Apostleship of Prayer        Saints

Augustine of Canterbury     May  27th

Augustine, a Benedictine monk, was sent in 597 from the monastery of Saint Andrew in Rome, where he was Prior, to preach the Christianity in southern Britain by Saint Gregory the Great who was pope at that time. After reaching Gaul (France) he heard stories about the ferocity of the Anglo-Saxons and so he returned to Rome. Gregory informed him that his fears were groundless and so Augustine set out again. He landed in Kent where Ethelbert was king. his wife was a Christian. Ethelbert built a residence for them at Canterbury. Ethelbert was himself converted to Christianity.
Augustine returned to France where he was consecrated Archbishop with his see at Canterbury. Soon, he began to build his Cathedral where the present Cathedral, begun in 1070, now stands.
Rather than destroying the pagan temples, he purified them and used them in Christian worship. Similarly he worked with pagan rites and festivals changing them into Christian feasts and rites. In his missionary activities he tried as much as possible to retain the  local customs.
Augustine had only limited success in England but he set the groundwork for further conversion in England by his dedicated work.
He died in 605.

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