LORENZO of CANTERBURY, archbishop, saint. - The date and place of his birth are unknown; he died on 2 Feb. 619 at Canterbury. In 595 he went from Rome to England to preach the Catholic religion.
His aim was to replace the old Celtic customs with Roman usages and to merge the Celtic element with the Anglo-Saxon one. In 601 he went to Rome to ask Pope Gregorio il Grande for new missionaries. On his return to Canterbury he reached an agreement with s. Agostino di Canterbury, and from this collaboration arose that monastic character which the Catholic Church of England retained until Enrico VIII. On 26 Apr. 604 he was consecrated by s. Agostino as second archbishop of Canterbury. Among the conversions that contributed to the consolidation of his work was that of Ildebaldo (Eadbald), son of s. Etelberto.