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)
Martyrologe romain
SOURCE : https://nominis.cef.fr/contenus/saint/913/Saint-Richard-de-Chichester.html
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.
SAINT RICHARD
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
St. Richard's Church. Columbia Falls, Montana
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
A head stop in the west doorway of St Margaret's
Church, Rottingdean, East Sussex, depicting St. Richard of Chichester.
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/
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.
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.
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>.
Copyright © 2021 by Kevin Knight. Dedicated to the Immaculate Heart of Mary.
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
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.
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.
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."
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
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/
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/
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
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
Gothic Revival stained glass
window in the church of St Mary the Virgin at Shipley, West
Sussex, England
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
