Saint Monica's Motherly virtues converted her pagan husband & produced a saint.

Saint Monica's is patron saint of abuse victims, wives, alcoholics, and widows.The Catholic Church celebrates the feast of Saint Monica on Aug. 27. She is the mother of Doctor of the Church Saint Augustine of Hippo and is particularly known for her perseverance in prayer.

Saint Monica  was an early North African Christian born in what is now known as Algeria - saint and the mother of Augustine of Hippo. She is  honored for her outstanding Christian virtues, particularly the suffering caused by her husband's adultery,  cantankerous mother-in-law and her prayerful life dedicated to the reformation of her son, who wrote extensively of her pious acts and life with her in his Confessions. Legends recall Monica weeping every night for her son Augustine.

Although she was a Christian, her parents gave her in marriage to a pagan, Patricius, who lived in her hometown of Tagaste in North Africa. Patricius had a violent temper and was licentious. Monica also had to bear with a cantankerous mother-in-law who lived in her home. Patricius criticized his wife because of her charity and piety, but always respected her. Monica’s prayers and example finally won her husband and mother-in-law to Christianity. Her husband died in 371, one year after his baptism.

Monica had at least three children who survived infancy. The oldest, Augustine, is the most famous. At the time of his father’s death, Augustine was 17 and a rhetoric student in Carthage.  Monica was distressed to learn that her son was living an immoral life. For a while, she refused to let him eat or sleep in her house. Then one night she had a vision that assured her Augustine would return to the faith. From that time on, she stayed close to her son, 

praying and fasting for him. Saint Monica became a helicopter mom - she often stayed much closer than Augustine wanted: When he was 29, Augustine decided to go to Rome to teach rhetoric. Monica was determined to go along. One night he told his mother that he was going to the dock to say goodbye to a friend. Instead he set sail for Rome. Monica was heartbroken when she learned of Augustine’s trick, but she still followed him. She arrived in Rome only to find that he had left for Milan. Although travel was difficult, Monica pursued him to Milan


In Milan, Augustine came under the influence of the bishop, St. Ambrose, who also became Monica’s spiritual director. She accepted his advice in everything. Monica became a leader of the devout women in Milan as she had been in Tagaste.

In his book Confessions, Augustine wrote of a peculiar practice of his mother in which she "brought to certain oratories, erected in the memory of the saints, offerings of porridge, bread, water and wine." When she moved to Milan, the bishop Ambrose forbade her to use the offering of wine, since "it might be an occasion of gluttony for those who were already given to drink". So, Augustine wrote of her:

In place of a basket filled with fruits of the earth, she had learned to bring to the oratories of the martyrs a heart full of purer petitions, and to give all that she could to the poor – so that the communion of the Lord's body might be rightly celebrated in those places where, after the example of his passion, the martyrs had been sacrificed and crowned.

— Confessions 6.2.2

Monica and her son spent six peaceful months at Rus Cassiciacum, present-day Cassago Brianza after which Augustine was baptized by Ambrose in the church of St John the Baptist at Milan. Monica and Augustine left for Africa and they set out on their journey, stopping at Civitavecchia and at Ostia. Here Monica died, and Augustine's grief inspired his Confessions.


Although no one else was aware of it, Monica knew her life was near the end. She told Augustine, “Son, nothing in this world now affords me delight. I do not know what there is now left for me to do or why I am still here, all my hopes in this world being now fulfilled.” She became ill shortly after and suffered severely for nine days before her death.

In ChurchPop.com, Jacqueline Burkepile lists 5 Facts About the Great Saint Monica That Will Inspire You to Never Give Up Hope


1) Saint Monica’s example converted her husband and mother-in-law.


2) She prayed for Saint Augustine for 17 years before his conversion.


3) She felt discouraged but never gave up.


4) She knew her purpose in life.

5) Saint Monica is the patron saint of wives, mothers, conversions, alcoholics and abuse victims.

Prayer to Saint Monica

Through sorrow and pain, you constantly devoted yourself to God. Pray for me that I might join you in such a deep faith in God's goodness and mercy. Above all, dear Saint Monica, pray for me that I may, like your son, turn from my sin and become a great saint for the glory of God. Amen