St. Augustine

Feast Day August 28th

Patron of brewers

Saint Augustine, also called Saint Augustine of Hippo, is one of the Latin Fathers of the Church, one of the Doctors of the Church, and perhaps the most significant Christian thinker after St. Paul. Augustine’s adaptation of classical thought to Christian teaching created a theological system of great and lasting influence. His has numerous written works, the most important of which are Confessions.

Augustine was the son of a pagan father who converted on his death bed, and of Saint Monica, a devout Christian. Raised a Christian, he lost his faith in youth and led a wild life. He taught rhetoric at Carthage and Milan, Italy, and after investigating several philosophies, he became a Manichaean for several years; it taught of a great struggle between good and evil, and featured a lax moral code. A summation of his thinking at the time comes from his Confessions: “God, give me chastity and continence – but not just now.”

Augustine finally broke with the Manichaeans and was converted by the prayers of his mother and the help of Saint Ambrose of Milan, who baptized him. On the death of his mother he returned to Africa, sold his property, gave the proceeds to the poor, and founded a monastery. Throughout his life, he became a Monk, Priest, Preacher, and the Bishop of Hippo in 396. St. Augustine founded religious communities and fought Manichaeism along with other heresies. During his lifetime, he oversaw his church and Hippo during the fall of the Roman Empire to the Vandals. His later thinking can also be summed up in a line from his writings: “Our hearts were made for You, O Lord, and they are restless until they rest in you.”

Sources:

_{http://catholicsaints.info/saint-augustine-of-hippo/
https://www.ewtn.com/library/MARY/CEAUGLIF.HTM
http://www.catholic.org/prayers/prayer.php?p=81
http://www.catholic.org/prayers/prayer.php?p=1169
http://catholicism.about.com/od/prayers/qt/Prayer-To-Saint-Augustine-Of-Hippo.htm}