The week of May 20st -28th,
St-Augustine’s Church in Kent, designed by “God’s own architect” and leader of
the 19th century Neo-Gothic revival movement Augustus Pugin, was
officially inaugurated as a Catholic Shrine.
The inaugural mass was officiated on Sunday May 20th
2012 by Mgr. Peter Smith, Archbishop of the Diocese of Southwark, in which the
Shrine (and indeed all of Kent) is located. During the mass, a relic of
St-Augustine, given to the Shrine by the Oxford Oratory, was permanently placed
in a reliquary beside the high altar, for all future pilgrims to the Shrine to venerate.
On Friday May 25th, a pilgrimage was made to the
graves and relics of St-Thomas-Becket, St-Dunstan and St-Anselm, as well as to
the Church of St-Martin where St-Augustine lived and preached, in Canterbury.
On the same day, a mass was said in the Saint’s honor in the ruined Crypt of
St-Augustine’s Abbey in Canterbury –one of very few masses having been said at
the site since the Dissolution of the Abbeys in 1538 (Indeed, the only other one
of which the author is aware was said for the 500th anniversary of
the Saint’s landing in England, in 1997). It was also the first mass in 500
years at the site to have reunited the relics of St-Augustine and St-Mildred,
once both housed at the Abbey, now respectively kept at the Shrine of
St-Augustine in Ramsgate and at the Abbey of Minster-in-Thanet.
On Saturday May 26th, a Marian procession along
the Promenade in Ramsgate and “Day with Mary” Celebration were held, along with
Solemn Vespers in Latin.
Chev. Andrew Cesana and Chev. Jean-Paul Gauthier were
blessed to be in attendance at some or all of these events.
MSM members Andrew Cesana before the Marian Chapel at the St-Augustine Shrine
On Sunday May 27th, a pilgrimage was made to “St-Augustine’s
Cross” in Ebbsfleet, marking the site where the Saint first preached to King
Ethelbert, ultimately leading to his conversion and that of England. Fr Ed
Tomlinson of the Ordinariate of Our Lady of Walsingham presided at a service at
the Cross on this occasion.
MSM members JP
& Olivier Gauthier with Fr. Marcus Holden, Custodian of the Shrine, at
St-Augustine’s Cross, following Procession & Mass
Finally, within a week of the Feast of St-Augustine, these
sites were revisited by MSM Brother-at-Arms David Sainty and Sister Camelia
Sainty and family, who were blessed to visit them while on pilgrimage from Australia.
