St. Monica Novena

Act of contrition

O God, most worthy of all love! O God, most worthy of every imaginable praise! If only I had countless tongues and countless songs with which to praise you! If only I had countless hearts, each filled with countless loves, to love you without limit, as far as a creature can!

O ineffable and supreme Good of my soul, you witness the tender affection with which I long to die loving the One who died for love of me. You know well, my Lord, the sorrow I feel at having offended so often and so ungratefully a Divinity so sovereign and so lovable above all good. Yet this deep sorrow does not satisfy my soul; I would express this rightful grief with countless tears. Lord, I wish that the force of sorrow would break my heart into as many pieces as it contains atoms.

I confess that I can do nothing without your grace, but with it I can do all things. Give it to me, my God, through your boundless mercy, through the merits of the passion and death of your Son, and through the intercession of his dearly beloved spouse, Mother St. Monica. I ask her to intercede with your Majesty, that I may obtain the sorrow and love which the great Augustine, my father, obtained as the fruit of her tears and prayers. With that sorrow and love, may I confess my sins, do penance for them all, die to the world, and persevere in your love until I die consumed by so sweet a fire. Amen.

The gift of contrition

Most blessed Mother St. Monica, singular example of true and loving mothers; garden of virtues that never withered through inconstancy or lukewarmness; pleasant and beautiful paradise, in which the children of Adam obtain abundant fruit from Augustine, the tree of learning, because grace watered him with the fruitful waters of deepest sorrow and tender tears:

You who, seeing this brilliant light of the Church extinguished, dimmed the suns of your eyes by shedding so many compassionate tears that their streams formed channels; you who, to make the Church fruitful in more children, redeemed the great Augustine from the captivity of Babylon at the priceless cost of your weeping; you who mourned another's sins in such a way that, when the Lord heard the sweet voice of your sighs, it could not be that a son of so many tears should perish eternally, but that he should rise more gloriously than the son of the widow of Nain, and that you should have joy greater in proportion to the distance between bodily death and the death of the soul, in which the fruit of your womb lay:

I now pray for all who, dead through sin, journey toward the grave of hell in the arms of lust, anger, pride, and envy, the deadly bearers of their bier. May they hear the voice of divine inspirations, rise in repentance, and return to the embrace of their Mother, the Church, who continually sighs for their resurrection. Obtain that, leaving the company of wicked and unhappy companions who have cast them into the death of their soul, they may earnestly seek the true life of which they are sadly deprived. May those who have imitated your son Augustine in his errors also imitate him in contrition and holiness.

Finally, obtain effective help for all of us who celebrate your glories, so that, converted to God, our tears may be the bread that sustains us day and night. Watered by them, may virtues flourish and make our souls a dwelling worthy of him. Amen.

Three sets of accompanying prayers

Pray three sets of an Our Father, a Hail Mary, and a Glory Be, in honor of the Most Holy Trinity, in thanksgiving for the joy of St. Monica and the whole Church at St. Augustine’s conversion to the Catholic faith, and asking for peace and concord among Christian rulers and the welfare of the Republic. The three sets are printed below.

Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. Do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil. Amen.

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with you. Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen.

Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. Do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil. Amen.

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with you. Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen.

Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. Do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil. Amen.

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with you. Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen.

Prayer for every day

Sweet and most loving Jesus, the only hope of my soul, I humbly bow down at your feet to obtain favors from your generous hand. I know, my God, that my prayers are unworthy of your mercy, and that only through the merits and intercession of the saints who enjoy your favor can your merciful heart be moved to remedy my great miseries.

Among so many saints crowned in your kingdom, your loving servant St. Monica, through her prayer and tears, gave the Church, in her son Augustine converted to your holy faith, the great and universal consolation of that of which the terrors of his intellect had deprived it. He became the shining sun that illuminated it, after having been a monster of darkness; and the pillar of cloud and fire that sustains it, after having hurled his arrows to destroy the beauty of its building.

Whom better than this sacred heroine, this renowned Abigail under the law of grace, can I choose as my advocate, so that your mercy may remedy the miseries of my sins and the troubles arising from them that afflict me each day?

Through this mother of so great a father of the Church, as you yourself called him in her presence; through this fair Shulamite, a living mirror in which the choirs of those who struggle against hell rejoice and sing continual praises in God's honor, I ask you, both for myself and for this whole city, for the most flourishing observance in religious communities; the most praiseworthy governance among ecclesiastical and secular judges; fidelity and love among married people; the education of children in every good habit; and that mothers distressed by their children's evil inclinations and mistaken conduct may have Monica's consolation on seeing her son changed by the grace of your almighty power. Dwell gladly in our souls, until you bless them with the sight of yourself on the throne of your glory. Amen.

Antiphon and response

Bless the Lord, O children of men, for in magnificence and kindness he granted to the patriarch St. Augustine what his loving mother asked of him with such tender tears and sighs.

V. Pray for us, O blessed St. Monica.

R. That we may be made worthy of the promises of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Closing prayer

Almighty and everlasting God, consolation of the afflicted and perfect salvation of all who place their hope in your mercy: Lord, in the wondrous conversion of our father St. Augustine you most mercifully accepted the devout tears of his holy mother. Through the merits and intercession of both, grant that we may do true penance for our sins and, mourning them bitterly until death, obtain forgiveness for them all and afterward enjoy the joys of your glory. Through Jesus Christ our Lord, who with you and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns for all ages. Amen.

Act of contrition

O God, most worthy of all love! O God, most worthy of every imaginable praise! If only I had countless tongues and countless songs with which to praise you! If only I had countless hearts, each filled with countless loves, to love you without limit, as far as a creature can!

