Augustine of Canterbury

“Be joyful in God, all you lands; *

sing the glory of his Name;

sing the glory of his praise.”

Psalm 66:1

May 26 is the day appointed as the feast day of Augustine, first Archbishop of Canterbury, not to be confused with the better-known Augustine of Hippo. Christianity had spread through Britain by the 4th century, but then in the 5th century, Britain was invaded by non-Christian Germanic tribes. The native Celtic Christians were driven into the north and west, and later Celtic Christian missionaries returned to England to preach the Gospel to those invaders. Additionally, Gregory the Great, Bishop of Rome, sent missionaries to England, a group of monks led by their prior, Augustine.

Augustine and his monks “arrived in Kent (the southeast corner of England) in 597, and the king, whose wife was a Christian, allowed them to settle and preach. Their preaching was outstandingly successful; the people were hungry for the Good News of salvation, and they made thousands of converts in a short time. In 601, the king himself was converted and baptized. Augustine was consecrated bishop and established his headquarters at Canterbury. From his day to the present, there has been an unbroken succession of archbishops of Canterbury.”^[i]

Augustine was not perfect; he made some mistakes along the way in his interactions with leaders of existing congregations in England. But, through his faith and hard work, the Gospel was preached to many and Christianity grew in England. The current Archbishop of Canterbury, The Right Reverend and Right Honorable Sarah Mullally, 106^th Archbishop of Canterbury, carries on the work that Augustine began. Each one of us, as Episcopalians and members of the worldwide Anglican Communion, carries on the work of sharing the Good News of the Gospel.

Collect for Augustine, First Archbishop of Canterbury

O Lord our God, who by your Son Jesus Christ called your servant Augustine to preach the Gospel to the English people: We pray that all whom you call and send may do your will, bide your time, and see your glory; through the same Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.^[ii]

[i] Satucket online Lectionary, http://satucket.com/lectionary/Augustine_Canterbury.htm accessed 5/4/2026.

[ii] Lesser Feasts and Fasts, https://lectionarypage.net/LesserFF/May/Augustine.html accessed 5/4/2026