of Oxford by Saint Edmund,
who had become archbishop of Canterbury.
Richard remained in close contact with Saint Edmund during the long years of
Edmund's conflict with the English king and, in fact, followed him into exile
in France and nursed him until Edmund's death in 1240 at the Cistercian
monastery of Pontigny. After Edmund died, he taught at the Dominican house of
studies in Orléans for two years, where he was ordained a priest in 1242 and
lived in the Dominican community until his return to England in 1243. At which
time he served briefly as a parish priest at Charing and at Deal.
Those were the days when Henry III created great difficulties for the Church by
encroaching on her liberties, seizing her revenues, and appointing to
ecclesiastical vacancies his own relatives and followers. Crowned at the age of
nine, when the barons had made an impetuous attack on his power, the Church had
come to the aid of the frail child because God establishes all authority. Henry
had acknowledged this service until he reached manhood. Then the king forgot
his debt to the Church. He surrounded himself with favorites from the
Continent: Bretons, Provençals, Savoyards, and natives of Poitou to
"protect himself from the felony of his own subjects."
In 1244, Ralph Neville, bishop of Chichester died. Thus it came about that the
king nominated a courtier, Robert Passelewe, to the bishopric of Chichester and
pressured the canons to elect him. However, the new archbishop, Blessed
Boniface of Savoy, refused to confirm appointment and called a chapter of his
suffragans, who declared the election invalid. Instead they chose Richard
Backedine, who had been chancellor to archbishops Edmund Rich and Boniface of
Savoy and who was the primate's nominee, to fill the vacant see.
This roused the anger of the king, who retaliated by confiscating the cathedral
revenues. It was a case in which retreat would be pure cowardice, so Richard
accepted the unwelcome office and set about doing his best with it. At first he
was almost starved out of office because the king, who already had the church
revenues, forbade anyone to give Richard food or shelter. No bishop dared to
consecrate him and, after a year of mendicant existence, he went to receive
episcopal consecration from Pope Innocent IV, who was presiding over the
Council of Lyons, on March 5, 1245.
But Richard, receiving the powerful support of the pope, though deprived of the
use both of the cathedral and the bishop's palace, took up his residence at
Chichester, and on a borrowed horse travelled through his diocese. He was given
shelter in a country rectory by Father Simon of Tarring, and from this modest
center Bishop Richard worked for two years like a missionary bishop, visiting
fisherfolk and peasants, and cultivating figs in his spare time.
He called many synods during his travels, and drew up what are known as the
Constitutions of Saint Richard, statutes that address the various abuses that
he noticed in his travels. The sacraments were to be administered without
payment, Mass celebrated with dignity, and the clergy to remain celibate,
practice residence, and wear clerical garb. The laity were obliged to attend
Mass on Sundays and Holy Days and to memorize the Hail Mary, Our Father, and
Creed. With great charity and humility he carried on his work until the king
reluctantly yielded to a peremptory order of the pope to restore the revenues
of the bishopric.
With his temporalities restored, Richard had the means to become a great
alms-giver. "It will never do," he said, "to eat out of gold and
silver plates and bowls, while Christ is suffering in the person of His
poor," and he ate and drank always out of common crockery. His early
poverty and recent experiences made him eschew riches. Whenever he heard of any
fire or damage to his property, Saint Richard would say to his stewards,
"Do not grieve. This is a lesson to us. God is teaching us that we do not
give enough away to the poor. Let us increase our almsgiving."
Nor would he allow any quarrels over money or privilege to stand in the way of
fellowship and charity. When an enemy came to see him, he received him in the
friendliest manner and invited him to his table, but in matters of scandal and
corruption he was stern and unyielding. "Never," he said of one of
his priests who was immoral, "shall a ribald exercise any cure of souls in
my diocese of Chichester."
And always he rose early, long before his clergy were awake, passing through
their dormitory to say his morning office by himself. He encouraged the
Dominicans and Franciscans in his diocese, who aided him in reforming it.
His final task was a commission from the pope to undertake a preaching mission
for the Crusade throughout the kingdom. He saw this as a call to a new life,
which would also reopen the Holy Land to pilgrims, not as a political
expedition. He began preaching the Crusade in his own church at Chichester and
proceeded as far as Dover, where, after he had dedicated a church to his friend
Saint Edmund and sung matins, he was taken ill, and died at the Maison- Dieu, a
house of poor priests and pilgrims, in his 56th year. Among his last words, as
he turned his face, lit up with peace, to an old friend, were: "I was glad
when they said to me, We will go into the house of the Lord."
