I received a letter from my brother in the Monastery today. He told me that their newest Brother entered the Novitiate on Sunday. Known as Danny in the world, he has taken the name Godric upon entering the Novitiate. So today's post will be in celebration of the newly minted Brother Godric.
St. Godric of Finchale was born about 1065 in England. He was of humble beginnings. His parents were described by contemporary biographers as "both of slender rank and wealth, but abundant in righteousness and virtue." Godric was a peddler, then a sailor and then an entrepreneur. He also may have been captain and owner of his own ship and conveyed Baldwin I of Jerusalem in 1102. After years at sea, Godric reportedly went to the island of Lindisfarne and encountered St. Cuthbert. This was likely a vision as Cuthbert was not a contemporary of Godric, but the encounter changed Godric's life. He devoted himself to the service of God thereafter.
After many pilgrimages around the Mediterranean, he returned to England and spent two years living with a hermit named Aelric. Upon Aelric's death, Godric made one last pilgrimage to Jerusalem. Upon his return to England, he resided in Finchale as a hermit for the last 60 years of his life. St. Godric is best remembered for his kindness towards animals and the protection of the creatures who lived near his forest home. Reginald of Durham recorded four songs of St. Godric's which are the oldest songs in the English language for which the original music settings survive. He is said to have learned the songs from visions of the Virgin Mary.
Brother Godric has a special affinity for St. Godric as he (Brother G.) served in the Navy for 8 years. St. Godric's feast day is May 21.
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