\paperw5085 \margr0\margl0 \plain \fs20 \pard\tx3255\tx6525\tx9780\ATXts240\ATXbrdr0 \f1 \fs22 It was a Father of the Church, Pope Gregory the Great (c. 540- 604), who appointed \ATXnt901 Augustine\ATXnt0 , the prior of a Benedictine monastery at Rome,\b \b0 to lead forty monks to Britain with the aim of converting the Anglo-Saxons to Christianity. In 597 Augustine arrived in Kent, where he was kindly received by \b \b0 \ATXnt902 King Aethelbert\ATXnt0 , whose wife was a Christian. AethelbertÆs own conversion and baptism greatly contributed to the success of AugustineÆs mission, paving the way for the expansion of \ATXnt903 missionary activity in the south\ATXnt0 . Augustine w
as made Bishop of the English in 597, and established his church at Canterbury. However, his efforts to extend his authority over the native British Church were less successful. In fact Christianity had already taken root in the \ATXnt904 Celtic domains
of Ireland\ATXnt0 , Scotland and Wales. It was initially established in Ireland by St Patrick in the 5th century, spreading to northern Britain in the 6th century. By 563 St Columba had founded his monastery on the island of Iona. The Welsh saints al
so converted much of their country during the 5th and 6th centuries, and the Welsh Church did not submit to the authority of Rome until 768. There was a resurgence of paganism after AethelbertÆs death, and many pagan beliefs were preserved in folk medic
ine and superstition despite efforts to eradicate them.\par