If Richard was a thorn in the side of an avaricious king, he was a saint to his
flock, whose affection he won during his eight-year episcopate. Many miracles
of healing were recorded during his lifetime, and many more after his death.
Richard was deep in the hearts of his people, the sort of saint that anyone can
recognize by his simplicity, holiness, and endless charity to the poor.
Richard built a magnificent tomb for his friend, Saint Edmund, and was himself
buried there after his death. In 1276, his body was translated to a separate
tomb that erected for him behind the high altar of Chichester cathedral, which
became one of the most popular pilgrimage places in England. It was utterly
destroyed in 1538 by the Reformers, and his body was buried secretly.
Legend says that Richard Backedine was a third order Dominican, though there is
no positive proof. One tradition says that he was actually on his way to join
the Dominican house in Orléans, when the letters came appointing him bishop. In
the early days of the Order of Preachers, the name of Saint Richard was
inserted as a saint to be commemorated among their feasts, a fact that offers
strong evidence that Richard himself was a member of the order. His biography
was written by one of his clergy, Ralph Bocking (Attwater, Attwater2,
Benedictines, Bentley, Capes, Delaney, Dorcy, Encyclopedia, Farmer, Gill,
Walsh).
In art, Saint Richard is portrayed as a bishop blessing his people with a
chalice by him, because he once dropped the chalice during a Mass, which
remained unspilt. He may be shown (1) with the chalice at his feet; (2)
kneeling with the chalice before him; (3) ploughing his brother's fields; or
(4) blessing (Roeder). Unexpectedly, he is the patron of the coachmen's guild
in Milan, Italy, presumably because he drove carts on his family farm (Farmer).
His feast is observed in the dioceses of Southwark, Westminster, and Birmingham
(Attwater2).
SOURCE : http://www.saintpatrickdc.org/ss/0403.shtml
St
Richard's church, Burton Park, West Sussex
Pictorial
Lives of the Saints – Saint Richard of Chichester
Article
Richard was born A.D.
1197, in the little town of Wyche, eight miles from Worcester, England. He and
his elder brother were left orphans when young, and Richard gave up the studies
which he loved, to farm his brother’s impoverished estate. His brother, in
gratitude for Richard’s successful care, proposed to make over to him all his
lands; but he refused both the estates and the offer of a brilliant marriage,
to study for the priesthood at Oxford. In 1135 he was appointed, for his
learning and piety, chancellor of that University, and afterward by Saint
Edmund of Canterbury, chancellor of his diocese. He stood by that Saint in his
long contest with the King, and accompanied him into exile. After Saint
Edmund’s death, Richard returned to England to toil as a simple curate, but was
soon elected Bishop of Chichester in preference to the worthless nominee of
Henry III. The King in revenge refused to recognize the election, and seized
the revenues of the see. Thus Richard found himself fighting the same battle in
which Saint Edmund had died. He went to Lyons, was there consecrated by
Innocent IV. in 1245, and returning to England, in spite of his poverty and the
King’s hostility, exercised fully his episcopal rights, and thoroughly reformed
his see. After two years, his revenues were restored. Young and old loved Saint
Richard. He gave all he had, and worked miracles, to feed the poor and heal the
sick; but when the rights or purity of the Church were concerned, he was
inexorable. A priest of noble blood polluted his office by sin; Richard
deprived him of his benefice, and refused the King’s petition in his favor. On
the other hand, when a knight violently put a priest in prison, Richard
compelled the knight to walk round the priest’s church with the same log of
wood on his neck to which he had chained the priest; and when the burgesses of
Lewes tore a criminal from the church and hanged him, Richard made them dig up
the body from its unconsecrated grave and bear it back to the sanctuary they
had violated. Richard died A.D. 1253, while preaching, at the Pope’s command, a
crusade against the Saracens.
Reflection – As a
brother, as chancellor, and as bishop, Saint Richard faithfully performed each
duty of his state without a thought of his own interests. Neglect of duty is
the first sign of that self-love which ends with the loss of grace.
MLA
Citation
John Dawson Gilmary Shea.
“Saint Richard of Chichester”. Pictorial Lives of
the Saints, 1889. CatholicSaints.Info.
