St. Thorfinn of Hamar

St. Thorfinn of Hamar was a Norwegian churchman of the thirteenth century, born, by tradition, near Trondheim, who became a Cistercian monk at the abbey of Tautra and later Bishop of Hamar in Norway. He lived in an age of bitter conflict between the crown and the Church over the liberties of the Church, and he stood firmly with the archbishop and his brother bishops in defending those rights against the encroachments of royal power.

For his fidelity he shared in the archbishop's disgrace and was driven into exile, enduring a hard sea voyage and shipwreck before finding refuge at the Cistercian abbey of Ter Doest in Flanders, where he spent his last days in patience and prayer. He died there about 1285. His holiness was not widely known until, some years after his death, the fragrance from his tomb and the memory of a monk who had known him led to his veneration. He is honored as a saint, an example of steadfast defense of the Church's freedom, his memory kept on 8 January.