St Richard of Chichester

Richard was orphaned when he was very young; he was able to get a good education because his parents had left him a lot of money. Richard never got married because he wanted to focus on his studies and he went to university. While he was studying, he became good friends with Edmund Rich (who later became a Saint), who was the Archbishop of Canterbury at the time. When Archbishop Edmund died, Richard moved to France to attend the Dominican House of Studies. He was ordained a priest and then later became Bishop of Chichester. As Bishop, he served his people with kindness and perseverance. The King of England, Henry III, had wanted his friend to become bishop so he worked hard at making things very difficult for Bishop Richard. He told people that if they showed kindness to the Bishop they would be punished. Eventually the Pope got involved and defended Bishop Richard, telling King Henry III that he needed to treat the Bishop with respect. St. Richard is often seen in pictures with a chalice tipped over at his feet. One time when he was celebrating mass, he dropped the chalice but nothing spilled out even though it was full. Many other miracles happened both during St. Richard's life and after his death.