5 March 2014. Web. 26 May 2021.
<https://catholicsaints.info/pictorial-lives-of-the-saints-saint-richard-of-chichester/>
SOURCE : https://catholicsaints.info/pictorial-lives-of-the-saints-saint-richard-of-chichester/
St
Richard's parish church, Aldwick, West Sussex, seen from the west
Menology
of England and Wales – Saint Richard, Bishop, Confessor, 1253
Article
At Chichester, the
deposition of Saint Richard, Bishop and Confessor.
Saint Richard,
Richard of Wych was born at Droitwich, in Worcestershire, and was the younger
son of 1253. Richard and Alice de Wych. From his earliest years he showed a
marked disposition for piety and study and an aversion for worldly amusements.
Nevertheless, he had a great capacity for administration; and when his elder
brother came into possession of his property, and was almost in despair to find
it in a state of complete poverty and dilapidation, Richard undertook the
management of it, spared himself no toil, even guiding the plough with his own
hands, until in a short time he brought it into a perfectly good condition.
Richard studied at Oxford, and from thence went to Paris, and, like many other
holy students, succeeded in combining the greatest assiduity in his occupation
with the most singular piety and devotion, and great austerity of life.
Returning to Oxford, he was made Master of Arts, but soon went to Bologna to
study the Sacred Canons. When he had mastered that subject, he once more
established himself at Oxford, and was elected Chancellor of the University. It
was after this most honourable appointment, that Saint Edmund, Archbishop of
Canterbury, and the celebrated Robert Grostete, Bishop of Lincoln, at the same
time sought to secure his services for their dioceses, by nominating him their
chancellor. Richard thought it his duty to defer to the wishes of the Primate,
and from that time became the devoted friend of Saint Edmund, and enjoyed his
most familiar confidence. The great prelate became the model, on which his life
was formed. He was an eye-witness of his sanctity, of his detachment from the
world,, of his sublime gifts of contemplation, of his miracles, and the
supernatural principles which influenced his life. When Saint Edmund retired to
Pontigny, he was followed by Richard, who remained at his side, until death
withdrew his blessed master from his devoted care.
Duty would not allow him
to indulge his grief in idleness, and he took the opportunity, which his
present freedom gave him, of perfecting himself in the study of theology. For
this purpose he went to Orleans, and took up his abode in the Convent of the
Dominican Fathers, an Order for which both he and Saint Edmund always evinced a
strong attachment. This object attained, and being now a priest, he went back
to England, to take charge of the one benefice he held, a parish in the diocese
of Canterbury. But he was not long permitted to live in seclusion, and the
Blessed Boniface of Savoy, who was then Archbishop, obliged him to resume his
office as Chancellor.
It was while Richard was
thus engaged, that the Chapter of Chichester elected as Bishop a favourite of
the King’s, whom the Archbishop, with the advice of the wisest of the prelates,
deemed unworthy of the dignity, and whose election he cancelled. Accordingly,
they assembled a second time, and under a good inspiration made choice of Saint
Richard, to the great joy of all the good. King Henry III, however, was greatly
displeased, and for two years withheld the temporalities of the diocese from
the Saint, who was obliged to have recourse to the Holy See to vindicate his
just cause.
Accordingly, he visited
Pope Innocent IV, who approved of his conduct, and himself conferred on him the
episcopal consecration. Richard bore with tranquillity the poverty to which the
obstinacy of the King obliged him. He undertook the care of his flock with the
greatest assiduity, and did all that was possible for their spiritual and
temporal needs. He delighted to minister to them personally, and would even bury
the dead with his own hands.
From this time, as
throughout the remainder of his life, and after death, he became so conspicuous
for his miracles that in this respect he is one of the most remarkable among
our Saints. It was for the poor, that he for the most part exercised this gift,
as on one occasion when he multiplied the corn in his granaries to satisfy
their needs. Towards the close of his life, Richard received the commands of
the Pope to preach the Crusade, and undertook the work with great zeal and
success, and in the midst of these labours closed his saintly course.
He was at Dover, where he
took up his lodging in the hospital called the Maison Dieu, and there had the
consolation of consecrating the new church in honour of his patron Saint Edmund.
He was then seized with the sickness which soon brought him to his end, which
he expected with sentiments of sublime devotion, and continued invocation of
the Blessed Mother of God. He was buried in his own cathedral, and, in
consequence of the continued miracles, was canonized, nine years later, by
Urban IV. In the year 1276, on the 16th of June, his remains were solemnly
translated to a more honourable shrine by the Archbishop, the King and many
nobles being present.
MLA
Citation
Father Richard Stanton.
