St. Wilfrid
633 - 710
Born in Northumberland in 634, St. Wilfrid was educated at Lindesfarne and then spent some time in Lyons and Rome. Returning to England, he was elected abbot of Ripon in 658 and introduced the Roman rules and practices in opposition to the celtic ways of northern England. In 664, he was the architect of the definitive victory of the Roman party at the Conference of Whitby. He was appointed Bishop of York and after some difficulty finally took possession of his See in 669. He labored zealously and founded many monasteries of the Benedictine Order, but he was obliged to appeal to Rome in order to prevent the subdivision of his diocese by St. Theodore, Archbishop of Canterbury. While waiting for the case to be decided, he was forced to go into exile, and worked hard and long to evangelize the heathen south Saxons until his recall in 686. In 691, he had to retire again to the Midlands until Rome once again vindicated him. In 703, he resigned his post and retired to his monastery at Ripon where he spent his remaining time in prayer and penitential practices, until his death in 709. St. Wilfrid was an outstanding personage of his day, extremely capable and possessed of unbounded courage, remaining firm in his convictions despite running afoul of civil and ecclesiastical authorities. He helped bring the discipline of the English Church into line with that of Rome. He was also a dedicated pastor and a zealous and skilled missionary; his brief time spent in Friesland in 678-679 was the starting point for the great English mission to the Germanic peoples of continental Europe. His feast day is October 12th.
Previous Saint
< St. Wilfrida
Next Saint
St. Wilfretrudis >
Rate This Saint
Very Helpful Somewhat Helpful Not Helpful at All
Yes, I am Interested No, I am not Interested
1 - 7 of 7 Comments
Leave a Comment
Comments submitted must be civil, remain on-topic and not violate any laws including copyright. We reserve the right to delete any comments which are abusive, inappropriate or not constructive to the discussion.
Though we invite robust discussion, we reserve the right to not publish any comment which denigrates the human person, undermines marriage and the family, or advocates for positions which openly oppose the teaching of the Catholic Church.
This is a supervised forum and the Editors of Catholic Online retain the right to direct it.
We also reserve the right to block any commenter for repeated violations. Your email address is required to post, but it will not be published on the site.
We ask that you NOT post your comment more than once. Catholic Online is growing and our ability to review all comments sometimes results in a delay in their publication.
Send me important information from Catholic Online and it's partners. See Sample
Previous Saint
< St. Wilfrida
Next Saint
St. Wilfretrudis >
Find Saints
Catholic Online offers the largest searchable database of Catholic Saints on the internet.
| Browse Saints by Alphabet |
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z |
| Patron Saints by Alphabet |
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z |
Videos
St. Francis of Assisi 78,494 views View Video
Padre Pio 47,011 views View Video
Black Saints Vol I 30,328 views View Video
Black Saints Vol II 26,944 views View Video
Most Popular
Editorial: Is the Scandal Ridden Obama Administration Becoming a House of Cards? Read More
Did God make junk? Scientists say 98 percent of human genome is junk Read More
There's the problem! Americans are out of touch with scientific consensus on climate change Read More
Courageous Cardinal Seán Patrick O'Malley Will Not Attend Boston College Commencement Read More
Sex In Uniform: Why the Increase in Sexual Assaults in the Military? Read More
Daily Readings
Reading 1, Acts 28:16-20, 30-31
On our arrival in Rome Paul was allowed to stay in lodgings of ... Read More
Psalm, Psalms 11:4, 5, 7
Yahweh in his holy temple! Yahweh, his throne is in heaven; his ... Read More
Gospel, John 21:20-25
Peter turned and saw the disciple whom Jesus loved following ... Read More
Saint of the Day
St. Pope John I
May 18: St. John I, Pope and Martyr (Feast day - May 18) A native of ... Read More
Latest Videos
Pope to Pontifical Missionary Works: Your work is still relevant View Video
Pope rails against dictatorship of the economy View Video
May Crowning of the Virgin Mary - St Philip The Apostle Catholic Church View Video
St Thomas Aquinas Catholic School Visit to Ogwen Cottage May 2013 View Video
May 17 - Homily: St. Paschal, Profound Love For The Eucharist View Video
Marketplace
The Virgin Mary and the Apostles of the Last Times Read More
Saint FRANCIS Vintage Silver CREED Medal on 18 inch sterling silver rolo ch Read More




















I have a question.
When St Wilfrid become a Saint ?
Dear St. Wilfrid, I'm happy to read about your great courage and missionary zeal on this website. Please pray for all Catholics to have a meaningful and happy transition to the new Roman Missal, as soon as possible and in the most effective way we can learn. I have already fallen in love with the devotion and holiness it evokes in me. Praise be to Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist.
While you are still listening St. Wilfrid, I intercede to you to receive the commitment of all the members of staff in raising "gift money" for the festive season for all the supporting staff, who truly make our lives comfortable.
Do bless my work with creativity and ingenuity to find ways to stimulate the growth of writing/expression in all my students. St. Wilfrid pray for us. Amen
Thank you for giving me my father's feastday, I have been looking for it so that I can be praying for his happy repose of his feastdays. I am grateful. Please keep in contact with me.
Bye.
very well-written and clear.
Than you St. Wilfrid for imbibing within me a passion to stand firm by Jesus and to face all trials and tribulations in my life with patience and equanimity. Please pray for me!
It is wonderful to know about saints,because they are the pathway to Christ and mother Mary.Today is my feast day and I am extremely happy to see the website at right time
this website rocks