82. SAINT OSWALD, ARCHBISHOP OF YORK

Our holy Father Oswald was the son of Danish convert parents, and was the nephew of St. Oda of Canterbury. After a certain time spent in a monastery in Winchester, he went for five or six years to the Benedictine monastery of Fleury-on-Loire. There he acquired a thorough knowledge of Benedictine monasticism and the writings of the Holy Fathers, distinguishing himself by his humility, obedience and the austerity of his life.

In 958, when St. Oda was dying, he called his nephew, who was now a priest, to his bedside. But when Oswald arrived at Dover from France, he heard that the saint had already reposed. He decided not to return to Fleury, but to go north to York, where another relative of his, Oscetel, was archbishop. Oscetel introduced him to St. Dunstan, and he, much impressed, introduced him to the king. And so, supported by both king and primate, he was elected to the bishopric of Worcester in 961. There he soon became the object of great love and veneration by the citizens.

Eleanor Duckett writes: «The Cathedral at Worcester was dedicated to Saint Peter. Since it was very small, it soon could not hold the people who came flocking to hear this new pastor preach. Outside it, on a side, level tract of ground, stood a little stone shrine, with a cross of top, marking the burial-place of Wifred and his wife Alta, benefactors of Saint Peter's. To this open space Oswald moved his congregation and taught as best he could, standing beside the old tomb. Soon the crowds compelled the building of a new and larger church; and when at last this was ready, the bishop consecrated it in honour of Mary, Mother of God. Then the little Saint Peter's, which before Oswald's coming had seen secular clergy in its choir, offered its services in union with this more splendid cathedral.»

Meanwhile, in 962, Oswald had founded his first monastery, at Westbury-on- Trim, establishing in it, and later in Worcester, the regular Benedictine discipline. This was the first of several monasteries that he founded or re-founded in the Severn valley. At Westbury, as well as at the restored monastery of Winchcombe, he placed his disciple Germanus as abbot. And at Pershore he installed an abbot named Fordbricht, who had been trained under St. Dunstan at Glastonbury and St. Aethelwold at Abingdon. Pershore was enriched by some relics of St. Edburga, and was henceforth dedicated to SS. Mary, Peter and Paul, and Edburga.

But Oswald's most famous foundation was outside his diocese, deep in the fen- country of Huntingdonshire – Ramsey. Here, in 971, he introduced monks from Westbury and the famous scholar Abo of Fleury (who wrote the Vita Edmundi), and translated the relics of St. Felix of Dunwich and the holy Martyr-Princes Aethelbert and Aethelbricht of Kent. The land was donated by the pious alderman of East Anglia, Aethelwine.

Once Oswald and Aethelwine came to a feast at Ramsey. «There is an ancient tradition,» writes Oswald's biographer, an anonymous monk of Ramsey, «that the whole of the main body of the congregation processed barefoot to the church of the Blessed Ever-Virgin Birth-Giver of God Mary, which custom was followed by the chief man [Aethelwine] as he walked with us with joyful heart together with his soldiers, the monks and the boys. But next to the church to which we had to go was a bridge, which we crossed on the way out. So on the way back we wanted to go quickly home by sailing across in a boat together with the precious relics. When the Liturgy was over, the prelate blessed the people; and we hastened to return home. But the boat was overloaded. When we were in the middle of the deep lake, and were about to sink, and the prelate was standing on the bank surrounded by his own people, he heard the sound of voices: «Saint Benedict, help us!» On hearing this, he asked the reason, and on ascertaining it he raised his holy right hand and said, trusting in the Lord: »May the blessing of Christ come upon us from above.» His clear voice came to the ears of the most merciful Redeemer more speedily than you could have finished the verse; and all were brought safely to land.»

In 972, the saint was made archbishop of York while retaining the bishopric of Worcester until his death – a unique situation that testified to the honour in which he was held. This appointment gave him a vast sphere of influence, but also great responsibilities and difficulties. Since the Viking invasions of the previous century, when the North had been to a large extent repopulated by Danes and consequently repaganised, its loyalty to the English Crown and Church had been in question. Thus Kings Edmund and Edred had had to deal with uprisings of the Northumbrians, who first took Eric Bloodaxe, son of Harold Fairhair of Norway, as their king; then Olaf Cuaran, another Viking; and then Eric again. Finally, in 954, Edred regained permanent control of the North. Archbishop Wulfstan of York, who had sided with the rebels in both Edmund's and Edred's reigns, was imprisoned, and then, perhaps on St. Dunstan's advice, was brought south and given the diocese of Dorchester, while the Danish bishop of Dorchester, Oscetel, was given York. This was a bold move, but it worked – the Dane was better able than the Englishman to control his countrymen, and he was completely loyal to the English Crown. Indeed, both archbishops (Oda of Canterbury and Oscetel of York) were Danish at this time; and it says much for the wisdom, charity and lack of prejudice of the English leaders that they were able to welcome such a situation when the Danish wars had by no means receded from the peoplés memory.

