28th May, St Augustine of Canterbury, Archbishop, Confessor

St. Augustine of Canterbury, Archbishop, Confessor

The Cycle celebrates to-day the feast of another son of St. Benedict who, filled with the Holy Ghost, like the apostles, was sent to Great Britain by St. Gregory (596), with forty monks of his community, in order to convert to Christ the people of that country (Collect).

Wherefore the Gospel recalls the seventy-two disciples whom Jesus sent to preach the kingdom of God, and the Epistle alludes to the apostolate of St. Paul who was busy night and day preaching the Gospel of God.

Received by King Ethelbert, at Canterbury, the capital of his kingdom, Augustine built a monastery there and later on established there his episcopal seat (Introit). The example of his life, added to his preaching and miracles, brought the King over to the true faith, and St. Augustine baptized over ten thousand Anglo-Saxons one Christmas Day. This "Apostle of England" died in 604.

Let us ask through the intercession of St. Augustine to bring back erring hearts to the unity of Christian truth (Collect).

Sacerdotes tui, Domine, induant justitiam, et sancti tui exsultent: propter David servum tuum, non avertas faciem Christi tui. * Memento, Domine, David et omnis mansuetudinis ejus.

Let Thy priests, O Lord, be clothed with justice, and let Thy saints rejoice: for thy servant David's sake, turn not away the face of Thy anointed. * O Lord, remember David and all his meekness.

(Psalm 131:9-10,1 from the Introit of Mass)

Deus, qui Angloram gentes praedicatione et miraculis beati Augustini Confessoris tui atque Pontificis, verae fidei luce illustrare dignatus es: concede; ut, ipso interveniente, errantium corda ad veritatis tuae redeant unitatem, et nos in tua simus voluntate concordes.
O God, who by the preaching and miracles of blessed Augustine, Thy confessor and bishop, didst vouchsafe to enlighten the English nation with the light of the true faith; moved by his prayers, vouchsafe that the hearts of those who have gone astray may return to the unity of Thy truth, and that we may ever be of one mind in doing Thy will.
(Collect)

From the Catholic Encyclopaedia: http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/02081a.htm