to God's Holy Men and WomenPrayers to
St. Monica
Patroness
of Wives and Abuse Victims
to God's Holy Men and Women
Exemplary Mother
of the great Augustine, you perseveringly pursued your wayward
son not with wild threats but with prayerful cries to heaven.
Intercede for all mothers in our day so that they may learn to
draw their children to God. Teach them how to remain close to
their children, even the prodigal sons and daughters who have
sadly gone astray. Amen.
O glorious St.
Monica, greatly challenged among mothers, I feel particularly
attracted by you who gave such an enlightened example of motherly
love.
Who could understand better than you the anxieties and fears of a
mother worrying about the eternal salvation of her
children? You endured all, since in the order of nature,
St. Augustine is the fruit of your womb, and in the order of
grace, the fruit of your tears. For this reason I am
greatly convinced that if you here on earth, with the sanctity of
your life and the perserverance of your prayers, were one of the
great models of the Christian mother, you must enjoy in heaven
the privilage of being their singular protector.
Obtain for me the grace to faithfully imitate your virtues, and
furthermore, may my children avoid those errors and failures you
disapproved of so strongly in your son. And if it will
happen, to my misfortune, that they too fall, grant me the grace
to obtain with my prayers, supported by yours, as perfect a
conversion as you were able to obtain for your son. Amen.
To St. Monica, Patroness of Mothers
Blessed Monica, mother of St. Augustine, we give thanks to our Father in heaven Who looked with mercy upon your tears over your wayward son. His conversion and heroic sanctification were the fruit of your prayers. Dear St. Monica, we now ask you to pray with us for all those sons and daughters that have wandered away from God, and to add your prayers to those of all mothers who are worried over their children. Pray also for us that, following your example, we may, in the company of our children, one day enjoy the eternal vision of our Father in heaven. Amen.
~~ from "Prayers for Today," published by Leaflet Missal Co.
O Lord, Who taught Monica to persevere for the good of her family, help me to be a better parent to my children. Help me to have patience with them when they misbehave and give me the strength to guide them gently to the right path. Permit me always to forgive their misdeeds and keep me from speaking harshly or punishing unwisely. Please help me to be a beacon of goodness for them as they grow to adulthood and to be a good example to them in all that I say and do. Amen.
feast day: August 27
Read St. Monica's biography
in the Catholic Online Saints Index.
See also prayers to St. Gerard and other prayers for mothers.
Recommend this website to a friend!
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01/24/2006
