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Laurence of Canterbury
second Archbishop of Canterbury
SaintResearchedBenedictinesDate unknown
Feast: 3 February (not on the universal Roman calendar; kept in the Roman Martyrology or local calendars)
Born
550
Died
2 February 619
verified
Beatified
—
not on record
Canonised
—
not on record
Who they were
Laurence was one of the original missionaries who came with St Augustine in 597. Augustine sent him to Rome to report the conversion of King Ethelbert, and shortly before his death consecrated him bishop to succeed him.
As second Archbishop of Canterbury he carried on the work of evangelising Kent. He died on 2 February 619 and was buried near St Augustine.
The miracles
There was never a formal cause: he has been honoured as a saint since before the Church's formal processes began.
Why that counted as sanctity
St Augustine's companion and successor in the mission to England.
Connected on this site
- Augustine of Canterbury Saint“Augustine also arranged the consecration of his successor, Laurence of Canterbury.” — Wikipedia
Sources
- Catholic Encyclopedia (1913), via New Advent - St. Lawrence
- Wikidata Q347940 — dates, feast day and identifiers (CC0)
- English Wikipedia — Laurence of Canterbury (CC BY-SA)
Checked against the sources listed on 21 September 2026. Corrections welcome.