Augustine of Canterbury

In the sixth century, most of Britannia (modern day Britain) was essentially unreached by Christianity. Although there had previously been a Christian presence in the region, the departure of the Romans in centuries prior had left Christians to fend for themselves. Thereafter, the Saxons conquered much territory, establishing pagan villages and pushing Christians northward and westward, where they were essentially isolated from any Roman influence.

It was during this period that Augustine of Canterbury was born in Christian Rome. Little is known about the young life of the famous missionary except that he entered the monastery of St. Andrew as a young man—perhaps even as a child. A gifted student and devout Christian, Augustine went on to be well-educated and virtuous, working closely with Pope Gregory.

The Gospel Goes to England

Gregory had decided to bring the Gospel to the pagan land of England. He had compassion for these fair-haired people. The Venerable Bede famously recorded that the Pope was convicted on behalf of the Anglo-Saxons upon glimpsing a blonde slave boy in the market square. So, despite the warnings of violence and brutality to which the monks might be subject, Gregory began to assemble a team to share the gospel. When Gregory selected Augustine to lead a handful of other monks on the mission, he trusted that they would be well cared for. 

As Augustine set out on this journey with 40 monks in his stead, he worried for the safety of his companions. Wherever they stopped for rest along the journey, people warned of the paganism and hostility of the Anglo-Saxons. In 596, the mission had made it to Gaul when Augustine returned to Rome, hesitant about the success of their goal. He asked for permission to return home, but Gregory was hopeful for the Anglo-Saxons and encouraged Augustine to continue his journey.

The next year, in 597, Augustine and his monks settled in the southeast of England, where King Aethelberht ruled over the Kingdom of Kent. Miraculously, King Aethelberht assisted in the establishment of the monks, granting them housing and audience for preaching. He even provided land on which they built their first church. Not only was the king converted to Christianity, but many others followed suit after hearing Augustine preach the Gospel. Famously, that very Christmas, hundreds of Anglo-Saxon natives were baptized. Then, in 598, Gregory recorded that thousands were being saved in England.

Growing Pains

However, as the church grew, its problems grew with it. Augustine continued to write to Pope Gregory with questions as to church unity, punishments for crimes against the church, the performing of marriage vows, and the administration of communion. To ease the burden, more monks joined in 601, bringing gifts such as relics and books. Augustine was given the title of archbishop, becoming the first archbishop of Canterbury, and consecrated 12 more bishops, some of whom were sent as missionaries to York. This growing  mission continued in Kent, working to establish churches in now-abandoned pagan temples.

Even as Britain had once been consumed by paganism, earning a reputation for violence and brutality, now it was quickly becoming a place of Christian flourishing. The Kings of Essex and other small kingdoms saw the positive impact that Christianity had upon local culture, promoting virtue and peaceful living. They soon converted as well, requesting monks to be sent to their lands to preach to their peoples.

Despite these successes, Augustine was dissatisfied with the state of the church in Britain. He sought to unite the churches in Northern Wales and Western Dumnonia, near modern day Cornwall. Ireland was beginning to send their own missionaries into these areas, bringing slightly different traditions. This led to changes within those churches that would ultimately prevent efforts of reunification by Augustine.

Other issues of disagreement included heresies like asceticism, which promotes complete denial of the material world and condemns the cares of the body. Additionally, tensions arose between Kent and other kingdoms, leaving Augustine to be seen as a military ally. During one infamous meeting with British bishops, Augustine greeted the guests from his seat, unknowingly causing great offense, as they interpreted it as an act of arrogance. This spurred a distrust for Augustine from which his reputation never recovered in his lifetime.

Even so, Augustine continued to baptize new Christians and correct heretical doctrines that were springing up within small communities. Without proper leadership, some Christians fell into cult practices, worshipping statues of martyrs and maintaining some aspects of paganism. With the help of Gregory, Augustine placed churches and bishops in these places for the proper education and shepherding of those Christians.

Death and Legacy

On a feast day in 604, Augustine passed away. His body was originally buried in the church he founded but was soon exhumed by a pagan cult that sought to combine Christianity with their own beliefs . Later, the Roman Catholic Church reclaimed his body and built a shrine for his veneration. Writers like Bede recorded what they could, but so strong was the legacy of Augustine, that soon people were fabricating fantastical legends and tales about the saint’s accomplishments. Even today, the verified information trusted by scholars on the subject is very limited.

Before his death, Augustine made Laurence of Canterbury his successor. By then, his unique efforts to proselytize to the unreached Saxons earned him the nickname “Apostle to the English.” Even though the mission existed primarily in Kent, his work there was responsible for reaching much of Britain later. This was one of the first instances of the Church sending a missions team to establish churches among unreached people groups. Augustine’s strategy and leadership became an example for other Christians that has remained even today. Not only was this small group of monks responsible for the establishment of Christian Europe as it existed for millennia, but they also paved the way for missionary efforts in the future, inspiring churches to send forth their strongest leaders and planting churches in the farthest reaches of the world.