Since St. Oswald was of Danish parentage, and, moreover, related to Oscetel, he was well equipped to continue in this tradition of racial reconciliation and missionary activity. However, the fact that he did not found a single monastery in his northern diocese shows the difficulty of the task he faced; and during the anti­monastic reaction during the reign of Edward the Martyr this diocese suffered as much as any. Thus in a memorandum on the estates of York, he states: «I, Archbishop Oswald, declare that all these lands which Archbishop Oscetel obtained in Northumbria, and which my lord granted me for St. Peter's when he was at Nottingham, together with these other lands which are entered here besides, I had them all until [?] ascended. Then St. Peter was robbed of them. May God avenge it as He will.»

Once when the saint was making a tour of the monasteries in his diocese, a messenger came to him from Ely announcing the death of a brother who had fallen from the walls of the church. He was saddened by this news, and asked the brethren of the monastery to celebrate thirty Liturgies and vigils for the dead man; which they did. He himself, meanwhile, returned to York, where he remained steadfast in prayer. One night Huna (for that was the dead man's name) appeared to him, and Oswald, seeing him stand opposite, said: «Who are you?» To which he replied: «I am he for whom you have been pouring out prayer to the Lord. I thank your paternity. Yesterday my soul was taken up to the refreshment of eternal salvation.» In view of this appearance, Oswald ordered his clergy to celebrate the Divine Liturgy at daybreak. «When he came to us again,» records his biographer, «he told us this story, saying: "The Lord has heard your prayers; now the soul of the brother has been freed from punishment.» But we understand this to have happened through his prayers, for we have learned from the Scriptures that the prayers of a righteous man avail much.»

On another occasion, the saint entered a hall in York after celebrating the Divine Liturgy. «Having commanded blessed water to be sprinkled through the house, he sat down and prepared to eat the good things of his Lord, blessing Him in His works. There is an ancient custom among the English that the people go up to the bishop or priest and, holding their hands in the shape of the Cross, receive some blessed bread from him before returning to their seats and eating their food. And when he had given a piece to everyone, and they had reverently returned to their seat and were eating with gratitude, the father placed a piece of bread next to his seat. And he was happy, because the hall was full. Meanwhile, while they were all eating their bread, a wretched mouse, greedy in heart and mouth, boldly ate a crumb of blessed bread. But while he had the power to touch it, he could not swallow it. For that which is the guard of Christians was his downfall. After a while, some notables from the city came in bearing gifts for the lovable man. As was the custom, he received them with thanks. He stretched out his hand to take that which he had placed nearby. But then he saw the wretched mouse lying there dead. Neither knowing nor caring why this had taken place, he ordered the dead mouse to be thrown out. But his servers were not slow to point out why this happened.»

The saint performed many miracles during his life on earth. Thus once he drove away a demon that was preventing the removal of a large stone, and on another occasion he healed a sick man with blessed bread. Again, a terrified server once saw an angel serving with him at the Divine Liturgy.

In 991 the saint visited Ramsey for the last time, to reopen the church which had been damaged by the fall of the tower. Two days later, announcing that his death was approaching, he made his last farewells to the monks. Then he returned to Worcester, where he spent the winter.

After morning prayers on February 29, 992, St. Oswald came, as was his custom during Lent, to wash the feet of twelve poor men, chanting in the meantime the fifteen psalms of degrees. At the end of the psalms, the brethren bent their knees, saying, «The Lord bless thee out of Sion, He that made heaven and the earth». «Then blessed Oswald,» continues his biographer, «also bent the knee with them before the feet of the Lord, and as he was saying "Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit», by the secret command of God his holy spirit left his body and was taken up to the heights of the eternal Kingdom. Then the brethren washed the beloved body of Oswald and clothed it in new vestments for the funeral. But since the death of such a great father could not be kept hidden, lamentation quickly spread through the houses, castles and countryside. And merchants left their markets, women their looms, hurrying to the door of the man of God. Orphans and widows, strangers, peasants, monks and clergy, all groaned with great sorrow and wept.»

