The Start of the Mission
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Bede wrote
"Gregory, prompted by divine inspiration,
sent a servant of God named Augustine and several more God-fearing monks
with him to preach the word of God to the English race. In obedience to the
pope's commands, they undertook this task"
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Most of our information about the journey were deduced from the letters of
St. Gregory the Great .
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Bede had few details of the the journey in his Ecclesiastical History.
He might know some details of the journey from the letters of Gregory which
were sent to him by Nothelm.
Let us start our virtual journay in the footsteps of St. Augustine and his
brothers...........
The Medieval tradition of the blessing of the pilgrims
journey
In the medieval tradition the pilgrim received special blessing
before set out. The tradition is called the Blessing of the
Scrip and staff
The scrip is sprinkled in the holy water and put around the pilgrim's neck
by the priest who recites:
"In the name our Lord Jesus Christ receive
this scrip, The habit of the thy pilgrimage, that after due chastisement
thou mayest be found worthy to reach in safety the shrine of the Saints to
which thou desirest to go: and after accomplishment of thy journey thou mayest
return to us in health"
Then the staff is given and the garment is sprinkled with the
holy water.
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Let us set in our virtual pilgrimage in the footstep
of St. Augustine and his brothers.
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St. Augustine left Rome in July 596 and headed to the Gaul. Their first station
was in the Provence in the city of
Aix-en-Provence and Abbey of Lérin
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Go to the CONTENTS page or continue the journey
with the Missionaries to the Aix-en-Provence
and Abbey of Lérin
This site is constructed and maintained by
Ghazwan Butrous. Last Update:
23 May 1997
