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Saint Ulric
Ermite près d'Heselborough (✝ 1154)
ou Wulfric
L'abbé cistercien Jean de Ford a écrit sa
biographie.
En anglais:
- The
Life of Wulfric of Haselbury, Anchorite, John of Forde.
- voir aussi: Wulfric
1125-1154 à St. Michael's, Haselbury
SOURCE : http://nominis.cef.fr/contenus/saint/678/Saint-Ulric.html
Wulfric of Haselbury, Hermit (AC)
(also known as Ulfrick, Ulric)
Born at Compton Martin (near Bristol), England; died
at Haselbury, Somerset, England, in February 20, 1154. Saint Wulfric was an
ordained priest, but not because he felt a religious vocation. He like to hunt
and eat and party with the lords of the manors near Deverill, Wiltshire,
England. He performed all the functions of a priest, but he did not have his
heart in them.
Legend reports that, one day in the early 1120's while
he was a priest at Deverill, near Warminster, he was suddenly touched by divine
grace. Some say that he had underwent a metanoia during a chance encounter with
a beggar. Other say that Wulfric was converted to a life of penance one day
upon recitation of the Lavabo verse: "I will wash my hands among the
innocent." It was as if all the easy ways of his past rose up at once to
torment him, and he fled immediately to a place in search of solitude.
We don't know how long he remained a hermit, but there
are seemingly endless reports of his austerities and arduous mortifications:
going down in the icy waters to recite the Psalms, flagellations, prostrations,
mail-shirts. When Wulfric finally returned to his flock, he was a new man. He
ministered to his flock until 1125.
A knight offered him a cell adjoining a church at
Haselbury- Plunkett (Plucknett) near Exeter in Somerset. He had no official
episcopal authorization, but was supported by the neighboring Cluniac monks of
Montacute. There he lived the remainder of his life, starving himself until his
body was skin and bones. He was famous for his gift of prophecy and for his
priestly care of all who sought his counsel, including Kings Henry I and
Stephen. In 1130, Henry and Queen Adela obtained through his intercession the
healing of the knight Drogo de Munci from paralysis. In 1133, Wulfric
prophesied the death of the king which occurred in 1135. Stephen visited him
with his brother, Henry of Blois, bishop of Winchester, when Wulfric greeted
him as king even before his disputed accession. On another occasion, Wulfric
reproached him for misgovernment.
A curious story is recounted in detail that he cut the
iron links of his mail-shirt with ordinary scissors as if they were only linen
in order to shorten it to permit the numerous prostrations that were a part of
the penitential exercises of that era. He said Mass daily with the assistance
of a boy named Osbern, who later became a priest and who recorded Wulfric's
vita. The near- contemporary life of Wulfric by Abbot John of Ford is accurate
and informative.
The saint employed himself primarily in copying books,
which he bound himself. He also made elements for the celebration of Mass. Many
miracles were attributed to his intercession, both in this life and after his
death. (Although the first miracle at his tomb is not recorded to have occurred
until 1169; they were numerous between 1185 to 1235.) The Cistercians lay claim
to Wulfric, as did the monks of Montacute, but he was unaffiliated with an
religious order.
Wulfric's cultus was slow to develop. He was mentioned
favorably by Henry of Huntingdon, Roger of Wendover, and Matthew Paris. William
Worcestre and John Leland also mention his tomb. In 1633, John Gerard recorded
that his cell was still standing as was his memory. A 16th-century martyrology
and a French menology include Saint Wulfric. He is venerated at Haselbury,
where he is buried in the cell in which he lived, which is now the site of the
church's vestry (Attwater, Benedictines, Encyclopedia, Farmer, Husenbeth,
Walsh).
SOURCE : http://www.saintpatrickdc.org/ss/0220.shtml
Also known as
Ulfrick
Ulric
Ulrich
Ulrick
Profile
Though a priest,
Wulfric led a worldly life, interested more in hunting and
parties with local nobles that in tending to his flock. For unspecified reasons
he suddenly realized the error of his ways and repented. Some say it was due to
a chance encounter with a beggar;
others that he was suddenly moved by recitating the Lavabo verse: “I will
wash my hands among the innocent.” Determined to change his life, he
retired to live as a hermit near
Hazelbury, Somerset, England.
