Like Saintly Mother, Saintly Son: Saint Augustine

Like Saintly Mother, Saintly Son: Saint Augustine of Hippo. Saint Augustine is the patron saint of brewers, printers, theologians, and a number of cities and dioceses.

The Catholic Church celebrated the feast of Saint Monica on Aug. 27. According to legend, Saint Monica prayed for 17 years that her son would convert. Her prayers were answered. It is fitting that today we celebrate the conversion of Saint Augustine of Hippo, Doctor of the Church.Saint Augustine is a towering figure in the history of the Church and Western Civilization. He had a powerful and forceful personality which he used both before and after his conversion. He had a passion for whatever he did, and this showed up in his theological teachings.

Late have I loved you, beauty so old and so new: late have I loved you. And see, you were within and I was in the external world and sought you there, and in my unlovely state I plunged into those lovely created things which you made. You were with me, and I was not with you. The lovely things kept me far from you, though if they did not have their existence in you, they had no existence at all. You called and cried out loud and shattered my deafness. You were radiant and resplendent, you put to flight my blindness. You were fragrant, and I drew in my breath and now pant after you. I tasted you, and I feel but hunger and thirst for you. You touched me, and I am set on fire to attain the peace which is yours.

St. Augustine of Hippo, Confessions

Saint Augustine is not only one of the most important players in the history of the Church, but he is a pivotal figure in the development of Western civilization.. he is the most significant bridge between the culture of ancient Rome and the Christian culture that would come to full flower in the Middle Ages, according to Bishop Barron.

A master of the Latin language, he ranks with Cicero, Virgil and Ovid and as a theologian and philosopher, he has practically no rivals, wuthering the possible exception of Thomas Aquinas. According to Bishop Barron, any one of his single accomplishments would be sufficient to secure a lasting reputation. The combination of them in one man is nothing less than astonishing.






Augustine of Hippo also known as Saint Augustine, was a theologian and philosopher of Berber origin and the bishop of Hippo Regius in Numidia, Roman North Africa. His writings influenced the development of Western philosophy and Western Christianity, and he is viewed as one of the most important Church Fathers of the Latin Church in the Patristic Period. His many important works include The City of God, On Christian Doctrine, and Confessions.

Prayer to Saint Augustine

Glorious Saint Augustine, I boldly ask for your intercession confident in your boundless wisdom and compassion. May this devotion lead me to a life dedicated to fulfilling the will of God that I may one day be deemed worthy of sharing His Kingdom with you and all the saints for all eternity.