St. Richard of Chichester was born in 1197 in Worcester, England. Orphaned as a young lad, he managed to regain his family's fortune through hard labor, which his guardian had mismanaged. After relinquishing everything to his brother Robert, he pursued an outstanding education, studying at esteemed academic institutions such as Oxford, Paris, and Bologna.
Having acquired considerable fame as an expert in Canon Law, he was appointed Chancellor of the University of Oxford. Known equally for the sanctity of his life, he was soon made archdiocesan Chancellor at Canterbury, where he became an intimate friend of Edmund Rich, Archbishop of Canterbury. He accompanied the Archbishop into exile in France when this became necessary due to the interference of King Henry III in filling vacant Sees.
In 1244 Richard, by then a Priest, was chosen bishop of Chichester in preference to the King's nominee, and he received his consecration at Lyons by Pope Innocent IV in 1245. Returning to England, he fully exercised his episcopal rights despite his poverty and the King's hostility and thoroughly reformed his see. Richard lived in extreme simplicity, distributing most of his income to the poor. Richard died in 1253 while preaching, at the Pope's command, a crusade against the Saracens.
St. Richard is widely remembered today for the popular prayer ascribed to him:
Thanks be to Thee, my Lord Jesus Christ
for all the benefits Thou hast given me,
for all the pains and insults Thou hast borne for me.
O most merciful Redeemer, friend and brother,
may I know Thee more clearly,
love Thee more dearly,
follow Thee more nearly.
Prepared and updated by:
Jonathan Fabian Ginunggil,
Penampang, Sabah Malaysia.
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