St. Ethelbert was born circa 560 in Kent, England. He married a French Christian, St. Bertha, even though Ethelbert was still pagan. At the age of thirty, he began a 26-year reign as King of Kent. St. Augustine of Canterbury was sent as a missionary to Kent in 597 following a petition from St. Bertha and order from St. Gregory the Great. King Ethelbert was baptized shortly thereafter and became the first English king to convert to Christianity. Christianity spread rapidly in England after Ethelbert’s conversion. He built churches and monasteries throughout his kingdom, including Canterbury Cathedral and St. Augustine’s Abbey. St. Ethelbert and St. Bertha had one son and one daughter. The daughter, St. Ethelburh, married St. Edwin of Northumbria. (Source: “Earliest English Kings”)

St. Ethelbert of Kent, pray for us!