St Augustine of Canterbury
The story of St Augustine, the Roman monk sent by Pope Gregory the Great to evangelise England.
A MONK IN ROME
Little is known about the early life of St Augustine of Canterbury. He lived in the sixth century and was called the Apostle of England because he helped reintroduce Christianity to that land. We know that he was a monk living a quiet and disciplined life as Prior of the Benedictine monastery of St Andrew in Rome when Pope Gregory the Great decided to send someone to take the Gospel message to the English. It is said that the Pope wanted to lead the mission himself because he had seen some Anglo-Saxon English boys (also called Angles) being sold in the Roman slave market and noticing their blond hair and fair complexion he remarked that they looked more like ‘Angels’ than ‘Angles’.
THE MISSION
The people of Rome would not let Pope Gregory go so he asked Augustine, who he knew from his earlier days at the same monastery, to lead the mission. He respected his friend and valued his wisdom so he commissioned Augustine to lead a group of monks to go to England carrying the Good News of the Gospel. They left in June 596, but shortly afterwards on arriving in southern France the locals warned them of the great dangers awaiting them in England. The group were already fearful about how they would be received by the English and so they sent Augustine back to Rome to ask the Pope what they should do. Pope Gregory reassured Augustine about his mission and the group set out once more. They were no doubt still worried about what might happen when they arrived at their destination, but they entrusted their journey and their work to God and prayed for His protection.
THEIR RECEPTION
The party landed in the spring of 597 on the Isle of Thanet, on the southeast coast of England. The local King Ethelbert of Kent was initially suspicious of the visitors, but after talking with Augustine and his monks he allowed them to stay. The King said to Augustine, “Your words are fair, but of doubtful meaning; I cannot forsake what I have so long believed. But as you have come from far we will not molest you; you may preach, and gain as many as you can to your religion.” Augustine and his small group began praying and spreading the Word of God and before the end of the year King Ethelbert was baptised and became a Christian himself. It is said that ten thousand of his people followed the King’s example on Christmas Day 597 and a Christian community was formed in the South East corner of England.
MORE HELPERS
Shortly afterwards Augustine sent two of his monks to Rome with a report of this extraordinary event and asked for more helpers and advice on how to move forward. They returned in 601 with more missionaries to join Augustine. These included three men who would themselves become Saints: Mellitus, Justus, and Paulinus. Pope Gregory suggested that Augustine should not destroy the pagan temples but use them as Christian churches once the idols had been removed and the buildings purified with holy water. He also appointed Augustine as the Archbishop of England and suggested that he consecrate twelve auxiliary bishops to serve under him and help him to support and coordinate the great work of evangelising the English.
CANTERBURY
Augustine made Canterbury in Kent his base. With the King’s backing, he founded Christ Church, Canterbury, as his cathedral and the monastery of Saints Peter and Paul (this was known after his death as St Augustine’s and it is here that the early Archbishops were buried). Canterbury became the most important Bishopric in England.
HIS DEATH
The gradual evangelisation of the English began spreading out from the South East corner through the South of England. In 604 Augustine consecrated Mellitus as the first Bishop of London and Justus as the first Bishop of Rochester. But he did not live long in his adopted land. St Augustine died sometime between 604 and 609 and was buried in the Monastery of Saints Peter and Paul. His Feast Day is celebrated in England on May 26th.
