Saint Augustine

Personal Details 
• Feast Day: 28 August 
  Bishop, Doctor of the Church 
• Born: 13 November 354 
• Died: 28 August 430 

Augustine is a bishop of the Catholic Church and Doctor of the Church. Doctor of the Church is a title given to an individual of important contribution to theology and doctrine. He is also canonized as a Saint. 

Augustine was born in 354 in Thagaste of North Africa. His father passed away when he was 17. During boyhood, Augustine was very naughty and did not love studying. Nevertheless, he was intelligent and devoted to studying on subjects of interest to him. When he was a youth, he led a life of loose living which included parties and worldly ambitions. His mother Monica was a devoted Catholic, she was praying tirelessly to God that her son could put away all impurity and began a new life. At the age of 29, Augustine went to Italy and Monica was determined to go along so that he would not go astray. While Augustine was teaching in Milan, he met St. Ambrose, the Bishop of Milan, who was a man of great virtue. Augustine often attended his sermons and was finally baptized in 387. 

Augustine reformed his past immoral life. He spent three years of solitary life in the desert in Africa. He was made Coadjutor Bishop of Hippo and obtained the Bishop’s special permission to start his preaching life. He became a famous preacher and about 400 sermons were preserved today. Augustine later became the Bishop of Hippo. In his 35 years of service, he took every opportunity to defend the truth of Christianity against its detractors. 

St Augustine has many writings, his best known work is “Confessions” which is a personal account of his earlier life. 

Little Quiz
• How did St. Augustine spend his life when he was a youth? 
• Who were the two persons who helped St. Augustine to repent and transform? 
• What do I learn from the life of St. Augustine? 
• How can I follow his example in my everyday life?