Born in the 4th century Saint Monica is the patron saint of mothers. We know her best through her son, Saint Augustine. After her husband’s premature death, Monica had to raise her three children alone. Her greatest desire was to raise her children in the Christian faith. Saint Monica teaches us how to preserve in prayer even when things seem lost. Augustine was a difficult child who grew up opposed to Christianity. But St Monica never wavered in her faith and prayers for his soul and before her death she saw him baptized. According to Pope Benedict XVI “Augustine himself was to say, his mother gave birth to him twice; the second time required a lengthy spiritual travail of prayers and tears, but it was crowned at last with the joy of seeing him not only embrace the faith and receive Baptism, but also dedicate himself without reserve to the service of Christ.”
Catholic Saints
