Our Patron Saint:
St Augustine of Canterbury
Augustine of Canterbury was a Benedictine monk who became the first Archbishop of Canterbury in the year 597. He is considered the "Apostle to the English" and a founder of the English Church.
On a hill overlooking the city of Canterbury in England stands a beautiful little church dedicated to St Martin of Tours. The Romano-British tiles can still be seen jutting from the ancient stonework. This was the first spiritual home of Augustine and his monks.
A mile or so from St Martin’s Church there now stands the modern Anglican Church of Bertha the Queen in the middle of a large housing estate.
The See of Canterbury, with all that it means, derives from the faith of this Christian lady and her chaplain, who was the first Archbishop of the English.