Feast: May 27
Title: Apostle of the English, First Archbishop of Canterbury
Date: † c. 604 A.D.
Patronage: England, English Benedictines
Life and Mission
Saint Augustine of Canterbury was a monk of the Benedictine monastery of Saint Andrew on the Coelian Hill in Rome, which had been founded by Pope Saint Gregory the Great. It was this same Gregory who, moved with compassion upon seeing English children sold in the Roman slave markets — “Non Angli, sed Angeli,” he declared, “Not Angles, but angels!” — conceived a desire to convert the pagan peoples of the distant island of Britannia.
Around the year 596, Pope Gregory chose Augustine, already Prior of the monastery, to lead a mission of about forty monks to evangelize the Anglo-Saxons. Their journey was arduous and met with many fears, especially concerning the barbaric reputation of the English tribes. Augustine even turned back at one point to Rome to request reassignment, but Pope Gregory strengthened his resolve and reaffirmed his commission.
Upon arriving in Kent in 597 A.D., Augustine found a more favorable situation than expected. The king of Kent, Ethelbert, though a pagan, had married a Christian Frankish princess, Queen Bertha, and allowed her the freedom to practice her faith. King Ethelbert received Augustine respectfully and permitted him and his monks to preach freely.
Inspired by the witness and sanctity of the missionaries, and especially moved by Augustine’s dignified bearing and doctrinal clarity, King Ethelbert himself converted and was baptized — a turning point for the Christianization of England. Thousands followed his example in the days that followed.
Ecclesiastical Foundation
Augustine established his see in Canterbury, the royal capital of Kent. There he founded two key institutions that would shape the future of English Christianity: the Cathedral Church of Christ (now Canterbury Cathedral) and the monastery of Saints Peter and Paul, later known as St. Augustine’s Abbey.
Pope Gregory named Augustine Archbishop of the English, and he received the pallium (a symbol of metropolitan authority) from Rome. Augustine was zealous in the establishment of dioceses and in correcting the practices of local Christians, particularly the remnants of Celtic Christianity which diverged from Roman norms in matters such as the date of Easter and clerical tonsure.
Though his attempts at reconciliation with the Celtic bishops were not immediately successful, Augustine laid the foundational structure for the future unification of the English Church under the Roman See.
Death and Legacy
Saint Augustine died around the year 604 A.D. and was buried in the abbey church he had founded. His tomb became a place of pilgrimage, and the Augustinian mission he led flourished, ultimately converting the entirety of England to the Catholic Faith over the next century.
He is rightly hailed as the “Apostle of the English,” not only for his role in converting a nation, but for establishing the Roman form of liturgy, discipline, and hierarchical structure that would endure in England for nearly a thousand years.
✠ Spiritual Reflection
Saint Augustine teaches us the value of obedience and fortitude in the apostolic life. Though reluctant at first, he submitted to the will of the Vicar of Christ and became the instrument of the conversion of a nation. His meekness, constancy in prayer, and unshakeable fidelity to the Roman Faith remain an example to all missionaries and those who strive to live the Faith in hostile lands.
“Fear not, little flock.” – Luke 12:32
So said Our Lord — and Augustine, armed with little more than the Gospel and the Cross, took courage, and made England a land of saints.