Early in the afternoon, Our Lady arrived at the earldom of Kent in Great Britain,crossing the English Channel on a ferry in the already repaired "Life Mobile." It became apparent by this time, on the English side of the Channel, that there are problems with the illumination, due to the fact that it was not synchronized with the automobile. All the more, because the British have a slightly different system and they drive on the left side of the road.
The lighting of the glass shrine of Our Lady's Icon, as well as the illumination of the Icon itself still need repairs, in general, but not everything can be accomplished instantaneously.
The photo shows the young leaders of the pro-life movement, who are escorting Our Blessed Mother. One of them is Belgian, and the other British. They are praying the Holy Rosary together, waiting for the repair of the lights at a specialty workshop. They are standing near the wall that surrounds the old Benedictine Abbey of Canterbury, which was founded by St. Augustine of Canterbury – the Apostle of England. He landed on the Isle of Thanet with 40 monks in 597 AD, at the command of Pope Gregory the Great, to bring Christianity to the British Isles.
Nearby, is the shrine of St. Thomas Becket, the famous Archbishop of Canterbury from 1162 until his murder in 1170. He engaged in conflict with King Henry II of England over the rights and privileges of the Church and was murdered by followers of the king in Canterbury Cathedral itself. Soon after his muder, he was canonised by Pope Alexander III crowning the popular veneration of him as a saint and martyr.
On the same day, Our Blessed Mother arrived at the parish belonging to the town of Ramsgate and the village of Minster, where She was welcomed by Fr. Marcus Holden in the church of St. Augustine of Canterbury. A glorious view, which can be observed from here, stretches overlooking the Pegwell Bay, where the first missionaries of England had arrived – St. Augustine and his monks. Reportedly, they were carrying a holy icon before them, which was elevated very highly, as it led their arrival procession. It is worth noting that St. Augustine of Canterbury is considered a Saint by the Catholic, Anglican and Orthodox Churches. The church that was built in this place is the official Catholic Shrine of St. Augustine and constitutes a place of numerous pilgrimages of great spiritual significance.
The Czestochowa Icon's stay in this historical place was quite short. The gathered sang "Salve Regina" and renewed the Act of Entrustment of the Protection of the Civilization of Life and Love into the hands of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Father Marcus incensed the Icon, and the veneration followed. During this celebration, Fr. Paul Stebel brought the only remaining relics of St. Augustine for the meeting with Our Lady of Czestochowa.