June 8: Saint William of York (d. 1154)
Born into a powerful family in 12th-century England, William
seemed destined for great things. His uncle was next in line for the English
throne—though a nasty dynastic struggle complicated things. William himself
faced an internal Church feud.
Despite these roadblocks, he was
nominated as archbishop of York in 1140. Local clergymen were less
enthusiastic, however, and the archbishop of Canterbury refused to consecrate
William. Three years later a neighboring bishop performed the consecration, but
it lacked the approval of Pope Innocent II, whose successors likewise withheld
approval. William was deposed, and a new election was ordered.
It was not until 1154—14 years
after he was first nominated—that William became archbishop of York. When he
entered the city that spring after years of exile, he received an enthusiastic
welcome. Within two months he was dead, probably from poisoning. His administrative
assistant was a suspect, though no formal ruling was ever made.
Despite all that happened to him,
William did not show resentment toward his opponents. Following his death, many
miracles were attributed to him. He was canonized 73 years later.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.