In the fourth century, a young man named Augustine turned his back on the Church, plunging into a frenzied life of lust and dissipation. His renunciation left Monica, his pious Catholic mother, weeping and praying for his salvation . . . for more than a decade! Like so many Catholics today – even perhaps like you – Monica wrestled daily with the pain of having a loved one fall away from the Faith. Like us, she often feared that her prayers and tears were of little worth, empty, futile. Not so! After nearly two decades, Augustine returned to the Faith, and in a big way. Revered today as Saint Augustine, he joined in holiness his mother, Monica – now Saint Monica – whose sacrifices, prayers, and pain finally won for both of them the crown of sanctity. In these pages, author Maggie Green provides wise, compassionate guidance for members of what she calls “The Saint Monica Club”: good Catholics suffering like Monica the rejection of the Faith by persons they love dearly. Herself a longtime and long-suffering member of the club, Green shows how persevering as Monica did in devoted love for straying souls – loving them as God does – will not only quiet the lingering, aching cry of our hearts, but will also draw our lost loved ones back to the Faith and into the arms of Jesus again. Yes, the nonconfrontational Way of Saint Monica is hard. But it is the only way. These pages demonstrate that, with the souls of our loved ones at stake, it is worth the effort . . . and worth the wait.

Many of us give up on prayer when we don't get the answer we want WHEN we want it. For nearly two decades, Saint Monica prayed for her wayward son. Years and years of prayers, seemingly unanswered. Countless tears shed with no relief. Yet she would not give up. That very act of persistent prayer blessed the entire Church, for we have all benefitted from the conversion of her son, Augustine, who became one of the most revered saints of all time. Parents of any age or at any stage can cultivate the same virtues in prayer that Saint Monica discovered during her long wait for God's answer for her child. This devotion includes 18 contemporary reflections, meditations taken from the writings of Saint Augustine, and prayers adapted from the liturgy and other ancient sources. Don't give up. Persistence in prayer can change everything-for you, your children, and maybe even the world.

Reproduction of the original: The Life of Saint Monica by Frances Alice Forbes

Using extensive excerpts from the writings of St. Augustine, notable from his Confessions, Giovanni Falbo sheds new light on St. Monicas patience, sweetness, and unwavering determination. This mother never yielded in her efforts to see her beloved son find comfort and peace in God, and she endured countless sacrifices and health risks in her quest to help Augustine embrace the faith. Monicas quiet wisdom and courage, coupled with her earnest tears and prayers to God, bore fruit she could only have dreamed of.

Intro -- Contents -- Introduction. "Building Men, Not Just Fighters"--1. Minority within a Minority: African Americans Encounter Catholicism in the Urban North -- 2. "We Had Standing": Black and Catholic in Bronzeville -- 3. For God and Country: Bishop Sheil and the CYO -- 4. African American Participation in the CYO -- 5. The Fight Outside the Ring: Antiracism in the CYO -- 6. "Ahead of His Time": The Legacy of Bishop Sheil and the Unfulfilled Promise of Catholic Interracialism -- Acknowledgments -- Notes -- Bibliography -- Index