Feast of St. Ethelbert

 

St. Ethelbert (552 AD - 616 AD) was the King of Kent and worshipped Odin until relatively late in life. Even though not a Catholic at first, he was a firm believer in the freedom of worship and even gave an old Roman church to the Catholics in Canterbury.

When he converted to Catholicism in 597 AD, as many as 10,000 of his countrymen followed his example. He became the protector of the Church in England.