Saint Monica, often known as Monica of Hippo, is St. Augustine of Hippo's mother. In the year 332, she was born into a Catholic household in Tagaste, a city in modern-day Algeria that was in North Africa. She was brought up by a maidservant who instilled in her the values of obedience and discipline.

She was given in marriage when she was quite young to a pagan Roman named Patricius, who had a strong temper like his mother. Patricius' mother resided with the couple, and the mother-son's rage tantrums presented Monica with a daily challenge. Patricius reportedly found Monica's prayers and Christian activities bothersome, but he is supposed to have respected her religious views.

Augustine, Navigius, and Perpetua were Monica and Patricius' three children. Sadly, Monica was unable to baptize her children, so when Augustine became unwell, Monica begged Patricius to permit the baptism of their son. Patricius agreed, but when Augustine recovered from his illness, he revoked his consent. Monica prayed for her husband and mother-in-law for years before she eventually converted them one year before Patricius' passing.

Perpetua and Navigius eventually joined the holy life as time went on, but sadly Augustine grew sluggish and impolite. When he had a child out of wedlock in 372, it caused her more distress. She therefore sent Augustine to Carthage for education after Patricius passed away.

Augustine started following the occult religion of Manichaeism while he was at Carthage. This was a religion that believed that there were two types of worlds: light and darkness. When a person dies, they are expelled from the realm of matter and brought back to the world of light, which is where life originates.

Following his studies and return to his family, Augustine spoke with Monica about his ideas. Monica initially avoided her oldest son out of pain and grief. She did, however, have a strange dream in which she received the reassuring message, "Your son is with you," which increased her faith in Augustine's soul. She let him back into her house after this incident while continuing to pray to God for his conversion.

Monica sought the counsel of the local clergy in the meanwhile, wondering what they might be able to do to sway her son away from the Manichean heresy. Monica received assurance from a bishop who had once belonged to that group that it was "impossible that the son of such tears should perish."

These tears and prayers were heightened when Augustine, at the age of 29, abruptly abandoned Monica while she spent the night praying in a chapel. Without bidding farewell to his mother, Augustine took a ship heading for Rome.

Motivated, Monica accompanied Augustine to Rome where she discovered he had gone to Milan. As she persisted, she eventually met St. Ambrose, who assisted her in winning Augustine around to Christianity after his 17-year opposition. Six months later, in 387, Augustine and a select group of his friends were baptized in Milan's St. John the Baptist Church. After that, his group departed towards Africa.

Monica knew her life was coming to an end, even though no one else knew. She told Augustine, “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.”

Soon after, she was unwell and struggled mightily for nine days before passing away at the age of 56. She was buried in Ostia, and her remains were moved in the sixth century to a hidden crypt in the Santa Aurea church there.

Her relics were sent to Rome by Pope Martin V in 1430, and numerous miracles are said to have taken place en route. Later, Cardinal d'Estouteville erected the Basilica di Sant'Agostino in St. Augustine's honor, housing her relics in a chapel to the left of the main altar.

The Catholic Church celebrates St. Monica's feast day on August 27, which is the day before her son St. Augustine's. She is revered as the patron saint of mothers, wives, abuse victims, and alcoholics.

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