St. Edmund of Abingdon

St Edmund of Abingdon was also referred to as Edmund Rich, Edmund of Canterbury, or Edmund of Pontigny. He was the Archbishop of Canterbury from 1233 to 1240. He was born on November 20 1175 in Abingdon, Berkshire, England, and died on November 16 1240 in Soisy-Bouy, Seine-et-Marne, France. We celebrate his feast day on November 16 every year in the Catholic Church.

St. Edmund of Abingdon, originally known as Edmund Rich, was born on November 20, 1175, in Abingdon, Berkshire, England.

He was a distinguished scholar and a vocal archbishop of Canterbury, known for his virtuous and influential contributions to the English church. His life and literary works greatly impacted subsequent spiritual writers in England.

He received his education at Oxford, where he made a vow of perpetual chastity, and later in Paris. He lectured in Paris and Oxford from about 1194 to 1200, where he is believed to have been the first to teach Aristotle’s philosophy.

After further theological studies in Paris, he returned to Oxford, teaching there from around 1214 to 1222. He then became a canon of Salisbury Cathedral in Wiltshire in 1222.

We celebrate St. Edmund of Abingdon's patron saint day every year and remember what a special person he was.