Early medieval (7th century)
Feast: March 2
When the archbishop told him his consecration was invalid, he immediately stepped down. 'I never thought myself worthy of it,' he said. They gave it back to him anyway.
Chad's story starts with a bureaucratic mess. While his brother Cedd was bishop of the East Saxons, Chad was consecrated Bishop of York — but the consecration was technically invalid because it was performed by bishops who followed the Irish rather than Roman calendar. When Archbishop Theodore of Canterbury arrived in England and told Chad the news, Chad didn't argue. 'If you know I did not properly receive the episcopate, I willingly resign,' he said. 'I never thought myself worthy of it.' Theodore was so moved by Chad's humility that he re-consecrated him properly and sent him to be Bishop of Mercia instead. Chad walked everywhere. Theodore specifically ordered him to ride a horse on long trips — and Bede says Theodore physically lifted Chad into the saddle because the bishop refused to mount on his own. Chad's episcopate was short — only about two and a half years. He built a small monastery near Lichfield where he would retreat to pray with a handful of monks. Bede records that during thunderstorms, Chad would go to the church, prostrate himself, and recite psalms until the weather passed. When asked why, he said the thunder was God's way of reminding people to examine their lives. He died during a plague in 672. His monks said they heard singing from heaven as he died.