Saint Augustine

Feast Day: August 28

  • Aurelius Augustinus was born in 354 in Tagaste, Numidia, in North Africa.
  • His father Patricius was a pagan, and his mother Monica was a devout Christian. When he was a young boy, his mother enrolled him as a catechumen. However, in accordance with the prevalent norm, his baptism was postponed until a later date.
  • Young Augustine had a charming demeanor and a very inquisitive mind. However, Augustine lived in wickedness and erroneous beliefs for a significant portion of his life.
  • Ambrose, the Bishop of Milan, and Monica's prayers helped Augustine eventually conclude that Christianity was the only true faith. He did not, however, formally accept Christ at that time because he believed he could not maintain the standard of chastity.
  • One day, he overheard a child’s voice saying, "Tolle, lege. Tolle, lege," ("Take up and read! Take up and read!") Thinking it was God’s will, Augustine picked up the book of the Letters of St. Paul and read the first passage that caught his eye: the exhortation of St. Paul to put away all impurity and live in imitation of Jesus. From that moment on, Augustine began to live a new life.
  • Ambrose baptized Augustine when he was 33 years old. In making the final choice to convert to Catholicism, he also decided to live in celibacy as a servant of God, causing him to put away the woman he had loved and had a son out of wedlock with.
  • After his baptism, Augustine went back to his birthplace where he lived a monastic lifestyle alongside other men who had also undergone a profound conversion.
  • Three years later, while on a trip to Hippo, Augustine was called to become a priest. Even though this went against his wishes, he accepted what he saw to be God's intention for him.
  • A few years later, he succeeded Valerius as the Bishop of Hippo. He drafted his Rule for the continuous guidance of his monastic community in Tagaste when he was a bishop. After serving for many years, Augustine became ill in 430. As the city of Hippo was invaded by the Vandals on August 28, Augustine died.
  • Augustine of Hippo was canonized in 1303 by Pope Boniface VIII, and is the patron saint of brewers, printers, and theologians.

St. Augustine, Pray for Us!