Many miracles took place at the tomb of the saint; and in response to these and a special heavenly revelation, Archbishop Erdulf of York translated the holy body on April 15, 1004. A great multitude was present at the translation, one of whom, a woman with a paralysed hand, was healed of her infirmity. However, there was also an abbot there who by his words and gestures tried to cast doubt on the whole proceedings. This saddened the bishops and other good men, and they turned to Christ in prayer that the doubter might be convinced and St. Oswald glorified. While they were praying a sufferer was brought into their midst who was lame and covered all over with leprosy. He was placed beside the body of the saint. After prayers he was found completely healed. Seeing this, the crowd rejoiced and praised God, while the former doubters prostrated themselves in tears to the ground, asking forgiveness for their sin. The bones of the saint were then washed and placed in a reliquary at Worcester. Many healings were wrought through the water used in the washing; the blind saw, the deaf heard, and the infirm were restored to full strength. All the clothes of the saint had been reduced to dust except his chasuble, which was completely untouched by corruption.

At the monastery of Ramsey, there was a very pious monk named Edwaker, who had a cancerous ulcer on his jaw. This became so bad and disgusting to behold that, in obedience to the abbot and his brethren, he betook himself to a small island near the monastery, where food was brought to him and his attendant every day. On St. Oswald's day he came to the monastery with his attendant and stood listening to the prayers in a hidden corner of the church. After the service, the brethren, taking pity on him, persuaded him to come with them to the refectory, although he was all for going back to his island. Now there was a custom in the monastery on that day to pass round the goblet which St. Oswald had drunk from during his earthly life. Every brother drank from it and received a blessing thereby. Last of all it came to the sick brother. Recognizing the cup as St. Oswald's, he groaned and lifted up his voice and mind in prayer to God to heal him through the intercession of the saint. The eyes of all those sitting round were fastened on him, and the hearts of all joined in his prayer. Having asked a blessing from those around him, he drank. Immediately his ulcer disappeared, and for the rest of his life that side of his face was a little rosier than the other.

There was a citizen of Worcester who had been dumb from his birth, and who had the habit of going to church and standing in the place where the clergy passed most often, bending his head to show the humble respect which his mouth was not able to utter. One feastday, he came to the church and was standing in his usual place when he saw someone whom he did not know coming to him from the tomb of St. Oswald. This man had a venerable face and shining white hair, was dressed in priestly garments and was holding a staff in his hand. He came to the dumb man as he was inclining his head and struck him on the neck. Then he disappeared. At this blow a great mass of coagulated blood fell out of the man's mouth and onto the floor. «Help, help!» he cried. «Throw me out quickly, in case the church of the Lord is defiled by my blood!» So he was led out by those standing near, who were amazed at the very plentiful flow of blood. While he was washing he explained to them what had happened; and hearing the formerly dumb man speak, they were very ready to believe him.

Once Worcester was on fire through the negligence of its citizens. The monks brought the shrine of St. Oswald out of the church, meaning to take it to the part of the city where the fire was fiercest. But suddenly the light shrine became unbearably heavy. So they changed their route and came to the house of a poor man who was standing outside it sadly waiting for its complete destruction. On see the fathers, however, he cheered up and besought them to take the shrine through the burning house. This they did; and immediately the flames died out.

On another occasion, the city was again on fire, and the shrine of St. Oswald was carried to the burning part. A certain man who had just built a big house asked the monks to carry the saint's shrine into his house, saying: «Holy Father and Hierarch Oswald, look! I give you my house which is in danger from the flames. I place it under your dominion by perpetual right! Vindicate me, free me from this present danger!» At the intercession of St. Oswald, the house was preserved completely unharmed. An adjacent house, however, was completely burned down except for one log.

Again, a pestilence was raging through Worcester and the neighbouring villages. A healthy man would be walking or sitting outside his home when he would suddenly fall and die without confession or communion. The brethren of the church of the Mother of God then brought the shrine of the saint in a procession round the city, singing a litany meanwhile. Immediately the pestilence ceased, not only in Worcester, but also in the neighbouring villages whose inhabitants had come to take part in the litany and procession. But those who had disdained to take part were struck down. The monks of Pershore were also hit by the disease. One of them asked his brother according to the flesh, a monk from Worcester, to take him to St. Oswald.

A carriage was prepared, he was taken to the saint's shrine, and within a few days he was completely cured. But those who remained in the monastery soon died.

St. Oswald is commemorated on February 28.

Holy Father Oswald, pray to God for us!

(Sources: Anonymous, Vita Oswaldi, in J. Raine, Historians of the Church of York, Rolls series, 1874, vol. 1, pp. 399–475; Edmer, Miracula Sancti Oswaldi Archiepiscopi, in Raine, op. cit., vol. II, pp. 1–59; David Farmer, The Oxford Dictionary of Saints, Oxford: The Clarendon Press, 1978, pp. 118, 305–307; Eleanor Duckett, Saint Dunstan of Canterbury, London: Collins, 1955)