Saint Aristobulus

Contributed by Br Graham-Michoel, OSBC, on March 16 2022.

Saint Aristobulus

The chances are, even if you are of British heritage, you will not have heard of Saint Aristobulus. Today, March 16, is his Feast Day. Just another Saint I hear you say?

More and more chronicles and writings of the early saints of Britain come to light year by year, and researchers are more clear about his origins than every before. Aristobulus is most probably one of the Seventy Disciples mentioned in St Luke 10:1–24 and a disciple of St Andrew, the first called of Jesus’ disciples. It is also pretty sure he was the first Bishop in Roman Britain, preceding Augustine of Canterbury by several hundred years.

Aristobulus' journeys are sketchy, but arriving in Britain during the Roman occupation he may well have set up his church, and cathedra, in Wales where he was referred to as Arwystli Hen, a "man of Italy", and one of four missionaries who first took Christianity to the British Isles.

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