The collect for today, the Feast of St. Theodore of Tarsus (602-690), Archbishop of Canterbury (source):
Almighty God, who didst call thy servant Theodore of Tarsus from Rome to the see of Canterbury, and didst give him gifts of grace and wisdom to establish unity where there had been division, and order where there had been chaos: Create in thy Church, we pray thee, by the operation of the Holy Spirit, such godly union and concord that it may proclaim, both by word and example, the Gospel of the Prince of Peace; who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.
The Epistle: 2 Timothy 2:1-5,10
The Gospel: St Matthew 8:23-27
Saint Theodore of Tarsus was born in Tarsus, in modern-day Turkey, around 602. He experienced the Persian wars of his youth and later left the region after the Muslim conquests. He studied in Constantinople before living as a monk in Rome.
Despite Theodore’s advanced age, Pope Vitalian appointed him Archbishop of Canterbury in 668 and he arrived in England in 669. He reorganized the English Church’s diocesan structure, convened the Synod of Hertford (672) to establish common ecclesiastical discipline, and founded a renowned monastic institute at Canterbury teaching Greek, Latin, and scripture. He also worked to consolidate the Church’s influence and promote learning, founding schools and ordaining bishops across the various Anglo-Saxon kingdoms.
He died on 19 September 690, aged eighty-eight, and was buried in Canterbury.