By Trevor MacLean and Asia Giannubilo

1
Saint Monica

• By Trevor MacLean and Asia
  Giannubilo

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Opening Prayer

• Blessed Mary, Mother of Consolation, pray with me
  for the virtue of patience. There are so many
  times when my lack of patience keeps me from
  becoming the kind of person God wants me to be.
• Guide my thoughts to you and the example we have
  in your own life. Help me to become patient, as
  you were patient. Through your guidance, may I
  become more accepting of others around me. Assist
  me to welcome difficult times with a patient
  heart.
• May I be patient, Mary, as was your beloved
  husband, Joseph. His quiet acceptance of the will
  of Our Loving Father should be an example for me
  always. His patience was most wonderful in the
  eyes of God.
• Pray for me, dear Mother of God, that I will
  allow the Father to come into my heart and help
  me grow in patience.
• Amen.

3

• Saint Monica was born in 332 In Tagaste.
• She was raised a Catholic by her parents, and
  later married a pagan man named Patricius.
• Patricius was known for his adultery and his
  violent temper, but according to Saint Augustine,
  her son, he never beat her because of her loyal
  obediance.
• She went to church daily to pray for patience
  from the troubles her mother in law put her
  through
• She would say to other women who had bad
  marriages, "If you can master your tongue, not
  only do you run less risk of being beaten, but
  perhaps you may even, one day, make your husband
  better."

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• Monica had three children, one of them was Saint
  Augustine.
• Augustine made her very happy with his successes
  as a scholar and teacher, but he also made her
  very ashamed with his debauchery.
• St. Monica sent Augustine to a bishop to be shown
  his errors. The bishop, however, was unable to
  make him change, and he advised St. Monica simply
  to continue to pray for her son.
• At the age of 28, Augustine received grace,
  according to his Confessions, and came to
  orthodox Christianity.
• St. Monica's feast is August 27th. She is the
  patron saint of patience, wives, mothers, and
  abuse victims.

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Closing Prayer

• God of endless love, ever caring, ever
  strong,always present, always justYou gave
  your only Son to save us by the blood of his
  cross.
• Gentle Jesus, shepherd of peace, join to your own
  sufferingthe pain of all who have been hurting
  body, mind, and spiritby those who betrayed the
  trust placed in them.
• Hear our cries as we agonize over the harm done
  to our brothers and sisters.Breathe wisdom into
  our prayers, soothe restless hearts with
  hope,steady shaken spirits with faithShow us
  the way to justice and wholeness, enlightened by
  truth and enfolded in your mercy
• Holy Spirit, comforter of hearts,
• heal your people's wounds and transform
  our brokenness.Grant us courage and wisdom,
  humility and grace so that we may act with
  justice and find peace in you.
• We ask this through Christ, our Lord.Amen.

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Bibliography

• http//www.midwestaugustinians.org/geninfoethminpr
  ayer.html
• http//www.olcshrine.com/prayer_patience.html
• http//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monica_of_Hippo