Wilfrid was born in 634 to aristocratic parents in the kingdom of NorthumbriaNorthumbria Northumbria was an early medieval Anglian kingdom in what is now Northern England and South Scotland.. Queen Eanfled quickly recognised his potential and sent him to study at the monasteryMonastery The house of a religious community on LindisfarneLindisfarne Also known as Holy Island, a peninsula off the coast of north-east England (Northumbria), this area is cut off from the mainland by the tide twice a day. A monastic community was founded here by St Aidan, in emulation of Iona. From Lindisfarne, missionary activity was conducted in the kingdom of Northumbria. The Anglo-Saxon community produced saints, the most prominent being St Cuthbert in whose honour the magnificent Lindisfarne Gospels were written.. She also helped him travel to RomeRome This Italian city was the capital of the Roman Empire and, with the primacy accorded to the bishops of Rome (the popes), the centre of the Western Church from the late-Antique period onwards. Rome was not only the administrative centre, but an important source of innovation, relics and liturgy. Missionaries from Rome played an important role in the conversion of Anglo-Saxon England from late 6th century onward.. There he learned new aspects of worshipWorship 1. Doing homage and giving honour and respect to God. The Bible includes a wide range of physical expression in worship, including bowing down, lifting hands, dancing, processions and singing. The main day on which Christians gather for communal worship is Sunday (the day when Christ is believed to have risen from the dead). 2. Christian liturgy including sung material and prayers of thanksgiving and praise., church architecture, and monastic life. He brought these ideas back to his homeland – where they still influence church life today. In 664, Wilfrid played an influential role at the Synod of WhitbySynod of Whitby (664) Pivotal meeting at which it was agreed that the Roman church structures and hierarchy would supersede the Celtic tradition in England. St Wilfrid spoke for Rome and debated with Bishop Colman who spoke for the Celtic tradition, when Northumbria decided to follow the Roman rather than the Celtic way of calculating the date of Easter.
Often embroiled in disputes and controversy, Wilfrid was nevertheless a man of intense spiritual energy and commitment – and one of the great leaders of the ChristianChristian Name originally given to disciples of Jesus by outsiders and gradually adopted by the Early Church to designate all members of the church. church in England at a formative time in its history. He served as a bishopBishop Bishops exercised pastoral care over a diocese and authority to confirm and ordain for 46 years and left a lasting mark on RiponRipon A cathedral city and market town in North Yorkshire. In the mid-7th century, St Wilfrid (who later became Bishop of York) founded a religious community at Ripon with land granted from the king of Northumbria. Due to Viking incursions, the body of St Cuthbert temporarily resided at Ripon in the 10th century. and HexhamHexham St Wilfrid founded an abbey here in Northumbria in 674 dedicated to St Andrew. After the Norman Conquest it was re-established as an Augustinian Priory. At the Dissolution of the Monasteries the church was retained as a parish church. The crypt built by St Wilfrid survives. He preached the GospelGospel (Greek evangelion, Old English godspel 'good news') 1. The central message of the Christian faith concerning salvation. 2. Title given to the four New Testament books which describe the life of Christ i.e. Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. 3. A reading taken from one of the four Gospels which has the place of honour in the Eucharist in Northumbria, the Midlands, and in the South of England, as well as on the Continent.
Collect
Almighty God,
who called our forebears to the light of the gospel by the preaching of your servant Wilfrid:
help us, who keep his life and labour in remembrance,
to glorify your name by following the example of his zeal and perseverance;
through JesusJesus (Greek form of Hebrew 'Joshua' meaning 'Yahweh [God] is salvation') Also given the title Christ, meaning 'anointed one' or Messiah. His life is recorded mainly in the Four Gospels although he is also mentioned by the Jewish historian Josephus (c. 37-c.100) and the Roman historian Tacitus (c.110). Christ your Son our Lord,
who is alive and reigns with you,
in the unity of the Holy SpiritHoly Spirit Or 'Holy Ghost'. Third person of the Trinity.,
one God, now and for ever.
Amen
St Bede
St Cuthbert
St Hild