“Saint Richard, Bishop, Confessor, 1253”. Menology
of England and Wales, 1887. CatholicSaints.Info.
15 March 2019. Web. 26 May 2021. <https://catholicsaints.info/menology-of-england-and-wales-saint-richard-bishop-confessor-1253/>
SOURCE : https://catholicsaints.info/menology-of-england-and-wales-saint-richard-bishop-confessor-1253/
There's
a sculpture by Philip Jackson of Richard of Chichester (Saint Richard),
a former Bishop of Chichester, sited near the west
door of Chichester Cathedral.
There's
a sculpture by Philip Jackson of Richard of Chichester (Saint Richard),
a former Bishop of Chichester, sited near the west
door of Chichester Cathedral.
There's
a sculpture by Philip Jackson of Richard of Chichester (Saint Richard),
a former Bishop of Chichester, sited near the west
door of Chichester Cathedral.
San Riccardo di
Chichester Vescovo
Wych (Worcester), 1197 –
Dover, 3 aprile 1253
Nacque da modesti
proprietari terrieri. Fu un uomo di grande carità, pieno di comprensione, e
particolarmente sensibile per le sofferenze dei malati e degli anziani. Si
battè per il celibato del clero, per l’amministrazione gratuita dei sacramenti
e perché la messa fosse celebrata in condizioni dignitose. Si ammalò gravemente
a Dover, mentre si adoperava per costruire una chiesa in questa città in onore
del suo vecchio maestro Edmondo Rich e poco dopo morì. S. Riccardo è
inaspettatamente venerato come patrono dei cocchieri, forse perché quando
lavorava nella fattoria paterna guidava carri e cavalli.
Etimologia: Riccardo
= potente e ricco, dal provenzale
Emblema: Bastone
pastorale, Calice
Martirologio
Romano: A Cichester in Inghilterra, san Riccardo, vescovo, che, esiliato
dal re Enrico III e restituito poi alla sua sede, si dimostrò prodigo nel
donare ai poveri.
E’ conosciuto anche come s. Riccardo di Wych, perché nacque in questa città, odierna Droitwich nella contea di Worcester verso il 1197, figlio di modesti proprietari terrieri. Pur essendo molto attivo negli studi da ragazzo e giovane, da adulto dovette lavorare duramente nella fattoria, per le esigenze familiari.
Risoltisi i problemi economici, poté recarsi a studiare all’Università di Oxford (ca. 1200), sotto la guida degli insigni futuri vescovi Rich e Grosseteste. Proseguì gli studi prima a Parigi e poi per sette anni a Bologna in Diritto Canonico; in questa città per la seconda volta rifiutò la proposta di un allettante matrimonio.
A 38 anni nel 1235, tornò ad Oxford, dove fu subito nominato Rettore dell’Università, il suo antico maestro Edmondo Rich, che era divenuto arcivescovo di Canterbury, nel 1237 lo volle come cancelliere della importante diocesi; qui si distinse nella collaborazione data validamente per attuare la riforma del clero e nel contrastare le ingerenze del potere regale.
Accompagnò l’arcivescovo nel suo viaggio a Pontigny in Francia e gli fu accanto quando questi morì a Soissy nel 1240, Edmondo gli lasciò in eredità un calice e Riccardo in quell’occasione decise di farsi prete, prendendo a studiare teologia per due anni, presso i Domenicani di Orléans.
Dopo l’ordinazione sacerdotale, avvenuta nel 1242 a 45 anni, ritornò in Inghilterra e si dedicò come semplice parroco ai fedeli di Charing e Deal nel Kent.
Ma subito fu reintegrato come cancelliere della diocesi di Canterbury, dal nuovo arcivescovo Bonifacio di Savoia. Suo malgrado, nel 1244 si trovò al centro della controversa elezione del vescovo di Chichester; Riccardo era il candidato sostenuto dai vescovi e dal partito della Riforma; ma non del re Enrico III, che nominò invece Riccardo Passelewe, abile amministratore ma non colto in questioni teologiche.
L’arcivescovo di Canterbury, quale Primate non convalidò la nomina e il re di rimando confiscò i beni e le rendite della diocesi di Chichester; le due parti si rivolsero al papa Innocenzo IV, il quale confermando la scelta di Riccardo di Wych, lo consacrò vescovo nel 1245 a Lione.