O ineffable and supreme Good of my soul, you witness the tender affection with which I long to die loving the One who died for love of me. You know well, my Lord, the sorrow I feel at having offended so often and so ungratefully a Divinity so sovereign and so lovable above all good. Yet this deep sorrow does not satisfy my soul; I would express this rightful grief with countless tears. Lord, I wish that the force of sorrow would break my heart into as many pieces as it contains atoms.

I confess that I can do nothing without your grace, but with it I can do all things. Give it to me, my God, through your boundless mercy, through the merits of the passion and death of your Son, and through the intercession of his dearly beloved spouse, Mother St. Monica. I ask her to intercede with your Majesty, that I may obtain the sorrow and love which the great Augustine, my father, obtained as the fruit of her tears and prayers. With that sorrow and love, may I confess my sins, do penance for them all, die to the world, and persevere in your love until I die consumed by so sweet a fire. Amen.

The gift of prayer

Most blessed Mother St. Monica, because of your great and fervent prayer, the Augustinian choir sings that God perfected his praise on your lips and those of your son, to destroy the heresies stirred up by hell, through which the enemies of the faith rose against the Church. So extraordinary was your prayer that, when at Ostia on the Tiber you spoke with Augustine about the delights of glory, your spirits were carried away and your senses rapt, and the bodies of both rose as far as the heavens.

Standing humbly in your presence, O blessed Monica, I confess with all my heart that, through forgetting this virtue or being lukewarm in it, I fall into so many sins each day. I know that in prayer and watchfulness the Redeemer left me his defensive weapons for overcoming temptations. Yet because I do not use them as I should, the devil always finds me unarmed, always separated from God, always hard and insensible to his tender love. What will become of me, when the apostle Judas and other unhappy souls descended from the height of perfection to the depth of sin and hell because they abandoned prayer?

So that I may not mourn this misery with eternal tears, I implore you, loving Mother, to obtain from God that, from this day, I may close the doors of my senses to this deceitful world. Meditating on eternal truths and fixing the powers of my soul on the Lord's beauty, loveliness, and goodness, may neither tribulation, nakedness, hunger, nor death itself ever separate me from his love. Thus, through your protection, may I attain the ineffable good for which we were created. Amen.

Three sets of accompanying prayers

Pray three sets of an Our Father, a Hail Mary, and a Glory Be, in honor of the Most Holy Trinity, in thanksgiving for the joy of St. Monica and the whole Church at St. Augustine’s conversion to the Catholic faith, and asking for peace and concord among Christian rulers and the welfare of the Republic. The three sets are printed below.

Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. Do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil. Amen.

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with you. Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen.

Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. Do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil. Amen.

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with you. Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen.

Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. Do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil. Amen.

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with you. Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen.

Prayer for every day

Sweet and most loving Jesus, the only hope of my soul, I humbly bow down at your feet to obtain favors from your generous hand. I know, my God, that my prayers are unworthy of your mercy, and that only through the merits and intercession of the saints who enjoy your favor can your merciful heart be moved to remedy my great miseries.

Among so many saints crowned in your kingdom, your loving servant St. Monica, through her prayer and tears, gave the Church, in her son Augustine converted to your holy faith, the great and universal consolation of that of which the terrors of his intellect had deprived it. He became the shining sun that illuminated it, after having been a monster of darkness; and the pillar of cloud and fire that sustains it, after having hurled his arrows to destroy the beauty of its building.

Whom better than this sacred heroine, this renowned Abigail under the law of grace, can I choose as my advocate, so that your mercy may remedy the miseries of my sins and the troubles arising from them that afflict me each day?

Through this mother of so great a father of the Church, as you yourself called him in her presence; through this fair Shulamite, a living mirror in which the choirs of those who struggle against hell rejoice and sing continual praises in God's honor, I ask you, both for myself and for this whole city, for the most flourishing observance in religious communities; the most praiseworthy governance among ecclesiastical and secular judges; fidelity and love among married people; the education of children in every good habit; and that mothers distressed by their children's evil inclinations and mistaken conduct may have Monica's consolation on seeing her son changed by the grace of your almighty power. Dwell gladly in our souls, until you bless them with the sight of yourself on the throne of your glory. Amen.

Antiphon and response

Bless the Lord, O children of men, for in magnificence and kindness he granted to the patriarch St. Augustine what his loving mother asked of him with such tender tears and sighs.

V. Pray for us, O blessed St. Monica.

R. That we may be made worthy of the promises of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Closing prayer

Almighty and everlasting God, consolation of the afflicted and perfect salvation of all who place their hope in your mercy: Lord, in the wondrous conversion of our father St. Augustine you most mercifully accepted the devout tears of his holy mother. Through the merits and intercession of both, grant that we may do true penance for our sins and, mourning them bitterly until death, obtain forgiveness for them all and afterward enjoy the joys of your glory. Through Jesus Christ our Lord, who with you and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns for all ages. Amen.

Act of contrition

O God, most worthy of all love! O God, most worthy of every imaginable praise! If only I had countless tongues and countless songs with which to praise you! If only I had countless hearts, each filled with countless loves, to love you without limit, as far as a creature can!

O ineffable and supreme Good of my soul, you witness the tender affection with which I long to die loving the One who died for love of me. You know well, my Lord, the sorrow I feel at having offended so often and so ungratefully a Divinity so sovereign and so lovable above all good. Yet this deep sorrow does not satisfy my soul; I would express this rightful grief with countless tears. Lord, I wish that the force of sorrow would break my heart into as many pieces as it contains atoms.

