St. Augustine of Hippo

Born: November 13, 354 A.D.

Died: August 28, 430 A.D.

Feast Day: August 28

Canonization Date: Pre-Congregation

Patron of: Brewers, Printers, Theologians, and Sore Eyes

Quote: "You have made us for yourself, O Lord, and our hearts are restless until they rest in You"

Bio: Born in Northern Africa, Augustine was a very intelligent yet very sinful man. Augustine was very lustful, struggled with his pride, and he famously stole from a pear tree, not out of necessity, just for the thrill of it. His mother, St. Monica, prayed for his conversion daily and it came. He went to Milan, Italy one day to teach rhetoric and there, a child handed him a Bible and said "Take and read." Augustine then opened the Bible to Romans 13: 13-14 and he felt convicted and converted to Christianity. Augustine was known for his 4 core teachings: we need God's grace to reach salvation, we all inherit Original Sin and need God to heal this, all humans have free will but sin weakens our ability to choose God, and he explained how the Trinity works using analogies such as memories, understanding, and will. Augustine became the Bishop of Hippo and had to fight many heresies such as Donatism which he was one of the main opposers of. In 430, he passed away from an acute fever when he was 75 years old. He was one of the most influential people in Catholic history and was even named a Doctor of the Church in 1298 by Pope Boniface VIII.

St. Augustine of Hippo, Pray for Us!