Sent by Pope Gregory the Great to evangelise England, St Augustine was a Benedictine monk who arrived here in the year 597, thus securing the ancientness of our country’s Christianity (although some assert the Gospel had preceded him as early as the time of Joseph of Arimathaea) as well as its Benedictine heritage.

May he pray for us in all the challenges of our own day, and may God bless you and keep you strong in the Faith established by St Augustine of Canterbury.