I confess that I can do nothing without your grace, but with it I can do all things. Give it to me, my God, through your boundless mercy, through the merits of the passion and death of your Son, and through the intercession of his dearly beloved spouse, Mother St. Monica. I ask her to intercede with your Majesty, that I may obtain the sorrow and love which the great Augustine, my father, obtained as the fruit of her tears and prayers. With that sorrow and love, may I confess my sins, do penance for them all, die to the world, and persevere in your love until I die consumed by so sweet a fire. Amen.

The gift of patience

Most blessed Mother St. Monica, invincible and strong woman, whom the Church applauds with Solomon, for hell could never disturb your patience: neither through the slanders of your household, nor through the harsh disposition and evil treatment of your husband, nor through your son's delay in turning to the Catholic faith, which served as a crucible for your endurance.

Through that gentleness and humility with which you imitated the spotless Lamb, who allowed himself to be dragged to sacrifice without opening his lips to complain; through that admirable silence in which you gave married women a most heroic example, never opposing your husband's will by even the slightest word, but winning his heart by your prudence and tempering his anger with your sweetness and kindness; through the prayers and tears by which you obtained not only the conversion of Augustine, which made the vaults of heaven resound with joy, but also that of Patricius, who, changed from a bloodthirsty wolf into a gentle lamb, remained in great friendship with you until death:

I ask you, tender Mother, to obtain from God the gift of knowing myself and how much I deserve for my sins, so that I may humble myself at everyone's feet and receive with resignation the contempt, injuries, and hardships that may come to me. I also pray for peace and sweet concord among those united by the bond of marriage, so that, through your prayer and example, hell may not gain its victories, but that all of us, joyful in our state of life, may serve God faithfully and enjoy him eternally in glory. Amen.

Three sets of accompanying prayers

Pray three sets of an Our Father, a Hail Mary, and a Glory Be, in honor of the Most Holy Trinity, in thanksgiving for the joy of St. Monica and the whole Church at St. Augustine’s conversion to the Catholic faith, and asking for peace and concord among Christian rulers and the welfare of the Republic. The three sets are printed below.

Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. Do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil. Amen.

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with you. Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen.

Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. Do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil. Amen.

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with you. Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen.

Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. Do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil. Amen.

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with you. Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen.

Prayer for every day

Sweet and most loving Jesus, the only hope of my soul, I humbly bow down at your feet to obtain favors from your generous hand. I know, my God, that my prayers are unworthy of your mercy, and that only through the merits and intercession of the saints who enjoy your favor can your merciful heart be moved to remedy my great miseries.

Among so many saints crowned in your kingdom, your loving servant St. Monica, through her prayer and tears, gave the Church, in her son Augustine converted to your holy faith, the great and universal consolation of that of which the terrors of his intellect had deprived it. He became the shining sun that illuminated it, after having been a monster of darkness; and the pillar of cloud and fire that sustains it, after having hurled his arrows to destroy the beauty of its building.

Whom better than this sacred heroine, this renowned Abigail under the law of grace, can I choose as my advocate, so that your mercy may remedy the miseries of my sins and the troubles arising from them that afflict me each day?

Through this mother of so great a father of the Church, as you yourself called him in her presence; through this fair Shulamite, a living mirror in which the choirs of those who struggle against hell rejoice and sing continual praises in God's honor, I ask you, both for myself and for this whole city, for the most flourishing observance in religious communities; the most praiseworthy governance among ecclesiastical and secular judges; fidelity and love among married people; the education of children in every good habit; and that mothers distressed by their children's evil inclinations and mistaken conduct may have Monica's consolation on seeing her son changed by the grace of your almighty power. Dwell gladly in our souls, until you bless them with the sight of yourself on the throne of your glory. Amen.

Antiphon and response

Bless the Lord, O children of men, for in magnificence and kindness he granted to the patriarch St. Augustine what his loving mother asked of him with such tender tears and sighs.

V. Pray for us, O blessed St. Monica.

R. That we may be made worthy of the promises of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Closing prayer

Almighty and everlasting God, consolation of the afflicted and perfect salvation of all who place their hope in your mercy: Lord, in the wondrous conversion of our father St. Augustine you most mercifully accepted the devout tears of his holy mother. Through the merits and intercession of both, grant that we may do true penance for our sins and, mourning them bitterly until death, obtain forgiveness for them all and afterward enjoy the joys of your glory. Through Jesus Christ our Lord, who with you and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns for all ages. Amen.

Act of contrition

O God, most worthy of all love! O God, most worthy of every imaginable praise! If only I had countless tongues and countless songs with which to praise you! If only I had countless hearts, each filled with countless loves, to love you without limit, as far as a creature can!

O ineffable and supreme Good of my soul, you witness the tender affection with which I long to die loving the One who died for love of me. You know well, my Lord, the sorrow I feel at having offended so often and so ungratefully a Divinity so sovereign and so lovable above all good. Yet this deep sorrow does not satisfy my soul; I would express this rightful grief with countless tears. Lord, I wish that the force of sorrow would break my heart into as many pieces as it contains atoms.

I confess that I can do nothing without your grace, but with it I can do all things. Give it to me, my God, through your boundless mercy, through the merits of the passion and death of your Son, and through the intercession of his dearly beloved spouse, Mother St. Monica. I ask her to intercede with your Majesty, that I may obtain the sorrow and love which the great Augustine, my father, obtained as the fruit of her tears and prayers. With that sorrow and love, may I confess my sins, do penance for them all, die to the world, and persevere in your love until I die consumed by so sweet a fire. Amen.

