Day by Day, Dear Lord

Saint Richard of Chichester (1197/8–1253), born Richard de Wyche, was a medieval English bishop, academic, and reformer who stood up to royal overreach. Kanonized in 1262, he was widely revered for his fierce defense of clerical discipline, his deep personal asceticism, and his unwavering generosity to the poor.

While centuries of ecclesiastical records document his administrative battles, his enduring legacy in global hymnody rests entirely upon a single, deeply intimate prayer dictated on his deathbed, a text that achieved unexpected pop-culture fame in the late 20th century.

From Orphaned Farmer to Academic Giant

Born into a minor gentry family in Droitwich, Worcestershire, Richard and his brother were orphaned at a young age. The family estates fell into severe mismanagement, forcing Richard to spend his youth performing hard manual labor on the family farm to restore its financial footing.

Once the lands were secure, he walked away from farming to pursue an academic life, demonstrating an exceptional intellect that took him across medieval Europe's premier institutions:

• He studied at Oxford University, eventually rising to become the university's Chancellor.

• He traveled to France to master Canon Law at the University of Bologna, then the legal capital of the Western world.

• He was appointed Chancellor of the Diocese of Canterbury by his close friend and mentor, Archbishop Edmund of Abingdon.

The Royal Standoff

In 1244, Richard was elected Bishop of Chichester. However, King Henry III vehemently opposed the appointment, preferring a royal favorite instead. The King seized all of the properties, revenues, and estates belonging to the Chichester bishopric, leaving Richard completely penniless.

Refusing to back down, Richard moved into his diocese as a squatter. He lived in the home of a sympathetic country priest, visiting his parishioners entirely on foot and cultivating a small plot of land to feed himself. He operated this way for two years until Pope Innocent IV threatened King Henry III with excommunication, forcing the Crown to restore the diocese's stolen assets.

When he finally gained control of his revenues, Richard spent the rest of his life using them to build hospitals, defend the poor, and enforce strict moral reforms among his clergy.

The Deathbed Prayer: "Day by Day"

In early 1253, an exhausted Richard collapsed while traveling to consecrate a new church in Dover. As he lay dying, surrounded by his closest clerics, he chanted a personal Latin prayer. His comforting final words were recorded in Latin by his confessor, Ralph Bocking:

"Gratias tibi ago, Domine Jesu Christe, de omnibus beneficiis quae mihi praestitisti..."

Centuries later, this brief, private devotion was translated into a highly rhythmic, memorable English poem that has since found its way into dozens of denominational hymnals:

"Thanks be to thee, my Lord Jesus Christ,

for all the benefits thou hast given me,

for all the pains and insults thou hast borne for me.

O most merciful redeemer, friend and brother,

may I know thee more clearly,

love thee more dearly,

and follow thee more nearly, day by day."

Modern Choral Score & Pop-Culture Renaissance

For generations, Richard's prayer remained a quiet, spoken devotion or an understated anthem used primarily in Anglican choir stalls.

However, in 1971, the text underwent an astonishing, global cultural renaissance. Composer Stephen Schwartz adapted Saint Richard's phrases into the folk-rock song "Day by Day" for the smash-hit off-Broadway musical Godspell.

The track was released as a pop single, shockingly climbing to Number 13 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart in the summer of 1972. Because of this theatrical adaptation, a 13th-century bishop's final, dying whisper of faith became one of the most culturally recognizable expressions of Christian devotion in modern history.