St Augustine (354 – 430) was born in Thagaste, Algeria. His father was a pagan who prevented his wife, St Monica, from raising him as a devout Christian. St Augustine described his youth as misspent, initially living a “hedonistic lifestyle” and fathering a child with a lover.
At around 32, St Augustine converted to Christianity and was baptized along with his son.
Following his son’s death, St Augustine liquidated his wealth and gave it to the poor but retained his home which he converted to a monastery.
Aged 37, St Augustine was ordained a Priest, became an expert preacher and a few years later, he was appointed Bishop of Hippo. Thereafter, he led a monastic life and worked tirelessly to convert the people of Hippo to Christianity.
St Augustine was one of the first visionary Christian authors, believing that the Grace of Christ was indispensable to human freedom and, with the early disintegration of the Roman Empire, he proposed the concept of the Catholic Church as a Spiritual City of God.
St Augustine’s Feast Day is the 28th August. He is a Doctor of the Church.
St Augustine of Hippo:
Pray for us that we will never give up on life, always seeing the good that’s possible from within our life’s trials.
Glory be…
