Canon to Saint Augustine, Archbishop of Canterbury

St. Augustine (+605), a monk at the monastery of St Andrew in Rome, was chosen by Pope Gregory I to lead a mission to England, which at the time had lapsed into almost complete paganism. He and a party of about forty monks landed in England in 597; they were received warmly by King Ethelbert, who was baptised by Augustine and thus became the first Christian king of the Anglo-Saxon people. In 601 Pope Gregory made Augustine Archbishop of Britain, and he established his cathedral at Canterbury, where he also established a monastery. Saint Augustine worked unsuccessfully to unite his churches with those of the Irish monks and hierarchs, who followed different liturgical practices, kept a different date of Pascha, and disapproved of the less severe Roman monastic practices introduced by the Archbishop. He reposed in peace.

St Augustine's feast day is on the 8th June (26th of May in the Church calendar). Below is a canon dedicated to the Saint, which can be downloaded and printed or read online. It's suitable to be read when no priest is present and at any time.

Canon to Saint Augustine of Canterbury, Enlightener of the English.pdf

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Canon of the saint, with 4 troparia, the acrostic whereof is "Praise ye the august Augustine in song", in Tone II

Icon of Saint Augustine of Canterbury

Ode I

Irmos: At the parting of the waters Israel crossed over with dryshod feet; and they showed forth the Cross and burial by their entry, and the divine resurrection by their issuing forth, chanting in praise a hymn of victory unto the Deliverer.

Holy Father Augustine, pray to God for us.

Pardon mine iniquities, O merciful Deliverer, and disdain not the meagre praises I offer Thee for the sake of the holy Augustine, who fearlessly proclaimed thy suffering and resurrection to the heathen and now chanteth a hymn of victory.

Holy Father Augustine, pray to God for us.

Repentance and atonement didst thou master under the tutelage of the holy hierarch Gregory in his Monastery of the Holy Apostle Andrew, O blessed Augustine; wherefore, he sent thee to teach Christian doctrine and the virtues to the English

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.

All Sicily boasteth in thy birth, O glorious Augustine, and the great city of Rome boasteth that thou didst sojourn therein. But more than these hath England been gladdened exceedingly by thy preaching and courageous witness for Christ.

Both now, and forever, and to the ages of ages. Amen. 

Theotokion: In songs and hymns let us offer laudation to the all-pure Mother of God and Theotokos, O ye faithful, crying with the celestial herald: Rejoice, O thou who art full of the grace of God! The Lord is with thee, now and for all eternity!

Ode III

Irmos: O Christ God, Who didst stretch out heaven like a tent and found the dry land upon the waters at Thy divine behest: in the Orthodox Faith establish me who cry aloud: There is holy save Thee!

Holy Father Augustine, pray to God for us.

Sent forth by the holy Dialogist, O Augustine, the members of thy company were affrighted on hearing of the perils which confronted them; yet, encouraged by the great Gregory, thou didst cry: There is none holy save Thee, O Lord!

Holy Father Augustine, pray to God for us.

Even though thou wast daunted by fearsome rumours, yet didst thou maintain thy firm commitment to thy holy task, O thou who art most rich, and with thy company of two score didst boldly traverse Gaul to reach the land of the Angles and Saxons.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.

"Ye people of Cé, why do ye call us gods?" cried Augustine; "We are men of like passions with you, even though ye have seen the resplendent effulgence of the true God illumine us. Believe on Him alone, and ye too will be enlightened!"

Both now, and forever, and to the ages of ages. Amen.

Theotokion: Eagerly do we hasten to thy miraculous icons and shrines, O all-pure Maiden, for there do we draw forth strength of spirit and healing of body and soul, as from ever-flowing springs and fountains; wherefore, we call thee blessed.

Lord, have mercy. Lord, have mercy. Lord, have mercy.

Sessional hymn, in Tone VIII: All the cities of England adorn themselves today for the solemn memorial of the holy hierarch Augustine; for through him was the light of the peerless Christian Faith brought unto them, and by him were worthy and godly men made bishops to instruct them in the ways of piety. Wherefore, let all the lands of the English rejoice today and give thanks to God, that He hath bestowed upon them so great a guide to lead them to His city on high by the straight and narrow path of His righteousness.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit; now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen. 

