Did you know? (Sunday, July 28, 2024)

The office of the Archbishop of Canterbury has a long history. It was established with the appointment of St. Augustine as the first Archbishop in 597 – 604/5. Born in Rome, he was a Benedictine monk and prior at St. Andrew’s in Rome.

When the English took Jamaica away from the Spanish in 1655, there was no Archbishop of Canterbury. This was because the takeover occurred during the period of English history known as the English Interregnum (1649-1660). This was a period of political and religious restructuring in which the Monarchy was abolished and the Church of England was disbanded. The Bishops of the church, including the Archbishop of Canterbury, were removed from office. Both were restored in 1660 when Charles II was made King and William Juxon was appointed as the new Archbishop of Canterbury. Archbishop Justin Welby is, therefore, the 29th Archbishop of Canterbury since Jamaica became an English colony, and 105th successor of Saint Augustine. He is the second to visit Jamaica. The first was Archbishop Ian Ramsay in 1968”.