August 28 + Saint Augustine

On August 27, we celebrate the feast of St. Monica and on August 28 we celebrate the feast of her famous son Augustine. One of the greatest conversions in Church history is that of Augustine. He is a legendary example of God's mercy and proof that no person is beyond the saving grace of God.

Augustine was born in the year 354 AD in present day Algeria and spent many years of his life as a grave sinner and believing in a false religion. He had a long-term affair and fathered a child outside of wedlock but did not marry. Though he was one of the most intelligent men who ever lived and though he had been brought up as a Christian, his sins of impurity and his pride darkened his mind so much, that he could not see or understand the Divine Truth. Through the tears and prayers of his holy mother and the marvelous preaching of St. Ambrose, Augustine was finally convinced to turn his life and heart to Christ and the One True Faith.

He was baptized at the age of 33 and went on to become a priest, a bishop, a theologian, a famous Catholic writer and a Doctor of the Church. On the wall of his room he had the following sentence written in large letters: "Here we do not speak evil of anyone."

Augustine overcame strong heresies, practiced great poverty and supported the poor, preached often and prayed with great fervor right up until his death on August 28, 430 AD (age 75 years). "Too late have I loved You!" he once cried to God, but with his holy life he made up for the sins he committed before his conversion.