Saint Wilfred the Younger
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Saint Wilfred (or Wilfrid) the Younger was a Bishop of York in England in the 8th century.
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[edit] Early life and education
Saint Wilfrid was educated by Saint Hilda at Whitby Abbey and was, later, a favourite disciple of Saint John of Beverley.
[edit] Religious life
He was appointed abbot of the cathedral community in York, and soon after as coadjutor to John of Beverley, the Bishop of York. In his elder years, John resigned the See of York in AD 714 (or 717 [1]) and Wilfred became bishop [2]. Little is known of Wilfrid's episcopate except that he was a strong supporter of education [3] [4]. It is also known that he furnished the altar of his cathedral with splendid sacred vessels and was a great benefactor to various other churches and monasteries. [5].
[edit] Retirement and death
Wilfred eventually resigned the See of York in AD 732, devoting the last portion of his life to solitude and prayer in a now-unknown monastery [6].
He died in AD 745 and was buried at Ripon, but his body appears to have been later translated to Canterbury in the mistaken belief that he was the greater St. Wilfred of Ripon.
[edit] Relics
In the 10th century, two different groups claim to have taken the relics of Saint Wilfrid the Great from Ripon; most likely one party took those of Wilfrid the Younger.
[edit] Feast of Saint Wilfred
This saint's feast is attested in the Calendar of Winchcombe and later martyrologies, though he does not seem to have had a widespread or popular cultus [7].
