VILFRIDO (VILFRID), bishop of YORK, saint. — Born in Northumbria ca. 634, of noble family; died in the convent of Oudle (Murcia) on 12 October or, more probably, 24 April 709.
A monk at Lindisfarne and Canterbury, he felt the need to perfect his intellectual education through contact with Roman civilization, and went to Rome, where he observed the divergences between the liturgy honored there and that used in Northumbria. On the way back to his homeland, he stopped for three years in Lyon, where he completed his studies. At the Council of Whitby (664), he defended the adoption of the date of Easter according to Roman usage with such fervor that King Oswy, who until then had favored the Celtic reckoning, abandoned the ancient practice (cf. Mansi, XI, col. 67).
Made abbot of the monastery of Ripon and highly esteemed for his learning, V. York, but was unable to take possession of his church. The ill-advised idea he had of receiving consecration from the hands of the archbishop of Paris alienated King Oswy, who took advantage of his absence to replace him with Ceadda. Nevertheless, Theodore, archbishop of Canterbury, restored his see to him (669). Deprived of it in 678 as a result of court intrigues, V. Rome, where Pope Agatho restored his bishopric to him (779), though obliging him to share his duties with several coadjutors (cf. Mansi, XI, col. 179).
The papal decision appeared suspect to the clergy of Northumbria and V., after first being imprisoned, had to go into exile in Sussex and on the island of Wright, where his apostolic zeal enabled him to convert numerous pagans. The archbishop of Canterbury wished to compensate him by choosing him as his successor; but V. refused the offer and demanded to be fully restored to all the rights he held at York by virtue of the decree of Pope Agatho. This intransigence caused him further misunderstandings. At the Council of Austerfield (702), he was offered a return to his former monastery of Ripon, on condition that he reside there permanently. V. appeal. The Holy See recognized the full legitimacy of his claims and urged the King of Northumbria to restore the see of York to him. But the Council held at Ripon postponed the Roman decision, provisionally left the see to Bosa, who occupied it, and gave V. the sees of Ripon and Hexham (cf. Mansi, XII, cols. 158–74).