The gift of wise governance

Most blessed Mother St. Monica, wondrous model of reverence and prudence in both inward and outward governance: from the moment the light of reason dawned in your soul, you governed your passions with these golden reins and restrained your appetites so that the flesh never came to rule over the greatness of your spirit.

So remarkable was your care for your household that you provided those in it not only nourishment for the body but also for the soul, teaching your son from his earliest years to pronounce the sweetest names of Jesus and Mary. By your teaching and example you sought the Christian conduct of those whom the Lord had entrusted to your care.

Through this motherly solicitude, with which you sought God's greater glory, the good of your soul, and the good of all who lived under your discipline, we humbly implore you to obtain effective help for us. Always restraining our passions, may we live continually in holy reverence and not plunge into hell.

We also pray for the whole Church and its prelates, for the well-being of the Republic and its leaders, for religious communities and parents, so that the former may govern their communities in holiness and justice, and the latter may give their children a state of life in which they obtain temporal goods without losing eternal ones. May they yield abundant fruit to God in this life and afterward be placed in the paradise of glory. Amen.

Three sets of accompanying prayers

Pray three sets of an Our Father, a Hail Mary, and a Glory Be, in honor of the Most Holy Trinity, in thanksgiving for the joy of St. Monica and the whole Church at St. Augustine’s conversion to the Catholic faith, and asking for peace and concord among Christian rulers and the welfare of the Republic. The three sets are printed below.

Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. Do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil. Amen.

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with you. Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen.

Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. Do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil. Amen.

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with you. Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen.

Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. Do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil. Amen.

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with you. Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen.

Prayer for every day

Sweet and most loving Jesus, the only hope of my soul, I humbly bow down at your feet to obtain favors from your generous hand. I know, my God, that my prayers are unworthy of your mercy, and that only through the merits and intercession of the saints who enjoy your favor can your merciful heart be moved to remedy my great miseries.

Among so many saints crowned in your kingdom, your loving servant St. Monica, through her prayer and tears, gave the Church, in her son Augustine converted to your holy faith, the great and universal consolation of that of which the terrors of his intellect had deprived it. He became the shining sun that illuminated it, after having been a monster of darkness; and the pillar of cloud and fire that sustains it, after having hurled his arrows to destroy the beauty of its building.

Whom better than this sacred heroine, this renowned Abigail under the law of grace, can I choose as my advocate, so that your mercy may remedy the miseries of my sins and the troubles arising from them that afflict me each day?

Through this mother of so great a father of the Church, as you yourself called him in her presence; through this fair Shulamite, a living mirror in which the choirs of those who struggle against hell rejoice and sing continual praises in God's honor, I ask you, both for myself and for this whole city, for the most flourishing observance in religious communities; the most praiseworthy governance among ecclesiastical and secular judges; fidelity and love among married people; the education of children in every good habit; and that mothers distressed by their children's evil inclinations and mistaken conduct may have Monica's consolation on seeing her son changed by the grace of your almighty power. Dwell gladly in our souls, until you bless them with the sight of yourself on the throne of your glory. Amen.

Antiphon and response

Bless the Lord, O children of men, for in magnificence and kindness he granted to the patriarch St. Augustine what his loving mother asked of him with such tender tears and sighs.

V. Pray for us, O blessed St. Monica.

R. That we may be made worthy of the promises of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Closing prayer

Almighty and everlasting God, consolation of the afflicted and perfect salvation of all who place their hope in your mercy: Lord, in the wondrous conversion of our father St. Augustine you most mercifully accepted the devout tears of his holy mother. Through the merits and intercession of both, grant that we may do true penance for our sins and, mourning them bitterly until death, obtain forgiveness for them all and afterward enjoy the joys of your glory. Through Jesus Christ our Lord, who with you and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns for all ages. Amen.

Act of contrition

O God, most worthy of all love! O God, most worthy of every imaginable praise! If only I had countless tongues and countless songs with which to praise you! If only I had countless hearts, each filled with countless loves, to love you without limit, as far as a creature can!

O ineffable and supreme Good of my soul, you witness the tender affection with which I long to die loving the One who died for love of me. You know well, my Lord, the sorrow I feel at having offended so often and so ungratefully a Divinity so sovereign and so lovable above all good. Yet this deep sorrow does not satisfy my soul; I would express this rightful grief with countless tears. Lord, I wish that the force of sorrow would break my heart into as many pieces as it contains atoms.

I confess that I can do nothing without your grace, but with it I can do all things. Give it to me, my God, through your boundless mercy, through the merits of the passion and death of your Son, and through the intercession of his dearly beloved spouse, Mother St. Monica. I ask her to intercede with your Majesty, that I may obtain the sorrow and love which the great Augustine, my father, obtained as the fruit of her tears and prayers. With that sorrow and love, may I confess my sins, do penance for them all, die to the world, and persevere in your love until I die consumed by so sweet a fire. Amen.

The gift of faith

Most blessed Mother St. Monica, worthy of praise in all supernatural virtues, and especially in divine faith: the light of the Catholic virtues shone so brightly in your soul that, while the Church in Africa was darkened by the false doctrines of so many infernal teachers of heresy, the Manicheans found it harder to unsettle your woman's understanding than that of your son Augustine, though he was a marvel of intellect and the terror of heretics.

Your faith is so heroic that it is compared with Abraham's, because you gave due homage to the truth among its most declared enemies. You are the illustrious mother of the great father of the believers under the law of grace, and the wondrous instrument God used so that Augustine might rest in the embrace of the truth he longed to find when his keen intellect examined the sophistical arguments of those sects.

