*** *** ***

— St. Monica, mother of St. Augustine, is a model of hope for anyone with a family member that has strayed from the faith. In the many tribulations throughout her life, she never gave up hope and faith in God’s mercy. When her son fell away from the faith and gave into immoral living, her prayers for him never waned. Through the prayers of Monica and the influence of Ambrose in Milan, Augustine would find his way back to Jesus Christ.
— St. Augustine wrote of his beloved mother in his Confessions: “now gone from my sight, who for years had wept over me, that I might live in your [God’s] sight.”