Who was Saint Augustine?
Augustine was born in Thagaste, in North Africa, in 354. His mother, Monica, loved Jesus and taught him to pray, but as he grew up Augustine went his own way. He was very clever and became a famous teacher, yet he never felt truly happy inside.
Monica never stopped praying for her son. A bishop once told her that a son of so many tears could not be lost. She even followed Augustine across the sea to Italy. In Milan he went to hear the bishop, Saint Ambrose, and little by little his heart began to change.
One day, sitting in a garden, Augustine heard a child’s voice singing, “Take and read.” He opened the Bible, read a few lines and decided to follow Jesus. Saint Ambrose baptized him at Easter in 387. Augustine became the bishop of Hippo and wrote that our hearts are restless until they rest in God.
When is Saint Augustine’s feast day?
Saint Augustine’s feast day is August 28. It’s the day he died, in 430. His mother, Saint Monica, is remembered the day before, August 27.
Clara tells the whole story at bedtime, in the Little Prayer Stories app.Get the app →
