THE EMERGENCE OF ST. ALBAN

Long rather casually listed as "First martyr of Britain," our patron saint is now being accorded his true place in British Christian history. Through modern scholarship the image of St. Alban looms large in the hierarchy of faith. After centuries of confusion, the date of his martyrdom has now been established as 22nd June, 209. He was put to death by the Roman emperor Sevarus for sheltering a Christian priest in his home.

The established date has startling historical implications.

Official views have given lip service to the story that Christianity reached the British Isles in the year 597, when St. Augustine landed at the head of a group of missionaries.

The record of Alban's death pushes the origins of British Christianity back nearly 400 years.

Excavations underway at St. Alban's Abbey are adding further detail. It is said to be the oldest continuous site of Christian worship in the country, and archaeologists call it the most significant location for excavation in the study of the Church's beginnings in England.

Our proud beginning. The former home of the Rev. William S. Hayward, 238 Strong Avenue, as it looked when converted to house St. Alban's. Inset in the exterior photo is the Rev. Robert J. Evans, Priest-in-Charge.

The parlor and dining room of the home were converted into a single room to become the nave. Choir robed and entered from the kitchen through the door at left. Organ given by St. Mark's is at extreme left; altar from St. Joseph's, Rome, is in its original state; on the small table at right is the Alms Basin given by John R. Wickes, which we are using today.