May 26 – Augustine of Canterbury
Tuesday, May 26, 2009 at 12:00PM Augustine was sent in the late 6th century as a missionary to the Anglo-Saxon people of what is now England. On his arrival in 597, the local king, Ethelbert, gave Augustine and his companions the use of a church that had been abandoned by earlier Christians during the invasion of the Angles and Saxons. Ethelbert’s Queen was a Christian princess from France, and may have helped convince the king to make this gesture.
When the Pope made him an Archbishop, Augustine built his cathedral in Canterbury. This made him the first Archbishop of Canterbury. The current Archbishop, The Most Revd and Right Honourable Dr Rowan Williams, is the 104th successor to Augustine.
Today is the Memorial of Augustine of Canterbury, who died on this date in 605 AD.
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