St. Augustine of Canterbury, archbishop
He brought English Good News

Some saints are called “apostle” even though they were not in the original 12 selected by Jesus. St. Paul is referred to as the Apostle to the Gentiles. The term apostle means to send forth, and if a saint was responsible for bringing the Good News of Jesus to a specific country or people, he might be called the “Apostle” to that place.

Such it is with St. Augustine of Canterbury. He is not as well known as St. Augustine of Hippo who is a doctor of the church and one of the greatest teachers in church history.

St. Augustine of Canterbury lived in the late Sixth Century. A Roman, he was head of St. Andrew’s Monastery in Rome. In 596, he and 40 of his monks were sent by Pope St. Gregory the Great to what is now England to bring the Good News to the people living there. This is why is he called the Apostle to the English.

When he and his companions arrived on the isle of Thanet in 597, King Ethelbert of Kent received them graciously. He and his band of monks began teaching the people about Jesus.

King Ethelbert was baptized in 598 and then Augustine traveled to France where he was consecrated bishop.

He returned to England where thousands of English were baptized. The king gave Augustine land at Canterbury where he built a church and Benedictine monastery. But the bishops observing the Celtic rites in England refused to accept him as their bishop.

Augustine continued to work in Kent and established diocese at London and Rochester.

Augustine died on May 26, 604, the first archbishop of Canterbury. He is sometimes called Austin. We celebrate the feast of St. Augustine of Canterbury on May 26.

The name Augustine comes from the Latin word for majestic. Other forms include Augusta, Augustina, August and the nickname, Gus.

Carolyn Martinez