Il nuovo vescovo, ritornato nella sua diocesi di Chichester, trovò tutti i beni sequestrati e dovette fissare la sua dimora in casa di un parroco a Tarring (Sussex), spostandosi a piedi in tutta la diocesi, per espletare il suo ministero e coltivando la terra nel tempo libero.
La situazione durò due anni, alla fine, il re Enrico III, minacciato di scomunica da parte del papa Innocenzo IV, restituì tutti i beni alla diocesi.
Riccardo fu un uomo di grande carità, generoso nell’ospitalità, comprensivo con i peccatori e soprattutto prodigo per i colpiti dalla carestia del 1247. Istituì gli Statuti Diocesani, che ancora sopravvivono, essi comprendono tutte le disposizioni per il celibato e la condotta del clero, dell’amministrazione gratuita dei sacramenti, per la celebrazione dignitosa della Messa; per la disciplina dei fedeli nell’osservare il precetto festivo e la conoscenza a memoria delle preghiere; inoltre diede grande carità ed assistenza agli ammalati ed ai sacerdoti anziani.
Fu grande predicatore per una nuova crociata, dopo la disastrosa spedizione di s. Luigi IX re di Francia, nel 1253; non aveva intenzioni politiche, ma solo lo scopo della riapertura ai pellegrini della Terra Santa.
Mentre si trovava a Dover per erigere una chiesa in onore del suo antico maestro e vescovo s. Edmondo Rich, si ammalò gravemente in questa città e dopo qualche giorno morì, era il 3 aprile 1253.
La sua santità era tale, che dopo nove anni appena, fu canonizzato da papa Urbano IV, il 22 gennaio 1262. Il 16 giugno 1276, alla presenza del re Edoardo I, di vescovi e dignitari, il suo corpo fu traslato dalla tomba, in un reliquiario dietro l’altare maggiore della cattedrale; detto reliquiario fu distrutto dallo scismatico Enrico VIII, il 20 novembre 1538 e delle sue reliquie si sono perse le tracce.
I pellegrinaggi alla sua tomba durarono tutto il Medioevo, la festa del 3 aprile divenne generale nei monasteri benedettini di tutta l’Inghilterra ed è ancora celebrata da cattolici ed anglicani.
È venerato come protettore dei cocchieri, forse perché quando lavorava nella fattoria paterna, guidava carri e cavalli.
Autore: Antonio Borrelli
SOURCE : http://www.santiebeati.it/dettaglio/48300
Statue
Richards von Chichester an der Fassade der Siebenbrunnengasse 78-76, in
Wien-Margareten.
Statue
of Richard of Chichester at Siebenbrunnengasse 78-76, Margareten, Vienna.
Den hellige Richard av
Chichester (~1197-1253)
Minnedag: 3.
april
Skytshelgen for kuskenes
laug i Milano
Den hellige Richard ble
født ca 1197 i Wich (i dag Droitwich) i Worcestershire i England. Hans
etternavn var Backedine, men han er mest kjent som Richard Wyche eller de Wich
(noen ganger også kalt «av Burford»). Han var andre sønn i en lavadelig, men
ubemidlet familie, og foreldrene Richard og Alice var selveiende bønder. Men de
døde mens Richard var ganske ung, og familien ser ut til å ha sunket ned i
fattigdom. Hans eldre bror Robert tilbød Richard jorden, og det kan også ha
kommet et tilbud om en velstående kvinne som brud, men Richard avslo begge
deler. Noen beretninger forteller at Richard hjalp til med å gjenoppbygge
familieformuen ved å overta administrasjonen av den dårlig drevne gården og å
arbeide hardt i flere år på den for broren, men det finnes ingen troverdige
bevis på dette.
Richard var en lærelysten
gutt, og han reiste ca 1214 til Oxford, hvor han studerte på det nylig åpnede
universitetet under Grosseteste. I Oxford begynte han et livslangt vennskap med
den hellige Edmund
Rich av Abingdon, som var kansler på universitetet. Richard fortsatte sine
studier i Paris, hvor han var så fattig at han måtte dele rom med to andre
studenter. De tre hadde en kappe på deling, så de måtte veksle på å gå ut om
vinteren. En senere beretning sier at han fortsatte studiene i Bologna for å
lære kanonisk og romersk rett i sju år før han fikk sin doktorgrad i 1235, og
at en av lærerne tilbød ham å bli hans arving og gifte seg med hans datter, men
at han, som følte seg kallet til et liv i sølibat, måtte komme med en høflig
unnskyldning og dra tilbake til Oxford. Denne historien synes imidlertid ikke
sannsynlig.
