Saint Oswald of Worcester

Oswald was born in England of Danish descent and was raised by his uncle, Saint Oda, Archbishop of Canterbury. Drawn to monastic life, he went to the abbey of Fleury in France, where he became a Benedictine monk and was ordained a priest. Returning to England, he was named bishop of Worcester in 961 by Saint Dunstan.

With Dunstan and Saint Ethelwold, Oswald led a great renewal of monastic and church life in tenth-century England. He founded Ramsey Abbey and other monasteries, and introduced monks to serve his cathedral. In 972 he also became archbishop of York, while keeping Worcester. He was loved for his humility and his care for the poor; each day during Lent he washed the feet of twelve poor men and served them a meal. On February 29, 992, after kneeling to wash their feet and praying the Gradual Psalms, he died peacefully.

Because he died on February 29, his feast is kept on that day in leap years, appearing on the calendar only once every four years; in other years he is usually remembered on February 28. Worcester and York both honor him, and his relics were once enshrined in Worcester Cathedral.

His humble Lenten custom of washing the feet of the poor makes him a fitting patron for anyone who serves the needy, and a reminder of Christ's own example on Holy Thursday.