St Augustine
One day, the Pope St Gregory saw a British slave being sold in Rome, and when he was told that
the slave was an Angle (anglo-saxon), Gregory exclaimed “He looks more like an angel!” The
Pope asked if the Angles were Christians. When he was told that no-one had ever gone to
England to preach about Christianity, he ordered St. Augustine, who was a well-known and able
monk in Rome to lead a mission of monks to England in AD 596 to take the faith there.
St Augustine had a horrible journey through France, and decided he would abandon the mission.
He left his fellow monks and went back to Rome, saying that it was impossible to get through to
England. The Pope however encouraged him to carry on. St Augustine made it through France and eventually landed
on the east coast of England, in Kent. He was well received by the king of Kent, who gave him and his monks
somewhere to live in Canterbury, and allowed them to preach there. The monks’ courage in preaching, their
humility and unselfishness persuaded many people to accept Christianity and be baptised. One Christmas, Augustine
baptised more than 10 000 people. He also built Churches and appointed Bishops to lead all the new he had made,
and that is why he is called the Apostle of the English.
St David was the son of a prince, born in South-West Wales. He was educated in a monastery
by a blind monk. David lived and studied at the monastery. The life was very strict - the
brothers had to work very hard and as well as praying and celebrating mass. St David was a very
gentle person. He ate mostly bread and watercress, but he was tall and physically strong. He
drunk nothing but water. Sometimes, to prove his love of Christ, he would stand up to his neck
in a lake of cold water, reciting Scripture. After a few years of living as a monk in the monastery,
David realised that his vocation was to go and preach Christianity to the people round about.
He travelled all over Wales and the south and west of England. He preached, and built churches and monasteries.
The most well-known story regarding David's life is when he was preaching to a great crowd but when he stood up to
speak, someone shouted, 'We won’t be able to see or hear him'. At that instant the ground rose under David’s feet
until everyone could see and hear him. His last words to his followers just before he died were 'Be joyful, and keep
your faith. Do the little things you have seen me do, and heard me preach about.” By that he meant that by paying
attention in our lives to doing little things well, we can please God and become holy.
St Columba was born in Ireland and was of royal blood. Indeed, he might have become High
King of Ireland but he chose to be a priest and joined a monastery. After a few years as a
monk, Columba decided to build more monasteries himself. He needed books for the monks
to learn from and use, so he got hold of the book of the psalms from someone called Finian,
and copied it without permission.
Finian was furious. He complained to the King, but the King, who was related to Columba, did
not rule in his favour, so Finian decided to settle the matter himself, and went to war against
Columba's clan. Columba’s clan defeated Finian at the battle but many people died in the
fighting. Columba went to confess his sin to a priest but the priest ordered Columba leave Ireland forever, and to
make as many new Christians as he had caused to die, as penance.
So Columba left Ireland with twelve companions , sailing until he could not see Ireland any more. He landed on the
island of Iona, in Scotland and began to build churches and monasteries, and preach Christianity. He converted large
parts of Scotland to Christianity and built churches wherever he went. He was a poet as well as a man of action, and
some of his poems still exist. His biographer wrote about him that he was sensitive to beauty, because he was
'gladdened in his inmost heart by the joy of the Holy Spirit.' He died in 597.
St Augustine
One day, the Pope St Gregory saw a British slave being sold in Rome, and when he was told that
the slave was an Angle (anglo-saxon), Gregory exclaimed “He looks more like an angel!” The
Pope asked if the Angles were Christians. When he was told that no-one had ever gone to
England to preach about Christianity, he ordered St. Augustine, who was a well-known and able
monk in Rome to lead a mission of monks to England in AD 596 to take the faith there.
St Augustine had a horrible journey through France, and decided he would abandon the mission.
He left his fellow monks and went back to Rome, saying that it was impossible to get through to
England. The Pope however encouraged him to carry on. St Augustine made it through France and eventually landed
on the east coast of England, in Kent. He was well received by the king of Kent, who gave him and his monks
somewhere to live in Canterbury, and allowed them to preach there. The monks’ courage in preaching, their
humility and unselfishness persuaded many people to accept Christianity and be baptised. One Christmas, Augustine
baptised more than 10 000 people. He also built Churches and appointed Bishops to lead all the new he had made,
and that is why he is called the Apostle of the English.
St David was the son of a prince, born in South-West Wales. He was educated in a monastery
by a blind monk. David lived and studied at the monastery. The life was very strict - the
brothers had to work very hard and as well as praying and celebrating mass. St David was a very
gentle person. He ate mostly bread and watercress, but he was tall and physically strong. He
drunk nothing but water. Sometimes, to prove his love of Christ, he would stand up to his neck
in a lake of cold water, reciting Scripture. After a few years of living as a monk in the monastery,
David realised that his vocation was to go and preach Christianity to the people round about.
He travelled all over Wales and the south and west of England. He preached, and built churches and monasteries.
The most well-known story regarding David's life is when he was preaching to a great crowd but when he stood up to
speak, someone shouted, 'We won’t be able to see or hear him'. At that instant the ground rose under David’s feet
until everyone could see and hear him. His last words to his followers just before he died were 'Be joyful, and keep
your faith. Do the little things you have seen me do, and heard me preach about.” By that he meant that by paying
attention in our lives to doing little things well, we can please God and become holy.
St Columba was born in Ireland and was of royal blood. Indeed, he might have become High
King of Ireland but he chose to be a priest and joined a monastery. After a few years as a
monk, Columba decided to build more monasteries himself. He needed books for the monks
to learn from and use, so he got hold of the book of the psalms from someone called Finian,
and copied it without permission.
Finian was furious. He complained to the King, but the King, who was related to Columba, did
not rule in his favour, so Finian decided to settle the matter himself, and went to war against
Columba's clan. Columba’s clan defeated Finian at the battle but many people died in the
fighting. Columba went to confess his sin to a priest but the priest ordered Columba leave Ireland forever, and to
make as many new Christians as he had caused to die, as penance.
So Columba left Ireland with twelve companions , sailing until he could not see Ireland any more. He landed on the
island of Iona, in Scotland and began to build churches and monasteries, and preach Christianity. He converted large
parts of Scotland to Christianity and built churches wherever he went. He was a poet as well as a man of action, and
some of his poems still exist. His biographer wrote about him that he was sensitive to beauty, because he was
'gladdened in his inmost heart by the joy of the Holy Spirit.' He died in 597.