Richard of Chichester

Saint Richard of Chichester was born in 1197 near Burford by Wyche (today Droitwich, Worcestershire) in England, into a gentry family that soon fell into hardship. Orphaned young, he renounced inheritance and an advantageous marriage, choosing instead a life of study and service to the Church. Educated at Oxford and later in Paris and Bologna, he became a skilled canon lawyer and was elected chancellor of Oxford. Richard served closely with Saint Edmund of Abingdon, sharing his zeal for clerical reform and fidelity to the Church even when it brought conflict with royal power. Elected Bishop of Chichester in 1244, he endured opposition from King Henry III, living in poverty and traveling his diocese on foot until his rights were restored. As bishop he was known for austerity, personal holiness, and firm discipline of corrupt practices, while strengthening reverent worship and supporting the preaching mission of the Dominicans. He died at Dover on 3 April 1253 while preparing to preach a crusade, and was later canonized. He is patron of Sussex and is honored by institutions such as St Richard’s Catholic College. His feast day is April 3.