St. Augustine was born in Rome, and he was a monk and abbot of Saint Andrews.
Pope Gregory the Great sent Augustine and his 40 monks to evangelize the British Isles in 596. He and his fellow monks had considered returning to Rome when they heard the terrifying stories of the Celts, but Pope Gregory would hear nothing of it.
They arrived in 597 and were successful at Christianizing large parts of England. Augustine established the first diocese of Canterbury, and later the dioceses of London and Rochester.
He served as the first archbishop of Canterbury and helped to re-establish contact between the Celtic churches and the Church of Rome.
He died in England May 26, 605.