Men uansett vendte han tilbake
til Oxford, hvor han skaffet seg et ry som vitenskapsmann og lærer, og nesten
umiddelbart ble han utnevnt til kansler på universitetet der. Kanslerens rolle
var under utvikling, og Richard hjalp til med å øke dens betydning ved sin
dyktige administrasjon og energi. Like etter inviterte både hans venn og
tidligere lærer Edmund Rich av Abingdon, som da var blitt erkebiskop i
Canterbury (1233-42), og biskop Robert Grosseteste av Lincoln ham til å bli
deres kansler. Han takket ja til Edmunds tilbud og fikk embetet som kansler i
Canterbury. Kansleren var erkebiskopens høyre hånd, som lettet ham så mye som
han kunne fra de tunge byrdene.
Dette brakte Richard for
første gang inn i politikkens verden. Edmund var en ivrig reformator og en
sterk forsvarer av Kirkens rettigheter, og han var involvert i mange krangler
med kong Henrik III. Da Edmund etter en strid med kongen om kirkens rettigheter
måtte dra i frivillig eksil til Frankrike, fulgte Richard vennen i utlendighet.
Han var også hos Edmund da han kort tid etter døde i cistercienserklosteret
Pontigny den 16. november 1240. Deretter bestemte Richard seg for å bli prest,
og han dro til Orléans for å studere teologi hos dominikanerne der. Han ble
presteviet hos dominikanerne i Frankrike i 1243. Han tenkte på å bli
dominikaner, men av ukjente grunner vendte han hjem til England, hvor han ble
sogneprest i Charing og i Deal. Men kort tid etter ble han gjenoppnevnt som
kansler av den nye erkebiskopen, den salige Bonifatius
av Savoia (1243-70).
I 1244 døde biskop Ralph
Neville av Chichester. Ved å legge press på kannikene fikk kong Henrik III dem
til å velge sin kandidat, erkediakon Richard Passelew av Chichester. Men erkebiskopen
nektet å godkjenne valget og innkalte et kapittel av sine suffraganbiskoper,
som den 3. juni 1244 erklærte det ugyldig og valgte erkebiskopens kandidat
Richard de Wich til biskop av Chichester. Kongen og deler av kapitlet mislikte
dette, og begge sider appellerte til paven, mens Henrik beholdt på egne hender
de verdslige regaliene og forbød Richard tilgang til noe baroni eller sekulær
eiendom knyttet til hans sete. Innocent IV, som presiderte over et konsil i
Lyon, bekreftet valget av Richard de Wich og konsekrerte ham personlig til
biskop i Lyon den 5. mars 1245.
Men da Richard vendte
tilbake til England, fant han at kongen i stedet for å gi seg hadde forbudt
alle å låne Richard penger eller til og med gi ham husrom. I Chichester hadde
kongen stengt bispeboligen for ham, og det så ut som han måtte vandre rundt i
sitt bispedømme som et husløst utskudd. Som en biograf skriver: «Han var som en
fremmed i et ukjent land». Det var på denne tiden han skrev til kannikene i
Chichester, som støttet ham: «Forstår dere ikke hva som er skrevet i Apostlenes
Gjerninger hvor mye apostlene gledet seg over at de ble regnet verdige til å
lide for Kristi navns skyld? Jeg sier dere at Gud i sin nåde vil snu denne
motgangen til glede». I mellomtiden åpnet en god sogneprest, Simon av Tarring,
sitt hus for ham, og fra dette beskjedne senteret arbeidet Richard i to år som
misjonsbiskop, visiterte sitt bispedømme til fots og dyrket fikener i fritiden.
Først to år senere ga kongen etter for pavens trusler om ekskommunikasjon, og Richard
kunne ta sitt forfalne bispedømme i besittelse. Men mye av pengene kongen
skyldte biskopen ble ikke utbetalt før etter Richards død.
Richard var en
reformbiskop av samme type som hans venner Edmund Rich og Robert Grosseteste av
Lincoln, og samtidige regnet ham som en idealbiskop. Hans personlige vaner var
enkle, han var sjenerøs og nestekjærlig mot dem som var rammet av hungersnød,
men nådeløs mot simoni og nepotisme og streng mot presteskapet. Han var både
fast og nådig mot syndere og en omgjengelig mann, og var lykkelig sammen med de
beskjedne menneskene i sin flokk. Alltid når han hørte om en brann eller skade
på sine eiendommer, sa han til sine forvaltere: «Ikke sørg, for dette er en
leksjon for oss. Gud vil lære oss at vi ikke gir nok til de fattige. La oss øke
våre almisser». Han var samtidig en svært dyktig administrator og var personlig
involvert i etableringen av passende kall for sine prester og også i å øke
bispedømmets inntekter. Han ga spesiell støtte til tiggerordenene, spesielt
dominikanerne.
