Do you have family members, especially a child or children who have fallen away from the church? If so, St Monica is the Saint to go to. Her Feast Day is August 27^th.
    She is also known as Monica of Hippo and lived in the fourth century. Monica is a perfect model of patience. She prayed incessantly for many years for the conversion of her ill-tempered husband, her difficult mother-in-law, and her gifted son, Augustine, who, in the end, all found their way to the church.
     The beginning of her live was difficult and had the potential to make her bitter. However, she never wavered and continued to live her faith and pray. Her parents gave her in marriage to Patricius, a pagan who was also violent and ill-tempered. They lived in a little town in North Africa. Her mother-in-law made her life challenging, nevertheless, through Monica’s constant prayers and pious example, both converted to Christianity. The oldest of Monica’s children was Augustine whose life was immoral and heretic. Over many years, Monica had to watch her son’s mental and moral struggles. After a vision that he will turn to faith, Monica continued in prayer and fasting for his return. Augustine went to Rome to teach. Since Monica had stayed almost too close to him throughout the years, he secretly left earlier than planned and continued from Rome to Milan, all the while Monica followed him. The bishop of Milan, and later Saint, Ambrose, started to influence Augustine, and also became Monica’s spiritual director. After 17 years of Monica’s incessant prayers for his conversion, Augustine was baptized in the church of St John the Baptist in Milan.
     St Augustine’s writings, especially his “Confessions” provide most of the information we have about St Monica. Augustine wrote down her words when she was close to death "Son, nothing in this world now affords me delight. I do not know what there is now left for me to do or why I am still here, all my hopes in this world being now fulfilled."
   St Monica is the patron Saint of conversion, alcoholics, married women, and mothers.

From the Spiritual Life Committee (Sybille Neuber)