St Augustine Shrine inaugurated; MSM in attendance

The week of May 20^st -28^th, St-Augustine’s Church in Kent, designed by “God’s own architect” and leader of the 19^th century Neo-Gothic revival movement Augustus Pugin, was officially inaugurated as a Catholic Shrine.

The inaugural mass was officiated on Sunday May 20^th 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 25^th, 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 500^th 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 26^th, 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 27^th, 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.