Til og med før striden
med kongen var løst, hadde han lyktes å holde synoder for å gi lover mot
misbruk. Blant andre ting var Richard opptatt av at prestene måtte forstå og
forklare til folket om betydningen av sakramentene, at de skulle forstå ordene
i messen og si dem frem klart og uten hastverk, at hans erkediakoner skulle
utføre sine plikter skikkelig og ikke for personlig fordel. Han var også
lovgiver for sitt bispedømme: Sakramentene skulle administreres uten betaling,
messen feires i verdige former, presteskapet måtte overholde sølibatet, bo i
sitt sogn og bære prestedrakt. Legfolket ble påbudt å gå til messe på søndager
og helligdager og kunne utenat Ave Maria, Fadervår og Credo. Han satte også opp
et sett konstitusjoner for sin presteskap som bygde på dekreter fra synoder og
konsiler og var et mønster i sitt slag.
Mot slutten av sitt liv
fikk Richard i 1250 av paven i oppdrag å preke korstog mot sarasenerne. Han så
dette som et kall til nytt liv, som også ville gjenåpne Det hellige Land for pilegrimer,
ikke som en politisk aksjon. Han rekrutterte mange korsfarere i Sussex og Kent,
særlig blant arbeidsløse sjøfolk. Men gjennom sin rastløse apostoliske
virksomhet og glødende prekener hadde han mistet helsen. Som korstogspredikant
dro han til Dover, og der ble han alvorlig syk og døde den 3. april 1253 i
Maison Dieu, et hus for fattige prester og pilegrimer. Det var dagen etter at
han hadde konsekrert en kirke i Dover til ære for sin mester, St. Edmund. Han
ble bisatt i domkirken i Chichester. På hans grav skjedde så mange
bemerkelsesverdige undre at pave Urban IV kanoniserte ham høytidelig i
fransiskanerkirken i Viterbo i 1262. Hans biografi ble skrevet av en av hans
prester, Ralph Bocking.
Hans legeme ble overført
til et skrin bak høyalteret i katedralen i Chichester den 16. juni 1276 av
erkebiskop Robert Kilwardby i nærvær av kong Edvard I. Skrinet ble et
pilegrimssenter i resten av middelalderen, og mange mirakler skjedde der,
spesielt helbredelser. Men det ble til en viss grad overskygget av den hellige
Thomas Beckets skrin i Canterbury, og Richard ble ikke noen spesielt populær
helgen rundt omkring, og bare en middelaldersk engelsk kirke var viet til ham.
Skrinet ble plyndret under reformasjonen i 1538, men relikviene skal ha blitt
reddet av de troende og gravlagt i hemmelighet.
Legenden sier at Richard
var dominikanertertiar, men det finnes ingen bevis på dette. En tradisjon sier
at han skulle til å gå inn hos dominikanerne i Orléans da brevet kom som
utnevnte ham til biskop. I dominikanerordenens tidligste år ble navnet St.
Richard satt inn som en helgen som skulle minnes blant deres fester, et faktum
som er en sterk indikasjon på at han tilhørte ordenen.
Hans minnedag er 3.
april, med en translasjonsfest den 16. juni. Hans navn står i Martyrologium
Romanum. I kunsten avbildes han med en kalk ved sine føtter, til minne om at
han en gang ved messen mistet kalken på golvet uten at den veltet. Han avbildes
også mens han pløyer på foreldrenes gård. Noe uventet og av en eller annen
grunn er han skytshelgen for kuskenes laug i Milano, muligens en referanse til
at han kjørte kjerrer på sin families gård. Han kan også ses på som typen på
akademikere som også er dyktige i jordbruk. Han er forfatter av en berømt bønn
på engelsk, nylig tonesatt:
«Thanks be to thee, my
Lord Jesus Christ / for all the benefits thou hast given me, / for all the
pains and insults / which thou hast borne for me ./ O most merciful redeemer,
friend and brother, / may I know thee more clearly, / love thee more dearly / and
follow thee more nearly, / day by day. Amen.»
