Ten Things You Should Know About St. Monica



August 27 is the feast of St. Monica, one of my favorite saints. Here are ten facts about her that you should know.

  1. Monica was born in 332 to Christian parents in Tagaste, northern Africa and her Christian parents arranged for her to be married at the age 13 or 14 to an older man named Patricius, a pagan, who lived nearby.

  2.  Patricius had little to offer Monica. He was neither wealthy nor Christian. He had a bad temper and was both irritable and unfaithful.

  3. Monica did not imitate her husband, but she remained faithful to him and never uttered a bad word about him. In fact, she advised her friends: "Guard your tongue when your husband is angry." She was remained at peace, despite her husband's bad temper, due to her amazing self-control.

  4. Monica's mother-in-law lived in the house with the couple. She disliked Monica intensely to the point where she would gossip with the servants about her behind her back. She also criticized Monica constantly. Nevertheless, Monica remained kind and charitable to her and eventually won her over.

  5. Monica sought refuge from all this by developing an intimate prayer life with Jesus. She also invested her time in raising her three children: Augustine, Navigius, and Perpetua.

  6. Through her prayers and good example, both Monica's mother-in-law and her husband, Patricius converted to Christianity.

  7. Augustine, Monica's brilliant young son, was a rhetoric student at Carthage and cared only about his academic career, wine, and women. He took a mistress, whom he lived with for 15 years, and fathered a son out of wedlock. In addition, he was not a Christian, but professed beliefs in the Manichean heresy (all flesh is evil).

  8. At age 29, Augustine was assigned to a teaching position in Italy and Monica followed him there. Here, she found St. Ambrose, who became her spiritual director, and later the Bishop who catechized and baptized St. Augustine, bringing him into the Church after 17 years of resistance. Monica had prayed and fasted for Augustine's conversion for nearly 20 years (She also prayed and fasted during the time of his instruction.)

  9. Monica died at Ostia, near Rome, on her way back to Africa in 387. Although Monica was buried in Ostia, Archbishop of Rouen, Cardinal d'Estouteville, built a church at Rome in honor of St. Augustine, the Basilica of St. Augustine in 1483, and deposited the relics of St. Monica in a chapel to the left of the high altar.  

  10. St. Monica is the patron saint of: abuse victims, alcoholics, alcoholism, Bevilacqua, Italy, difficult marriages, disappointing children, homemakers, housewives, Mabini, Bohol, Philippines, married women, mothers, victims of adultery, victims of unfaithfulness, victims of verbal abuse, widows, and wives.

-

Comments

Post a Comment

Comments are moderated and are published at the blogger's discretion.

Blog Archive

Show more

Popular posts from this blog

The Spirituality and Miracles of St. Clare of Assisi

Image
August 11 is the memorial of St. Clare, one of my favorite saints. She was the first woman to follow the life of radical poverty practiced by St. Francis of Assisi and is the co-founder of the Poor Clares. Although I am not a Franciscan, I have had Franciscan friends, clergy, and spiritual directors instruct me on the beauty of St. Clare's spirituality. I have also learned a great deal from reading about her over the years. Clare and Francis (2007) is a film which depicts the fascinating story of her dramatic conversion and surrender to the will of God. St. Clare is the patron saint of television. She is also the patron of eye disorders, embroiderers, good weather, and telephones. The Contemplative Life The Lady Clare was born into a noble family in Assisi in 1193 and was admired for her great beauty. When she heard Francis of Assisi preach his Lenten homilies at the Church of San Giorgio, she was captivated by his words. At age eighteen, she heard him say: "When the
Read more

Saint Michael de Sanctis: Patron of Cancer Patients

Image
Today is the feast of Saint Michael de Sanctis, also known as St. Michael of the Saints, a Spanish Discalced Trinitarian priest, the patron of cancer patients. Michael Argemir was born on September 29, 1591 at Vic, Catalonia, Spain. At age 6, he told his parents that he planned to become a monk and began modeling his life after Saint Francis of Assisi. Michael’s parents died when he was about ten years old. He then served as an apprentice with a local merchant. During this apprenticeship, he continued his fervent devotion to the Lord, especially to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. At the age of 12, he joined the Trinitarian Friars at Barcelona, taking his vows at St. Lambert’s monastery in Saragosa four years later.  Shortly afterwards, Michael expressed a desire to join the reformed group of Trinitarians and was given permission to do so. He went to the Novitiate at Madrid and, after studies at Seville and Salamanca, he was ordained a priest. Twice he served as Superior of the hou
Read more

Saint Gerard of Brogne: Patron of Abbots

Image
St. Gerard was born to a noble family in Staves, Belgium, in 895. He descended from a royal line of military men and at first felt a share in this call to arms. He trained for the army and, as a page of the count of Namur, he was sent on a special mission to the French court. There, Gerard realized that he was being called to the monastic life. He stayed in France and joined the Benedictines of St. Denis, abandoning his noble birthright and all his worldly possessions. He spent eleven years in France as a monk before becoming a priest. Following his ordination, he left for Belgium in order to found a new abbey on his own estate of Brogne. He was its abbot for twenty-two years and during that period was instrumental in introducing St. Benedict's Rule into numerous houses in Flanders, Lorraine and Champagne.He became known for his engaging sweetness of temper, his strict observance of the Rule of St. Benedict and for the replacement of lukewarm religious practice with true piety.
Read more