Through this faith, which could neither be taken by surprise nor made to waver through close association with your son, when even the faithful feared the subtle poison of his reasoning, we humbly implore you to obtain from the Lord such firmness in this divine virtue that we may never cast the least doubt on the mysteries revealed by a God who can neither be deceived nor deceive us. As true Christians, may we practice the works that show this faith to be living, and through its heroic acts overcome every snare the deadly father of lies may set for us. In its defense, may we lose our lives a thousand times, willingly shedding the blood in our veins, so that, overcoming all our enemies in this way, we may receive the laurels of grace and sing of victories with you in heaven. Amen.

Three sets of accompanying prayers

Pray three sets of an Our Father, a Hail Mary, and a Glory Be, in honor of the Most Holy Trinity, in thanksgiving for the joy of St. Monica and the whole Church at St. Augustine’s conversion to the Catholic faith, and asking for peace and concord among Christian rulers and the welfare of the Republic. The three sets are printed below.

Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. Do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil. Amen.

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with you. Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen.

Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. Do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil. Amen.

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with you. Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen.

Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. Do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil. Amen.

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with you. Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen.

Prayer for every day

Sweet and most loving Jesus, the only hope of my soul, I humbly bow down at your feet to obtain favors from your generous hand. I know, my God, that my prayers are unworthy of your mercy, and that only through the merits and intercession of the saints who enjoy your favor can your merciful heart be moved to remedy my great miseries.

Among so many saints crowned in your kingdom, your loving servant St. Monica, through her prayer and tears, gave the Church, in her son Augustine converted to your holy faith, the great and universal consolation of that of which the terrors of his intellect had deprived it. He became the shining sun that illuminated it, after having been a monster of darkness; and the pillar of cloud and fire that sustains it, after having hurled his arrows to destroy the beauty of its building.

Whom better than this sacred heroine, this renowned Abigail under the law of grace, can I choose as my advocate, so that your mercy may remedy the miseries of my sins and the troubles arising from them that afflict me each day?

Through this mother of so great a father of the Church, as you yourself called him in her presence; through this fair Shulamite, a living mirror in which the choirs of those who struggle against hell rejoice and sing continual praises in God's honor, I ask you, both for myself and for this whole city, for the most flourishing observance in religious communities; the most praiseworthy governance among ecclesiastical and secular judges; fidelity and love among married people; the education of children in every good habit; and that mothers distressed by their children's evil inclinations and mistaken conduct may have Monica's consolation on seeing her son changed by the grace of your almighty power. Dwell gladly in our souls, until you bless them with the sight of yourself on the throne of your glory. Amen.

Antiphon and response

Bless the Lord, O children of men, for in magnificence and kindness he granted to the patriarch St. Augustine what his loving mother asked of him with such tender tears and sighs.

V. Pray for us, O blessed St. Monica.

R. That we may be made worthy of the promises of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Closing prayer

Almighty and everlasting God, consolation of the afflicted and perfect salvation of all who place their hope in your mercy: Lord, in the wondrous conversion of our father St. Augustine you most mercifully accepted the devout tears of his holy mother. Through the merits and intercession of both, grant that we may do true penance for our sins and, mourning them bitterly until death, obtain forgiveness for them all and afterward enjoy the joys of your glory. Through Jesus Christ our Lord, who with you and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns for all ages. Amen.

Act of contrition

O God, most worthy of all love! O God, most worthy of every imaginable praise! If only I had countless tongues and countless songs with which to praise you! If only I had countless hearts, each filled with countless loves, to love you without limit, as far as a creature can!

O ineffable and supreme Good of my soul, you witness the tender affection with which I long to die loving the One who died for love of me. You know well, my Lord, the sorrow I feel at having offended so often and so ungratefully a Divinity so sovereign and so lovable above all good. Yet this deep sorrow does not satisfy my soul; I would express this rightful grief with countless tears. Lord, I wish that the force of sorrow would break my heart into as many pieces as it contains atoms.

I confess that I can do nothing without your grace, but with it I can do all things. Give it to me, my God, through your boundless mercy, through the merits of the passion and death of your Son, and through the intercession of his dearly beloved spouse, Mother St. Monica. I ask her to intercede with your Majesty, that I may obtain the sorrow and love which the great Augustine, my father, obtained as the fruit of her tears and prayers. With that sorrow and love, may I confess my sins, do penance for them all, die to the world, and persevere in your love until I die consumed by so sweet a fire. Amen.

The gift of hope

O heroic matron! O Mother St. Monica! When Augustine closed the doors of hope to his conversion, fixing his heart more firmly each day on the world's vanities and delights, delivering himself as a captive to the chains of earthly love, and passing from one abyss to another, imagining with the Academic philosophers that it was impossible to find truth, it was then that you believed you would obtain in him the fruits of your faith, conceiving, like Abraham in Isaac, hope against hope.

You who, deceived by your son despite his promises, followed him engulfed far more in your tears than in the swelling waves of the sea, because you did not lose hope of consecrating him to God on the altar of your love; you who, when Augustine said that you both would have to embrace his mistaken sect, were neither troubled in faith nor disheartened in hope:

We ask you to obtain from God that, with our hearts trusting in a Lord so faithful to his promises, we may courageously undertake the path of virtue and not falter through the fears the devil raises to hinder the progress of grace. Through your intercession, grant that, resolving to do penance for our sins, we may imitate your son Augustine in it, especially at the hour of death, when so many are lost because the prince of darkness drives them to despair. We hope for this from your tender motherly care, and also to praise God in heaven for all ages. Amen.