Theotokion: Let us hymn the portal and ark of heaven, the all-holy mountain, the radiant cloud, the bush unburned, the noetic paradise, the restoration of Eve, the great treasure of the whole world, for within her was the salvation of the world and the remission of the ancient transgressions wrought. Wherefore, let us cry out to her: Entreat thy Son, that He grant remission of transgressions unto those who piously worship thy most holy Offspring.

or Stavrotheotokion (on Wednesdays and Fridays): 

The ewe-lamb, beholding the Lamb, Shepherd and Deliverer upon the Cross, exclaimed, weeping, and bitterly lamenting, cried out: "The world rejoiceth, receiving deliverance through Thee, but my womb doth burn, beholding Thy crucifixion, which Thou endurest in the loving-kindness of Thy mercy. O long-suffering Lord, Thou abyss and inexhaustible well-spring of mercy, have pity and grant remission of offences unto those who with faith hymn Thy divine sufferings!"

Ode IV

Irmos: In his foresight, the prophet, the initiate of Thy mysteries, was filled with awe at Thine advent, which he foretold, crying: The earth is full of Thy praise; for as God Thou hast not disdained our poverty, but hast come and saved us!

Holy Father Augustine, pray to God for us.

The turbulent Channel didst thou safely, traverse, the angels of God guiding thy boat from Gaul to the shore afar off, where thou didst come to land at Ebbsfleet in Kent, which received the imprint of thine apostolic foot, O godly father Augustine.

Holy Father Augustine, pray to God for us.

"Hither have we been sent, O king, by the successor of the Apostles," said Augustine to King Ethelbert, "that thou and thy benighted people might see the true light of Christ, the great Messiah, Who hath come and saved us."

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.

Exclaiming psalms and sacred hymns, in procession the holy Augustine and his companions went forth to greet the king, bearing before them the Cross of the Saviour and His precious icon; and, ineffably moved, the ruler granted them shelter and sustenance.

Both now, and forever, and to the ages of ages. Amen.

Theotokion: All creation rejoiceth in thee, O most immaculate Lady; for the preëternal Logos, disdaining not our poverty, made His abode within thy material womb, taking human flesh of thy precious blood, that He might save us.

Ode V

Irmos: Washed clean of the poison of the dark and vile enemy by the cleansing of the Spirit, we have set out upon a new path which leadeth to joy inaccessible, which only they attain whom God hath reconciled with Himself.

Holy Father Augustine, pray to God for us.

Utterly forsaking his false gods, King Ethelbert was moved to repentance, and on the great feast of Pentecost received holy baptism at thy hands, O Augustine, emerging, reconciled with God, from the layer of regeneration.

Holy Father Augustine, pray to God for us.

Gladly did the holy prelate Virgil of Arles consecrate thee a bishop at the behest of the great hierarch of Rome, O Augustine, and by his sacred prayers thou didst eagerly return to thine assigned field, where thou didst bring countless souls to Christ.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.

Untold myriads of Saxons didst thou instruct in the Faith and cleanse of their sins in the holy font of baptism, O most blessed one, on the great feast of the Nativity of the Lord; and they were like good seed cast upon fertile soil, producing a rich harvest.

Both now, and forever, and to the ages of ages. Amen.

Theotokion: Seeing thee, a virgin, bearing the Creator of all things within thee, O pure and all-immaculate one, Joseph was at a loss; but the angel of the Lord told him not to fear, but to cherish and guard thee, O all-holy one, and thy divine Offspring.

Ode VI

Irmos: Lead me up from the abyss, Jonah cried to Thee. He is an image of burial and resurrection, which Thou hast given us, O almighty Saviour.

Holy Father Augustine, pray to God for us.

The king gave thee the old Church of Saint Martin, O sacred one, wherein thou didst celebrate the divine Eucharist, that Christians might partake of the Body and Blood of the almighty Saviour.

Holy Father Augustine, pray to God for us.

All his might did the devil exert to prevent thee from turning the temple of false gods into a Christian church, O Augustine; but at thy prayers he was utterly expelled.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.

Unto the great martyr Pancratius didst thou dedicate this new church, O sacred hierarch; and nigh unto it thou didst found the great Monastery of the Preëminent Apostles.

Both now, and forever, and to the ages of ages. Amen.

Theotokion: Greatly - yea, beyond measure - dost thou surpass all the incorporeal beings in glory and majesty, O Virgin Theotokos; for thou ever standest at thy Son's right hand.