He received the gift of prophecy. Counselor to King Henry
I and King Stephen.
Copied and bound
books, and crafted items for use in the Mass.
Some orders have tried to claim that Wulfric was a member, but he never joined
any.
Born
at Bristol, England
1154 of
natural causes
Additional Information
Book
of Saints, by the Monks of
Ramsgate
Lives
of the Saints, by Father Alban
Butler
Saints
of the Day, by Katherine Rabenstein
books
Our
Sunday Visitor’s Encyclopedia of Saints
other sites in english
fonti in italiano
MLA Citation
“Saint Wulfric of
Haselbury“. CatholicSaints.Info. 22 May 2020. Web. 23 January 2021.
<https://catholicsaints.info/saint-wulfric-of-haselbury/>
SOURCE : https://catholicsaints.info/saint-wulfric-of-haselbury/
Butler’s
Lives of the Saints – Saint Ulrick, Recluse in England
Article
He was born near Bristol, and being promoted to the
priesthood, took great pleasure in hunting, till being touched by divine grace,
he retired near Heselborough in Dorsetshire, where he led a most austere and
holy life. He died on the 20th of February in 1154.
MLA Citation
Father Alban Butler. “Saint Ulrick, Recluse in
England”. Lives of the Fathers, Martyrs, and
Principal Saints, 1866. CatholicSaints.Info.
20 February 2013. Web. 23 January 2021. <https://catholicsaints.info/butlers-lives-of-the-saints-saint-ulrick-recluse-in-england/>
SOURCE : https://catholicsaints.info/butlers-lives-of-the-saints-saint-ulrick-recluse-in-england/
History
Beginnings
The Parish Church of St. Michael and All Angels is
much older than the facade of its Victorian nave would suggest.
It is likely that a church has stood on, or near, this
spot for almost a thousand years. Certainly, a church named St. Michael’s was
in existence in 1125, when the anchorite Wulfric came to Haselbury. For details
please refer to the Wulfric page on this website or see the Life of Wulfric of
Haselbury by Abbot John of Forde Abbey. (see below)
In 1174 St Michael’s and its tithe income was given to
Wells cathedral to support a Prebendary there. The ancient Prebendal Stalls can
still be seen today in the Cathedral and Chapter House in Wells.
Wulfric at St. Michael’s, 1125-1154
In the year 1125 St Michael’s became the home of
Wulfric, a middle-‐aged priest from Compton Martin on the Mendips, who wished
to spend the rest of his life as an Anchorite, – “withdrawn from the world” –
living in a “Cell” adjacent to the church. This Cell stood on the cold northern
side of the Chancel where today’s Vestry is found. In writing up Wulfric’s life
story, Abbot John of Forde Abbey tells us how, for 29 years Wulfric lived alone
in these simple quarters, devoting much of his time to reading the Bible and
praying. In keeping with the ideals of medieval spirituality, he adopted stern
ascetic practices: he deprived himself of sleep, ate a frugal meatless diet,
spent hours reciting the psalms sitting in a bath of cold water, and wore a
hair shirt and heavy chain-‐mail tunic.
His faithful prayer resulted in great holiness and
wisdom and soon people high and low came to him for guidance and blessing.
Visitors even included two Kings, Henry I and Stephen. Wulfric received the
gifts of prophecy and healing and was involved in many miraculous happenings.
This “Man of God” became a healer of body, mind and spirit for all those who
sought him out. One of the most influential anchorite priests of medieval
England, he died in his Cell on the 20th February 1154.
At his death, an unseemly scuffle occurred in and
around St. Michael’s between black-‐robed Norman Cluniac monks from Montacute
and folk from Haselbury and Crewkerne who had been summoned by Osbern, the
Haselbury Priest. The monks maintained that providing food for the anchorite,
which they had done for many years, gave them a claim to the holy man’s mortal
remains. But the locals forced them to withdraw and Wulfric was buried in his
cell by his Bishop Robert of Lewes, a predecessor of the current Bishop of Bath
and Wells. Wulfric had always respected the authority of the Bishop. For
security reasons, Osbern moved Wulfric’s remains twice, until they came to rest
somewhere near the west end of the church, “…in a place known only to himself
and God”.