Three sets of accompanying prayers

Pray three sets of an Our Father, a Hail Mary, and a Glory Be, in honor of the Most Holy Trinity, in thanksgiving for the joy of St. Monica and the whole Church at St. Augustine’s conversion to the Catholic faith, and asking for peace and concord among Christian rulers and the welfare of the Republic. The three sets are printed below.

Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. Do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil. Amen.

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with you. Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen.

Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. Do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil. Amen.

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with you. Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen.

Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. Do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil. Amen.

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with you. Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen.

Prayer for every day

Sweet and most loving Jesus, the only hope of my soul, I humbly bow down at your feet to obtain favors from your generous hand. I know, my God, that my prayers are unworthy of your mercy, and that only through the merits and intercession of the saints who enjoy your favor can your merciful heart be moved to remedy my great miseries.

Among so many saints crowned in your kingdom, your loving servant St. Monica, through her prayer and tears, gave the Church, in her son Augustine converted to your holy faith, the great and universal consolation of that of which the terrors of his intellect had deprived it. He became the shining sun that illuminated it, after having been a monster of darkness; and the pillar of cloud and fire that sustains it, after having hurled his arrows to destroy the beauty of its building.

Whom better than this sacred heroine, this renowned Abigail under the law of grace, can I choose as my advocate, so that your mercy may remedy the miseries of my sins and the troubles arising from them that afflict me each day?

Through this mother of so great a father of the Church, as you yourself called him in her presence; through this fair Shulamite, a living mirror in which the choirs of those who struggle against hell rejoice and sing continual praises in God's honor, I ask you, both for myself and for this whole city, for the most flourishing observance in religious communities; the most praiseworthy governance among ecclesiastical and secular judges; fidelity and love among married people; the education of children in every good habit; and that mothers distressed by their children's evil inclinations and mistaken conduct may have Monica's consolation on seeing her son changed by the grace of your almighty power. Dwell gladly in our souls, until you bless them with the sight of yourself on the throne of your glory. Amen.

Antiphon and response

Bless the Lord, O children of men, for in magnificence and kindness he granted to the patriarch St. Augustine what his loving mother asked of him with such tender tears and sighs.

V. Pray for us, O blessed St. Monica.

R. That we may be made worthy of the promises of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Closing prayer

Almighty and everlasting God, consolation of the afflicted and perfect salvation of all who place their hope in your mercy: Lord, in the wondrous conversion of our father St. Augustine you most mercifully accepted the devout tears of his holy mother. Through the merits and intercession of both, grant that we may do true penance for our sins and, mourning them bitterly until death, obtain forgiveness for them all and afterward enjoy the joys of your glory. Through Jesus Christ our Lord, who with you and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns for all ages. Amen.

Act of contrition

O God, most worthy of all love! O God, most worthy of every imaginable praise! If only I had countless tongues and countless songs with which to praise you! If only I had countless hearts, each filled with countless loves, to love you without limit, as far as a creature can!

O ineffable and supreme Good of my soul, you witness the tender affection with which I long to die loving the One who died for love of me. You know well, my Lord, the sorrow I feel at having offended so often and so ungratefully a Divinity so sovereign and so lovable above all good. Yet this deep sorrow does not satisfy my soul; I would express this rightful grief with countless tears. Lord, I wish that the force of sorrow would break my heart into as many pieces as it contains atoms.

I confess that I can do nothing without your grace, but with it I can do all things. Give it to me, my God, through your boundless mercy, through the merits of the passion and death of your Son, and through the intercession of his dearly beloved spouse, Mother St. Monica. I ask her to intercede with your Majesty, that I may obtain the sorrow and love which the great Augustine, my father, obtained as the fruit of her tears and prayers. With that sorrow and love, may I confess my sins, do penance for them all, die to the world, and persevere in your love until I die consumed by so sweet a fire. Amen.

The gift of charity

Most blessed and holy St. Monica, twice mother of the great Augustine, because your heart was an unquenchable fire of love for God, whose flames burned still more fiercely through the ceaseless floods of your tears. After naturally conceiving and giving birth to a son who caused you so much bitterness and hardship, you conceived him anew in the depths of charity, to give the Church a shining sun in the one who had formerly been the cause of its sorrow.

Today we offer you our most heartfelt and joyful congratulations on this admirable motherhood. Because of it, the choir of your children sings in your name what the Queen of Angels said of herself: All generations will call me blessed, for the Almighty has done great and wondrous things for me.

Through this singular privilege, we also ask you to obtain from the Lord that we who have lost through sin the grace by which we were reborn in the baptismal font may recover it in the waters of penance. Loving God and our neighbor, may we fulfill all his divine commandments. Amen.

Three sets of accompanying prayers

Pray three sets of an Our Father, a Hail Mary, and a Glory Be, in honor of the Most Holy Trinity, in thanksgiving for the joy of St. Monica and the whole Church at St. Augustine’s conversion to the Catholic faith, and asking for peace and concord among Christian rulers and the welfare of the Republic. The three sets are printed below.

Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. Do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil. Amen.

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with you. Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen.

Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. Do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil. Amen.

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with you. Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen.

Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. Do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil. Amen.

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with you. Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen.

Prayer for every day

Sweet and most loving Jesus, the only hope of my soul, I humbly bow down at your feet to obtain favors from your generous hand. I know, my God, that my prayers are unworthy of your mercy, and that only through the merits and intercession of the saints who enjoy your favor can your merciful heart be moved to remedy my great miseries.

Among so many saints crowned in your kingdom, your loving servant St. Monica, through her prayer and tears, gave the Church, in her son Augustine converted to your holy faith, the great and universal consolation of that of which the terrors of his intellect had deprived it. He became the shining sun that illuminated it, after having been a monster of darkness; and the pillar of cloud and fire that sustains it, after having hurled his arrows to destroy the beauty of its building.

