Saints celebrated on the 14th of June
Venerable Richard, abbot of the Benedictine monastery of St Vannes near Verdun was born in France to Christian parents. His father was named Walter, his mother Theorada. He studied in Reims. There he became a priest, music master, and archdeacon. After a few years, he sold everything he owned and entered the monastery St Vannes near Verdun. In 1004, he was elected abbot with the approval of Bishop Haemon. He enjoyed such widespread trust that many bishops and secular lords entrusted him with the reform of the monasteries in their territories. His efforts in this direction were indeed successful, but also cost him much effort, night vigils, and caused him bitterness. At one point, his own life was in great danger. The most famous monasteries he improved and governed for a time are Lobbes, St Amand, where, during a famine, he pawned all the proceeds to raise money for the poor, St Bertin, St Josse-sur-Mer, and St Vaast in Arras.
After toiling in this way for a long time, he decided to make a pilgrimage to the Holy Land, accompanied by seven confreres. He also participated in another very glorious and meritorious work: the preaching of the so-called "Peace of God" (treuga Dei), to put an end to the almost constant petty wars waged by the numerous minor lords of that time.
At the same time, he withdrew to the wilderness of Faucilles, where he remained for five years engaged in pious exercises. Only at the urging of the bishop and the monks did he return to Verdun. After the death of Bishop Rambertus, he was chosen to head the episcopal see of Verdun, but he could not be persuaded to do so. He died in the arms of the Bishop of Verdun on June 14, 1046, and was buried in the church of his monastery in a crypt beneath the main altar. (II. 974)
(Information from Stadler's Complete Encyclopedia of Saints, Volume 5, Augsburg, 1882, pp. 90-91)
*A hagiography source used by the authors
Stadler's Complete Encyclopedia of Saints - Sources and Abbreviations
Sources of these articles (in the original German): books.google.co.uk, de-academic.com, zeno.org, openlibrary.org
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