Kontakion (Tone VI): Like Paul, Christ's chosen vessel, thou didst journey afar, preaching the glad tidings of thy heavenly Master, O Augustine. Wherefore, taking ship in Gaul, thou didst sail to England, O great hierarch, where, in obedience to the Lord, thou didst bring the heathen people to knowledge divine, baptizing them in the name of the Holy Trinity and making them children of the light and grace.

Ikos: The great city of Canterbury exulteth exceedingly, having as its guardian and protector the most eminent Augustine, who ever standeth in heaven before the throne of the Most High, offering up supplications without ceasing in behalf of the English nation, and begging pity and mercy of Him for all of us Orthodox Christians, who with faith venerate his monastic struggles and apostolic labours, and who, filled with gladness, entreat him earnestly as a father in the Faith, since through baptism we are become children of the light and grace.

Ode VII

Irmos: Blessed art Thou, O God of our fathers, Who of old extinguished the thunderous furnace and bedewed the children with by an outpouring of the Spirit.

Holy Father Augustine, pray to God for us.

Upon the monastic virtues and Orthodox doctrine didst thou found thy soul, as upon firm rock, O glorious Augustine; wherefore, in chastity and humility thou wast exalted.

Holy Father Augustine, pray to God for us.

Suffering from blindness and paralysis, a beggar besought healing of thee, O holy one, and thou didst straightway cure him by the grace of God which poured forth from thee.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.

The signs and wonders poured out through thee bore true witness to the Christian Faith; wherefore, multitudes became children of the Holy Trinity through thee, O saint.

Both now, and forever, and to the ages of ages. Amen.

Theotokion: In thee did the divine Word come to dwell, at the Father's behest and through the outpouring of the Spirit, O Bride of God; wherefore, we hymn thee forever.

Ode VIII

Irmos: The inseparable children of the Trinity, spurning the beauty of the image, and rejecting its soul-destroying deception, bedewed from heaven cried out to Christ the hymn: Bless the Lord, all ye works of the Lord!

Holy Father Augustine, pray to God for us.

Neither beatings nor mockery dissuaded thee from preaching in Dorset, O holy Augustine, and as thou didst pray, they who abused thee were smitten with sores and boils, until they cried: Bless the Lord, all ye works of the Lord!

Holy Father Augustine, pray to God for us.

Entering an unpeopled region, O beneficent Augustine, thou didst behold a glorious vision of the Lord at Cernel, such as Moses beheld in the wilderness of Sinai; and like him thou wast filled with surpassing radiance.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.

In thirst didst thou petition the Saviour, and He caused a fountain of pure water to spring forth for thee in that place, as of old He provided for the children of Israel during their flight from Pharaoh, O eminent one.

Both now, and forever, and to the ages of ages. Amen.

Theotokion: Nazareth exulteth as thine earthly residence, O Virgin; Jerusalem rejoiceth as the place of thy nativity and thy glorious repose; and the Garden of Gethsemane is filled with gladness by the presence of thy tomb.

Ode IX

Irmos: What is this great and all-glorious mystery within thee, O daughter of Adam and Mother of the Most High? With unceasing hymnody we, the faithful, magnify thee, the Theotokos, as the only bridge to God for the faithful, which we cross without stumbling.

Holy Father Augustine, pray to God for us.

Salvific were all thy works, O glorious one; for, rejecting all vainglory and pride, thou didst walk humbly in thy ways, bearing the glad tidings of the word of God to those sitting in darkness, that they might cross over to the true Light.

Holy Father Augustine, pray to God for us.

Over the length and breadth of the island realms of the Angles, Saxons and Jutes didst thou journey, O saint, bearing the light of grace to those who languished in the shadow of death; and they cast away their idols and embraced the Saviour.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.

Now let the Holy Church celebrate in England with hymns of praise the repose of the godly Augustine; for, a faithful husbandman of the divine vineyard, he laboured greatly for his heavenly Master, and hath received from Him a rich reward.

Both now, and forever, and to the ages of ages. Amen.

Theotokion: "Great things hath the Mighty One done to me; and holy is His name!" the all-immaculate Virgin cried out. Wherefore, according to her word, may His mercy be upon all of us who fear Him, from generation to generation.

Troparion (Tone IV): Awed by the grandeur and majesty of the holy Augustine, with reverence let us honour him with hymns of praise; for, filled with the effulgence of grace divine, at the behest of the glorious Gregory he brought the light of Christ to the English people. Wherefore, he dwelleth now in splendour with all the choirs of the saints and angels of God.