Whom better than this sacred heroine, this renowned Abigail under the law of grace, can I choose as my advocate, so that your mercy may remedy the miseries of my sins and the troubles arising from them that afflict me each day?

Through this mother of so great a father of the Church, as you yourself called him in her presence; through this fair Shulamite, a living mirror in which the choirs of those who struggle against hell rejoice and sing continual praises in God's honor, I ask you, both for myself and for this whole city, for the most flourishing observance in religious communities; the most praiseworthy governance among ecclesiastical and secular judges; fidelity and love among married people; the education of children in every good habit; and that mothers distressed by their children's evil inclinations and mistaken conduct may have Monica's consolation on seeing her son changed by the grace of your almighty power. Dwell gladly in our souls, until you bless them with the sight of yourself on the throne of your glory. Amen.

Antiphon and response

Bless the Lord, O children of men, for in magnificence and kindness he granted to the patriarch St. Augustine what his loving mother asked of him with such tender tears and sighs.

V. Pray for us, O blessed St. Monica.

R. That we may be made worthy of the promises of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Closing prayer

Almighty and everlasting God, consolation of the afflicted and perfect salvation of all who place their hope in your mercy: Lord, in the wondrous conversion of our father St. Augustine you most mercifully accepted the devout tears of his holy mother. Through the merits and intercession of both, grant that we may do true penance for our sins and, mourning them bitterly until death, obtain forgiveness for them all and afterward enjoy the joys of your glory. Through Jesus Christ our Lord, who with you and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns for all ages. Amen.

Act of contrition

O God, most worthy of all love! O God, most worthy of every imaginable praise! If only I had countless tongues and countless songs with which to praise you! If only I had countless hearts, each filled with countless loves, to love you without limit, as far as a creature can!

O ineffable and supreme Good of my soul, you witness the tender affection with which I long to die loving the One who died for love of me. You know well, my Lord, the sorrow I feel at having offended so often and so ungratefully a Divinity so sovereign and so lovable above all good. Yet this deep sorrow does not satisfy my soul; I would express this rightful grief with countless tears. Lord, I wish that the force of sorrow would break my heart into as many pieces as it contains atoms.

I confess that I can do nothing without your grace, but with it I can do all things. Give it to me, my God, through your boundless mercy, through the merits of the passion and death of your Son, and through the intercession of his dearly beloved spouse, Mother St. Monica. I ask her to intercede with your Majesty, that I may obtain the sorrow and love which the great Augustine, my father, obtained as the fruit of her tears and prayers. With that sorrow and love, may I confess my sins, do penance for them all, die to the world, and persevere in your love until I die consumed by so sweet a fire. Amen.

Readiness for the sacraments

Most blessed Mother St. Monica, because of your singular readiness to receive the sacraments, you obtained as their fruit, in the august sacrament of the altar, not only the gift of tears but also understanding of the sacred Scriptures, with wondrous and heavenly wisdom.

You who, filled with the sweetness of this bread of angels, burst into those words with which the royal prophet joyfully foretold the sacrament in which the love of Jesus left us a summation of his tenderness: My soul and my body have rejoiced in the living God. For this the holy fathers call you the most wise mother of the most wise Augustine, guardian of the divine manna, and living temple of the most blessed Trinity.

Through the mutual union you had with this heavenly spouse when you received him within your breast, and through the gifts of grace, love, and wisdom he gave you, we ask you to obtain from your Redeemer light to recognize and confess our sins, and grace to mourn them and keep away from their occasions. Thus, adorning our soul with all the virtues, may it gather in the sacraments the fruit of the blood shed for its ransom. Nourished during life by the Eucharistic food, may it receive this as viaticum at death and pass without fear or danger to the longed-for homeland of glory. Amen.

Three sets of accompanying prayers

Pray three sets of an Our Father, a Hail Mary, and a Glory Be, in honor of the Most Holy Trinity, in thanksgiving for the joy of St. Monica and the whole Church at St. Augustine’s conversion to the Catholic faith, and asking for peace and concord among Christian rulers and the welfare of the Republic. The three sets are printed below.

Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. Do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil. Amen.

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with you. Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen.

Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. Do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil. Amen.

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with you. Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen.

Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. Do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil. Amen.

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with you. Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen.

Prayer for every day

Sweet and most loving Jesus, the only hope of my soul, I humbly bow down at your feet to obtain favors from your generous hand. I know, my God, that my prayers are unworthy of your mercy, and that only through the merits and intercession of the saints who enjoy your favor can your merciful heart be moved to remedy my great miseries.

Among so many saints crowned in your kingdom, your loving servant St. Monica, through her prayer and tears, gave the Church, in her son Augustine converted to your holy faith, the great and universal consolation of that of which the terrors of his intellect had deprived it. He became the shining sun that illuminated it, after having been a monster of darkness; and the pillar of cloud and fire that sustains it, after having hurled his arrows to destroy the beauty of its building.

Whom better than this sacred heroine, this renowned Abigail under the law of grace, can I choose as my advocate, so that your mercy may remedy the miseries of my sins and the troubles arising from them that afflict me each day?

Through this mother of so great a father of the Church, as you yourself called him in her presence; through this fair Shulamite, a living mirror in which the choirs of those who struggle against hell rejoice and sing continual praises in God's honor, I ask you, both for myself and for this whole city, for the most flourishing observance in religious communities; the most praiseworthy governance among ecclesiastical and secular judges; fidelity and love among married people; the education of children in every good habit; and that mothers distressed by their children's evil inclinations and mistaken conduct may have Monica's consolation on seeing her son changed by the grace of your almighty power. Dwell gladly in our souls, until you bless them with the sight of yourself on the throne of your glory. Amen.

