Feast day: 27 August
Saint Monica
Sancta Monica
The persevering mother whose seventeen years of prayer obtained the conversion of her son Augustine.
- Born
- c. 331, Thagaste, Roman North Africa
- Died
- 387, Ostia, near Rome
- Canonization
- Venerated by ancient tradition; her cult was formally promoted when her relics were translated to Rome in 1430.
- Country
- Roman North Africa (Algeria)
Biography
Marriage and family
Born to a Christian family in Thagaste, Monica was married to Patricius, a pagan official of difficult temper. She bore three children: Augustine, Navigius and Perpetua. By patience rather than argument she brought her husband to baptism shortly before his death.
Years of prayer
Augustine's Manicheism and irregular life caused her deep grief. She followed him to Rome and Milan, prayed daily and wept for him. A bishop she consulted told her, according to the Confessions, that 'it is not possible that the son of these tears should perish'.
Ostia and death
After Augustine's baptism in 387 they set out for Africa. At Ostia mother and son shared the famous conversation on eternal life recorded in Confessions IX. Monica fell ill and died there, telling her sons to bury her wherever they were and only to remember her at the altar of the Lord.
Timeline
- ~c. 331 — Born at Thagaste
- c. 354 — Birth of her son Augustine
- c. 371 — Death of her husband Patricius, baptized shortly before
- 385 — Follows Augustine to Italy
- 387 — Sees Augustine baptized; dies at Ostia
Dates marked ~ are traditional or debated among historians.
Symbols
Tears — Her long weeping in prayer for her son.
Black leather belt (cincture) — Worn by the Augustinian family in her honour.
Virtues & spiritual lessons
Perseverance in prayer, patience in a hard marriage, meekness and hope. She teaches that intercession for family members is never wasted.
Importance in the Church
Without Monica there would be no Augustine as the Church knows him. She is the model of Christian motherhood and of quiet, persistent evangelization within the family.
Quotes
“Nothing is far from God.”
Her words at Ostia, quoted in Augustine's Confessions IX, 11
Prayers
Prayer to Saint Monica for a wayward child
Exemplary mother of the great Augustine, you perseveringly pursued your wayward son not with wild threats but with prayerful cries to heaven. Intercede for all mothers in our day, that they may learn to draw their children to God. Teach them how to remain close to their children, even the prodigal sons and daughters who have sadly gone astray. Amen.
Traditional devotional prayer used in Augustinian parishes.
Places
Ostia Antica, Italy — Where she died in 387; her original burial place.
Basilica of Sant'Agostino, Rome — Her relics were translated here in 1430.
Related saints
Entries are drawn from the Roman Martyrology, the General Roman Calendar, canonization records of the Holy See, and the saints' own writings. Where a date, quotation or attribution is uncertain, it is marked as such. (63 saints)