St Aelred of Rievaulx.
1110-1167 ~ Aelred was born in Hexham in the North of England where his grandfather and father were parish priests. He lived and worked in the royal court of King David of Scotland and was a kind and gentle man. At twenty-four years of age he decided he wanted to lead a simple and holy life, so he entered the newly established Cistercian monastery at Rievaulx in Yorkshire. After ten years there, he was given the post of abbot at another monastery at Revesby in Lincolnshire. He stayed in the post for five years then returned as abbot at Rievaulx. He was in charge of over one hundred choir monks and five hundred laymen, in his ten years as superior. He was known as an outgoing and energetic man, but he also had a gentle and compassionate nature, liked by all who met him. The new abbey at Rievaulx grew in size and flourished thanks to Aelred’s hard work. As well as being in charge of the abbey, he visited all the other Cistercian houses in England and Scotland every year and travelled to Europe as well. All this travelling and extra work as he got older, took its toll on his health. He suffered from very painful kidney stones and after many years of his hectic lifestyle, he was near to collapse and physically exhausted. He knew he would soon die and built a cell next to the infirmary so he could be nursed and so he could be alone to pray. The monks came every day to consult him on their spiritual problems right up to the end and he died peacefully in his cell in 1167 on January 12th.