Born near Soissons, France, in 1065, St. Godfrey became a monk and priest and was chosen Abbot of Nogent in Champagne, a rapidly declining religious house. Its membership had been drastically reduced, its outer appearance was completely dilapidated, and its religious life was floundering in sad disarray. However, such was the force of Godfrey’s personality and spirituality that he soon had this same house flourishing in every way.As a result, Godfrey was offered the great Abbacy of Saint-Remi at Rheims but turned it down, in favor of running his own house. In 1104, however, he was constrained to accept the episcopacy of Amiens. Here he showed himself to be a true religious in his conduct as well as in his administration—putting and end to simony, strenuously enforcing celibacy, and endorsing the establishment of communes.
In time the unbending, severe, and rigorously exact attitude of this Saint provoked the opposition of some and led to his withdrawal to a Carthusian monastery in 1114. Ordered to return to his diocese by a council, he died before he could do so in 1115 at St. Crispin’s Abbey, Soisons.
PRAYER: God, You made St. Godfrey an outstanding exemplar of Divine love and the Faith that conquers the world, and added him to the roll of saintly pastors. Grant by his intercession that we may perservere in Faith and love and become sharers of his glory. Amen.