The Congregation for Divine Worship has agreed to a request from the Catholic Bishops of England and Wales to institute four changes in the liturgical calendar. The English Martyrs (May 4), St. Augustine of Canterbury (May 27), St. Gregory the Great (September 3) and St. Thomas Becket (December 29) all become national feasts and are upgraded from memorials.
From The Tablet.
That’s splendid! May they all pray for England, and for us.
Why St. Gregory the Great? Has he been elevated for his musical contributions? The other feasts have obvious connections to England and Wales, but St. Gregory has me puzzled.
Are these same days upgraded to “second class” in the EF calendar? I think the English Martyrs received their memorial in 1970 (?). These changes highlight the inadequacies of the EF sanctoral calendar. Perhaps its time for the EF to adopt the OF sanctoral calendar.
Surely because he sent Saint Augustine to England!
Yes, that must be the reason. The re-evangelization of what became England was notable for being directed by Rome, which had consequences – the next instance would be the evangelization of Moravia, but that was more complex.
It is more than just the sending of Augustine. Bede tells a story of man committed to (re)evangelizing Britain — pressing his predecessor Pope to send someone (himself?); sending Augustine early in his papacy; encouraging the missionaries when they almost abandoned the task, and to relevant bishops when they could help. He appears to have been the driving force behind the mission, leading Bede to call Gregory the Apostle of England.
Perhaps because of the Society of St Gregory, England’s national liturgy and music body (founded 1929) ?
… to encourage the liturgical use of Gregorian Chant (hence its name).
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