It is not known whether Wulfric was ever formally
canonised, i.e. declared a Saint, but he has certainly been portrayed as one
down the centuries. His life has a lot to teach us, even today in the 21st
century. Looking at Wulfric we realise that those who truly seek God often
withdraw from normal daily pursuits and cherish solitude and quiet. In their
quest for a contemplative life they are filled with God’s Spirit of love and
wisdom and develop increasing compassion for those around them. Their holiness
becomes known far and wide and brings countless people to their door. Thus they
become a source of blessing for their contemporaries.
Further reading: “Wulfric of Haselbury”, Dom Maurice
Bell, 1933, Somerset Record Society, Vol 47
“Hermits and Anchorites”, Rotha Mary Clay, 1914
“The Cistercian World: Monastic Writings of the
Twelfth Century”, Pauline Matarasso, 1993
“The Life of Wulfric of Haselbury, Anchorite”, John of
Forde: Introduction, Translation and Notes by Pauline Matarasso, 2011
SOURCE : https://www.haselburystm.org/history/
Sant' Ulrico Eremita venerato ad Haselbury
Compton Martin (Bristol, Inghilterra), data ignota -
Haselbury (Somersetshire), 20 febbraio 1154
Etimologia: Ulrico = ricco di beni, dal tedesco
Sappiamo quando è morto, ma non quando è nato, né da quale famiglia. Per una parte della sua vita non si sa nulla di lui; poi gradualmente lo si “ritrova” grazie alla fama di santità che lo circonda già da vivo, per esplodere dopo la morte, allorché i fedeli faranno anche a botte per contendersi le sue reliquie. E dire che è partito davvero male. Ha voluto essere prete e lo è diventato, ma di scarto. Più assiduo alla caccia che alla preghiera, ai festini nobiliari che alla cura d’anime.
E non è il solo. Nell’Inghilterra del tempo, dopo la conquista normanna e le lotte per la corona, la famosa Cronaca Anglo-Sassone (iniziata già nel IX secolo) dice che i nobili "furono spergiuri e perdettero la fedeltà al re: e tutto il Paese si ricoprì di castelli". Ogni castello una sfida al sovrano. Molto clero, poi, violava scandalosamente dovere e disciplina ecclesiastica: non si contavano i conviventi con donne; alcuni, anzi, si consideravano “autorizzati” a convivere, dopo il pagamento di una multa. Si ignorava quasi del tutto la distinzione tra la condizione del laico e quella dell’uomo di Chiesa.
Questa la situazione e questi gli esempi che ha trovato il sacerdote Ulrico. O meglio: alcuni esempi. Perché poi ne conosce altri. Dopo gli esempi ribaldi dei nobili, eccolo di fronte alla realtà vastissima e muta dei nullatenenti. Eccolo in ascolto del “sermone” che lo aiuterà a capire. Parla a lungo con un mendicante (uno dei molti). Ma soprattutto lo ascolta. Capisce, impara, si vergogna. Trova poi altri esempi in mezzo a uomini di Chiesa del tutto nuovi: quei faticatori taciturni vestiti di bianco, i cistercensi, che nelle campagne più abbandonate e improduttive fanno nascere un’agricoltura nuova; e con essa la pastorizia, che darà vita all’industria della lana. Dopodiché vanno a pregare, per ore, di giorno e di notte. E mangiano in silenzio. Ulrico scompare dalle feste. Pochi sanno dove sia finito. E pochi lo riconoscerebbero incontrandolo ad Haselbury (Somersetshire) perché indossa un saio malconcio (e sulla nuda pelle porta una maglia di ferro). Celebra la Messa, prega molto, lavora per la Chiesa del luogo, ricopia libri.
E parla. I miserabili trovano in lui la prima persona al mondo che li ascolta. E che risponde a tutti. L’uomo che delle pene altrui fa un problema suo. Ed è proprio la voce della povera gente a farlo conoscere in alto, come eccezionale propagatore di speranza. Dicono che abbia il dono della profezia. Un giorno arriva anche il re Enrico II per ascoltarlo. Ulrico deve rimanere sempre più a lungo nella sua cella, per parlare con tutti. Ormai ci vive, lì dentro. Infine ci muore. E per luogo di sepoltura avrà questo piccolo vano: la sua cella, che verrà poi trasformata in sagrestia della chiesa di Haselbury.
Autore: Domenico Agasso
