Ethelbert was King of Kent in southern England and the first Anglo-Saxon king to embrace Christianity. In 597 he welcomed Saint Augustine and his fellow monks, sent by Pope Gregory the Great, allowing them to preach freely and giving them land in Canterbury. After his own baptism he supported the spread of the faith throughout his kingdom and issued one of the earliest written law codes in England, dying on February 24, 616.
Ethelbert shows the quiet power of an open heart: he listened to the Gospel when it arrived at his shore, and once convinced, he used his position not to force belief but to protect and encourage it. His gentleness with those still undecided, paired with his own firm conversion, is a model of leading others to God by welcome rather than compulsion.
Saint Ethelbert, who opened your kingdom and your heart to the Good News, help us to welcome Christ when he comes to us in unexpected ways, and to lead those we love toward him with patience and kindness. Amen.Enter today’s Mass → All saints →