Monica

In the Christian tradition

Saint Monica is the fourth-century mother of Augustine of Hippo, the figure whose prayers across decades (recorded by Augustine himself in The Confessions) brought her son from a wayward life to the Christian faith. She is the patron saint of mothers, particularly of those praying for the return of a wayward child. The Catholic and Anglican calendars commemorate her on August 27, the day before Augustine's own feast.

Monica's figure is unusual in the Catholic calendar in that her sanctity is primarily known through the writings of her son Augustine. The Confessions, particularly Books 3 and 9, gives a deeply personal portrait of Monica's prayers across years for her son's conversion, of her marriage to a difficult husband, and of her death in Ostia shortly after Augustine's baptism. Augustine's account of his last conversation with her at Ostia is one of the great spiritual passages of Christian literature. The Catholic and Anglican calendars commemorate Monica on August 27, immediately before Augustine on August 28; the placement is deliberate. The name has come back into significant modern Christian use, particularly in Catholic families.