St. Augustine: From Sinful Pagan to Doctor of the Church

St. Augustine of Hippo was born in the Roman province of Numidia, in northern Africa, in 354 A.D to a pagan father and a Christian mother, St. Monica. His early education was that of a young pagan gentleman, but he went on to become one of the most influential and genius Doctors of the Catholic Church.

St.  Augustine's  infamous life of impurity and practice of the heretical Manichaeism reveal the magnitude of his conversion to Christianity, mainly through the intercession of his mother, St. Monica.

See also A Patron Saint for Finding Patience: St. Monica

St. Augustine finally began to pull away from his pagan ways and was eventually baptized in 387 by St. Ambrose, Bishop of Milan, who became a great counselor and friend to his mother as she prayed for her son.

Saint Augustine went on to become the Bishop of Hippo (in modern day Algeria) and one of the greatest Catholic Christian writers and thinkers in the history of the Church.  His most well- known works are his Confessions and The City of God.

His feast is celebrated in the Church on August 28th, the day after that of his holy mother, St. Monica. It is entirely fitting that their feasts are side-by-side on the liturgical calendar, given that Monica won her son's deep conversion to Christ through her many years of patient and persistent prayer.

St. Augustine is a perfect example of how God works miracles in our lives, often through the intercession of other people. Once Augustine cried out to God, "Too late have I loved you!" in sorrow over the many years he lived a dissolute life while putting off the call of God.

It is never too late to commit ourselves to conversion and service to our Lord! St. Augustine, pray for us.

This article has been updated and was originally published in August 2010. © The Catholic Company