Dear Fathers, Friends in Christ,
Widow; born of Christian parents at Tagaste, North Africa, in 333; died at Ostia, near Rome, in 387.
We are told but little of her childhood. She was married early in life to Patritius who held an official position in Tagaste. He was a pagan, though like so many at that period, his religion was no more than a name; his temper was violent and he appears to have been of dissolute habits. Consequently Monica's married life was far from being a happy one, more especially as Patritius's mother seems to have been of a like disposition with himself. There was of course a gulf between husband and wife; her almsdeeds and her habits of prayer annoyed him, but it is said that he always held her in a sort of reverence. Monica was not the only matron of Tagaste whose married life was unhappy, but, by her sweetness and patience, she was able to exercise a veritable apostolate amongst the wives and mothers of her native town; they knew that she suffered as they did, and her words and example had a proportionate effect.
(This information was sourced from the Catholic Encylopedia New Advent )
One of her sons was Church Father Saint Augustine and if you take time to read about her , you will realize that she had a very difficult time with him before he finally became Bishop.
A friend of mine in Dallas Texas, her name is Vicky was a member of Saint Stephen's Anglican Catholic Church in Athens TX ( a former TAC Parish ) and a close
friend of mine. She was a sister in then existing order of Saint Augustine and called herself Sister Monica . The superior of the order was the late Father Vincent who ran a Monastry in Novia Scotia , also a good friend of mine. Well my friend Sister Monica lived up to the reputation of the late Saint when it came to an apostolate amongst wives and mothers and perhaps all the congregation of Saint Stephens. She was one of those rare people, who made things happen inspite of her own health and other issues.She became very ill and is in a hospice in Dallas now , I still talk to her husband John. She is still alive, but the quality of life is not much. Yet there is one thing that she is sure of and that is the fact that Jesus is her redeemer and that in spite of the suffering He loves her and He will prepare a place for her, when that time comes.
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| Saint Stephens Athens TX |
I have missed her company on the internet , it is not likely that I will be able to travel to Dallas from Australia, but Sister Monica we will definately see each other again on that other shore.
May God be with you and John.
Father Ed Bakker
Anglican Catholic Church / Original Province
Mission of Saint Aidan of Lindisfarne
Bendigo Australia