SOURCE : http://www.katolsk.no/biografier/historisk/rchiches
Gothic Revival stained glass
window in the church of St Mary the Virgin at Shipley, West Sussex, England
Richard von Chichester
Gedenktag katholisch: 3.
April
nicht gebotener Gedenktag
in England und im Erzbistum Bamberg: 16. Juni (Übertragung der Gebeine)
Gedenktag anglikanisch:
16. Juni
Name bedeutet: der
reiche Starke (althochdt.)
Bischof von Chichester
* 1197/98 in
Wych, heute Droitwich in
Worcestershire in England
† 3. April
1253 in Dover in
England
Richard wurde er früh
Waise. Der von seinem Bruder arrangierten Ehe widersprach er und schlug seinem
Bruder vor, die ausgesuchte adelige Frau selbst zu heiraten, was dieser dann
auch tat. Zunächst arbeitete Richard auf den Gütern seines Bruders, verzichtete
dann aber auf sein Erbe und studierte in Oxford und Paris sowie
kanonisches Recht in Bologna.
Um 1235 wurde Richard Kanzler der Universität Oxford, 1237 Kanzler der Diözese Canterbury unter
Erzbischof Edmund
von Abingdon, den er gegen König Heinrich III. darin unterstützte, Reformen
im Klerus durchzusetzen
und den Vorrang des Kirchenrechts vor dem weltlichen Recht zu behaupten. Als
Erzbischof Edmund deswegen ins Exil gehen musste, schloss Richard sich ihm an
und blieb bis zu dessen Tod 1240 bei ihm im Zisterzienserkloster
in Pontigny.
Erst danach entschloss er sich im Alter von 43 Jahren, Priester zu werden und
studierte für zwei Jahre Theologie bei den Dominikanern in Orléans.
Nach seiner Rückkehr nach
England arbeitete Richard zunächst als Pfarrer, dann wieder als Kanzler
in Canterbury.
Als der Bischof von Chichester 1244
starb, wurde Richard gegen den Widerstand eines Teils des Domkapitels in dieses
Amt berufen; König Heinrich setzte dann einen Günstling auf den Bischofsthron.
Zwar bekräftigte Papst Innozenz IV. die Wahl Richards mit seiner Weihe 1245,
aber der König konnte ihn hindern, seinen Amtssitz einzunehmen. Der König
verbot jedem Untertanen, Richard zu beherbergen oder zu verköstigen, aber der
Pfarrer von Tarring bei
Brighton nahm ihn auf, Richard verlegte sich aufs Wandern und verwaltete sein
Bistum von unterwegs; das sicherte ihm Bürgernähe und prägte seinen einfachen
Lebensstil.
Von Richard ist das Gebet
überliefert:
Ich danke dir, mein
Herr Jesus
Christus, für all die Hilfe, die du mir gegeben hast, für alle Schmerzen
und Beleidigungen, die du für mich ertragen hast. Oh, barmherzigster Erlöser,
Freund und Bruder, möge ich dich immer klarer erkennen, dich immer inniger
lieben und dir immer treuer nachfolgen.
Auch als 1246 König
Heinrich unter Androhung der Exkommunikation nachgab und Richard in Chichester residieren
konnte, behielt er seinen asketischen Lebensstil. Er wirkte als Seesorger und
Prediger; Moral und Zucht der Kleriker sowie
die strikte Einhaltung des Zölibats waren
ihm wichtig. In den letzten Jahren seines Lebens warb er in Kent und Sussex nachdrücklich
und erfolgreich für den Kreuzzug.
Er starb im Ruf der Heiligkeit.
Richard wurde in der
Kathedrale von Chichester beigesetzt,
an seinem Schrein ereigneten sich zahlreiche Wunder. Das Grab wurde 1538 in der
Reformation zerstört. Eine zuvor in Avranches aufbewahrte Reliquie wurde
1993 nach Chichester zurückgebracht.
Kanonisation: Richard
wurde schon am 25. Januar 1262 durch Papst >Urban
IV. heiliggesprochen.
Patron von Sussex;
der Fuhrleute
SOURCE : https://www.heiligenlexikon.de/BiographienR/Richard_von_Chichester.htm
Voir aussi :
http://hodiemecum.hautetfort.com/archive/2008/04/03/3-avril-saint-richard-de-wyche-eveque-de-chichester-1253.html
http://www.catholic.org/saints/saint.php?saint_id=4603
