St. Theodore, (602-690), the Greek Archbishop of Canterbury, learned the English language when in his Sixties, and was consecrated bishop and sent to England where he made a visitation of the entire country and set up the Dioceses as they are to this very day.

In 673 he summoned and presided over the first important synod of the whole English Church and at Hertford in 680, held another great synod where a declaration of Orthodoxy was drawn up and forwarded to the Pope. He was the first bishop to unify the English Church and was a great scholar.

His feast day is September 19/October 2.

The Life and Times of Saint Theodore of Tarsus: First Greek Archbishop of Canterbury Video of a talk given by Fr. David Belden  on Sunday, December 1, 2013 (NS) at St Nektarios Greek Orthodox Cathedral, Toronto

Dismissal Hymn:

Having fled thine own city of Tarsus to live as a monk in Rome
Inspired by love for God and thy fellowman
Thou didst leave again thy kith and kin for the far flung shores of Britannia
As Canterbury’s chief shepherd thou wast established then
And in thine old age thou learnt the language of the people there
On humble horseback traversing the length and breadth of their land
Thus bringing order out of chaos through the preaching of God’s Word
O all wise Theodore as thy name proclaims Thou art God’s very gift to us
Intercede with Him that He grant us His  great mercy
And the strength to keep pure in these times of peril
In the true faith once delivered to the saints