Godric of Finchale

Godric of FinchaleBusiness Man to Hermit

Godric of Finchale - bornGodric was born in 1065 near Walpole in Nothfolk.St. Godric; the hermit around whose cell rose the Priory of Finchale. In a loop of the river Wear, near Durham.His parents were poor and pious folk; and, being a sharp boy, he did not take to field-work, but preferred wandering the fens as a peddler. (in other words, he left his family as a teenager and set out to find his fortune)He started selling any small wares that he acquired from a fairs and sold them to others in different locations in England for better prices. He established a network of locations and started to prosper and get wealthier.

Godric of Finchale - LivedHis business grew and Godric s aspirations led him to work on ships as a ships mate and a peddler (dealer, supplier).He became a Half owner of a merchant ship and part owner of another (in his mid thirties). He started to buy and sell items all across the English channel down to the Mediterranean and back. Godric became very rich and was known as the pirate of the English kingdom. Frederick Buechners says that Godric is to be believed, a brawler (A fighter who depends on ferocity, toughness, and strength to win fights) and wincher (wrong doer), an especially shrewd trader and, when necessary, a con man and worse.

Godric of Finchale - reflectionAfter several voyages and as his revenue (wealth) increased, he was met by community of monks who lived in Farne (The Farne Islands are a group of islands off the coast of Northumberland, England) invited this wealth merchant to prayer and as he told so, Godric was overwhelmed with remorse. He asked himself am I doing the right thing by my fellow man? Am I doing right by my maker? Is trade deceitful?There he fell to his knees and vowed renounce his life as a merchant. Godrics life as a businessman was over!

Farne IslandsGodric of Finchale - endingAt the age of 40, He left all his worldly goods behind and lead a life as a hermit (loner, solitude).He finally lived the remaining of his life where he build a small wooden chapel in Finchale on the river Wear in Durham and named it Virgin Mary and lived for another 57 years serving God. It was said that he mercilessly mortified (cut himself with a knife) his flesh in the praise of God.He died at the age of 105 on May 21, 1170.

What are the lessoned learned?Wealth is an obsession. You cant live without it!Who doesnt want to be rich?Are you as ambitious as Godric?Do you think what he did is correct?Should we place God over our ambitions?Is being a businessman, peddler, merchant a bad thing?