ALL SAINTS CELEBRATED IN JANUARY Saints celebrated on the 8th of January WELCOME! SAINT THORFINN OF HAMAR, BISHOP Saint Thorfinn, a Cistercian monk, and Bishop of Hamar, Norway, was born in Trondheim. STATE INTERFERENCE IN CHURCH MATTERS From A.D. 1282 onwards, King Eric II tried to control Church matters (such as the elections of bishops and who was in charge of Church affairs) and used force to get his way. A prolonged persecution of the Church by the secular state followed. Bishop Thorfinn had to go into exile. He found refuge in the abbey of Ter Doest, near Bruges, Belgium. He died in the odour of sanctity on January 8, 1285. ST THORFINN'S VITA The Flemish monk Walter de Muda wrote a short "Life" of St Thorfinn in verse, which is the source of almost all information we have about him. The Ter Doest monastery was pillaged by anti-Catholic forces in 1571. PRAYER: May the intercession of the blessed Thorfinn, your bishop, commend us to you, O Lord, so that through hi...