Kent: Mass for anniversary of Saint Ethelbert at Shrine of St Augustine

Window, All Souls, Oxford

The 1,400th anniversary of the death of King Ethelbert will be marked on Tuesday 23rd February with a Mass at the Shrine of St Augustine, Ramsgate. The Mass will be at 7pm. All are welcome.

King Ethelbert was King of Kent and principal monarch in England at the turn of the seventh century. He co-founded Canterbury Cathedral with St Augustine of Canterbury. He welcomed St Augustine when he arrived in 597AD from Rome, and converted to Christianity soon after. He promulgated the first written laws in England, and encouraged education and learning.

Thus he was the first English Christian monarch, co-founder of Canterbury Cathedral, initiator of England's legal system, and much modern English culture and history can trace its roots to him.

Bishop Athanasius Schneider, from Kazakhstan, will celebrate the Mass. He last visited St Augustine's in 2014, and this year will address a meeting of priests in Ramsgate during the day.

Music will be sung by The Victoria Consort, and the Director of Music is Thomas Neal. They will have performed on Sunday 21st February for BBC Radio
4's Sunday Worship programme live broadcast.

Mass will be Pontifical High Mass in the Extraordinary Form.

Information about this Mass can be found on the Facebook event page: www.facebook.com/events/1041584335861918/