Today's Saint (May 26): Augustine of Canterbury, Confessor and Bishop

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Augustine of Canterbury


Saint Augustine (d. 604 or 605) was a Benedictine monk, who, at the command of St. Gregory the Great, went to Great Britain in 596 to Christianize the heathen.

Along with St. Gregory, Augustine is often considered an "apostle" of England, for the two of them were largely responsible for its conversion. On one Christmas day, Augustine converted Ethelbert, King of Kent, along with several thousand persons. After founding Canterbury, he would later rule there as the archbishop.

Pray that God raises up men in our time so as to bring all men unto Our Lord. "The harvest truly is great, but the labourers are few. Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he would send forth labourers into his harvest." (The day's gospel, page E 62, The People's Anglican Missal)

The accompanying picture is of a sculpture of Augustine at Canterbury Cathedral.

The Day's Propers
Catholic Encyclopedia article

Books Worth Considering
Augustine of Canterbury
A History of the Church in England

Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church
The Concise Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church
The Treasury of Saints and Martyrs
The Oxford Dictionary of Saints (Oxford Paperback Reference)amazon
The Penguin Dictionary of Saints: Third Edition (Dictionary, Penguin)amazon

www.episcopalnet.org