SAINT OF THE DAY · AUGUST 27

Who was Saint Monica?

Saintly Editorial 2 min read
In short

Saint Monica: A mother's tears carried hope to heaven. Lived circa 332 to 387. Born in Roman North Africa. Christian wife, mother, and widow. Patron of mothers and married women. Model of persistent Christian prayer. Saintly remembers this saint on August 27.

  • Lived circa 332 to 387
  • Born in Roman North Africa
  • Christian wife, mother, and widow
  • Patron of mothers and married women
  • Model of persistent Christian prayer

Who was Saint Monica?

Monica grew up in Tagaste, a town in Roman North Africa. Her family was Christian. As a young woman, she married Patricius, a pagan official with a violent temper. Their home held deep tensions. Monica answered them with patience, prayer, and care for the poor. Her quiet strength soon became known.

When Augustine became seriously ill as a boy, he asked for baptism, and Monica prepared to arrange it. He recovered, and the baptism was postponed. In his Confessions, Augustine later questioned that delay. Monica continued nurturing his faith as he grew, even when his studies and ambitions drew him away.

Augustine embraced Manichean teaching, a religion opposed to Christian faith. Monica was so distressed that she refused him a place at her table. That night she saw herself standing on a wooden beam while a radiant guide told her that Augustine was with her. When she told him, his clever answer could not defeat her hope.

Monica followed Augustine to Rome after he left Africa secretly. She arrived and learned that he had already gone to Milan. She followed again. There she met Ambrose, the bishop whose preaching reached Augustine. Monica also encouraged other Christian women and served those around her. Her long search was nearing its answer.

For years Monica watched Augustine resist conversion. A bishop finally told her, “The child of those tears shall never perish.” The promise did not end the waiting. Augustine still pursued ambition and pleasure. Monica remained near him in Milan. At last, after seventeen years of resistance, Augustine accepted Christian baptism.

After Augustine’s baptism, Monica and her family prepared to return to Africa. At Ostia, she and Augustine spoke beside a window overlooking the garden. They discussed eternal life and tasted a deep peace together. Monica then said that earthly life held little attraction for her. Her final journey had already begun.

Monica became ill at Ostia and died nine days after that quiet conversation. Augustine closed her eyes and struggled to contain his grief. Later he wept while remembering how she had wept for him. Her body rested at Ostia for centuries. In 1430, her relics were brought to Rome, where devotion to her spread widely.

What can we learn from Saint Monica today?

  • Write one troubled person’s name and entrust that person to God before every meal today.
  • Answer one family tension with Monica’s patience instead of an immediate angry reply.
  • Encourage another parent privately with Monica’s promise that faithful tears are never forgotten.

Saint Monica’s life unfolded through family strain, patient endurance, and years of unanswered prayer. She stayed faithful while Augustine wandered, followed him across the sea, and rejoiced at his baptism. Her witness still strengthens mothers, families, and all who entrust someone they love to God’s mercy.

When is the feast day of Saint Monica?

Saintly remembers Saint Monica on August 27, when the story above is the saint of the day in the app. Read how the Church declares someone a saint, or how to choose a patron saint.

Sources

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