Egwin of Worcester, Bishop and Founder of Evesham

Today the Greater Church commemorates Egwin of Worcester, a bishop who joined pastoral care to penitence and founded a home of prayer beside the River Avon.

Egwin became bishop of Worcester near the end of the seventh century. He preached the Gospel, called his people to repentance, and corrected abuses among clergy and laity. His severity angered powerful men. They brought accusations against him, and he was driven from his diocese.

Egwin went to Rome to answer the charges. He made the journey an act of penance for his own sins and the sins of his people. Before leaving England, he fastened chains around his feet and threw their key into the Avon.

At Rome, while Egwin prayed and celebrated the Eucharist, his companions caught a fish in the Tiber. When the fish was prepared for their meal, they found the key inside and brought it to Egwin. He unlocked the chains and gave thanks for God’s forgiveness.

The pope cleared him of the accusations, and he returned to Worcester. During his time of trial, Egwin had vowed that, if God vindicated him and restored him to his diocese, he would build a church.

Near the place that would become Evesham, beside the Avon, lay a wooded tract where Egwin sought quiet for prayer. With royal support, he obtained the land and placed herdsmen there to care for his animals.

One of them, a swineherd named Eoves, went into the woods looking for a stray animal. There he saw three women singing. One held a book and was more beautiful than her companions. Eoves went to tell the bishop.

Egwin sought God’s guidance through fasting and prayer. Then he walked barefoot to the place, praying as he went. He left his companions behind and went forward alone.

There he saw the Blessed Virgin Mary with her two companions. She held a book and a radiant cross. She blessed him with the cross, and the vision disappeared.

Egwin recognized this as the place where he should fulfill his vow. Under his direction, laborers cleared the woodland and built a church and monastery beside the river. Egwin dedicated the foundation to God in honor of the Blessed Virgin.

At Evesham he gathered a community of monks and shared their life of prayer. As his strength failed, he continued to care for the sick and to pray the psalms. Near death, he called the brethren together and urged them to keep their vows and pursue peace and holiness.

Egwin died in 717 and was buried in the monastery he had founded. At Worcester Cathedral, his feast is kept on December 30.

His penitence had opened into a common life in which others could seek God. May Christ teach us to join zeal with penitence, to listen when grace comes through an unexpected neighbor, and to make room for prayer in the life we share.