Antiphon and response

Bless the Lord, O children of men, for in magnificence and kindness he granted to the patriarch St. Augustine what his loving mother asked of him with such tender tears and sighs.

V. Pray for us, O blessed St. Monica.

R. That we may be made worthy of the promises of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Closing prayer

Almighty and everlasting God, consolation of the afflicted and perfect salvation of all who place their hope in your mercy: Lord, in the wondrous conversion of our father St. Augustine you most mercifully accepted the devout tears of his holy mother. Through the merits and intercession of both, grant that we may do true penance for our sins and, mourning them bitterly until death, obtain forgiveness for them all and afterward enjoy the joys of your glory. Through Jesus Christ our Lord, who with you and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns for all ages. Amen.

Act of contrition

O God, most worthy of all love! O God, most worthy of every imaginable praise! If only I had countless tongues and countless songs with which to praise you! If only I had countless hearts, each filled with countless loves, to love you without limit, as far as a creature can!

O ineffable and supreme Good of my soul, you witness the tender affection with which I long to die loving the One who died for love of me. You know well, my Lord, the sorrow I feel at having offended so often and so ungratefully a Divinity so sovereign and so lovable above all good. Yet this deep sorrow does not satisfy my soul; I would express this rightful grief with countless tears. Lord, I wish that the force of sorrow would break my heart into as many pieces as it contains atoms.

I confess that I can do nothing without your grace, but with it I can do all things. Give it to me, my God, through your boundless mercy, through the merits of the passion and death of your Son, and through the intercession of his dearly beloved spouse, Mother St. Monica. I ask her to intercede with your Majesty, that I may obtain the sorrow and love which the great Augustine, my father, obtained as the fruit of her tears and prayers. With that sorrow and love, may I confess my sins, do penance for them all, die to the world, and persevere in your love until I die consumed by so sweet a fire. Amen.

Love for the Blessed Virgin Mary

Most blessed and holy Mother St. Monica, since one of the greatest delights to be enjoyed in this valley of misery and sorrow is to love the Blessed Virgin Mary, through whose hand God willed to communicate the gifts of grace for the particular comfort of the afflicted children of Adam, you, through your special affection for Our Lady, desired as a widow to imitate not only her virtues but also her clothing.

For this you were favored by her coming from heaven and showing you the habit she wore after the death of her Son, and the cincture that signifies her virginal purity, making known her wish that you and the children of Augustine should dress in this way, as the illustrious and fruitful stock of so many distinguished religious communities.

Through this special affection we ask you, our Mother, to obtain from God the gifts of perfect contrition, fervent prayer, unchanging patience, and continual mortification; the heroic acts of solid faith, firm hope, ardent charity, and readiness for the sacraments; and finally so great a devotion to the most blessed Virgin that, girded with the emblem of her purity, we may copy all her virtues in ourselves and obtain the effects of her protection, being delivered from purgatory through the indulgences of the sacred cincture, and afterward enjoy eternal happiness in your company. Amen.

Three sets of accompanying prayers

Pray three sets of an Our Father, a Hail Mary, and a Glory Be, in honor of the Most Holy Trinity, in thanksgiving for the joy of St. Monica and the whole Church at St. Augustine’s conversion to the Catholic faith, and asking for peace and concord among Christian rulers and the welfare of the Republic. The three sets are printed below.

Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. Do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil. Amen.

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with you. Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen.

Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. Do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil. Amen.

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with you. Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen.

Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. Do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil. Amen.

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with you. Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen.

Prayer for every day

Sweet and most loving Jesus, the only hope of my soul, I humbly bow down at your feet to obtain favors from your generous hand. I know, my God, that my prayers are unworthy of your mercy, and that only through the merits and intercession of the saints who enjoy your favor can your merciful heart be moved to remedy my great miseries.

Among so many saints crowned in your kingdom, your loving servant St. Monica, through her prayer and tears, gave the Church, in her son Augustine converted to your holy faith, the great and universal consolation of that of which the terrors of his intellect had deprived it. He became the shining sun that illuminated it, after having been a monster of darkness; and the pillar of cloud and fire that sustains it, after having hurled his arrows to destroy the beauty of its building.

Whom better than this sacred heroine, this renowned Abigail under the law of grace, can I choose as my advocate, so that your mercy may remedy the miseries of my sins and the troubles arising from them that afflict me each day?

Through this mother of so great a father of the Church, as you yourself called him in her presence; through this fair Shulamite, a living mirror in which the choirs of those who struggle against hell rejoice and sing continual praises in God's honor, I ask you, both for myself and for this whole city, for the most flourishing observance in religious communities; the most praiseworthy governance among ecclesiastical and secular judges; fidelity and love among married people; the education of children in every good habit; and that mothers distressed by their children's evil inclinations and mistaken conduct may have Monica's consolation on seeing her son changed by the grace of your almighty power. Dwell gladly in our souls, until you bless them with the sight of yourself on the throne of your glory. Amen.

Antiphon and response

Bless the Lord, O children of men, for in magnificence and kindness he granted to the patriarch St. Augustine what his loving mother asked of him with such tender tears and sighs.

V. Pray for us, O blessed St. Monica.

R. That we may be made worthy of the promises of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Closing prayer

Almighty and everlasting God, consolation of the afflicted and perfect salvation of all who place their hope in your mercy: Lord, in the wondrous conversion of our father St. Augustine you most mercifully accepted the devout tears of his holy mother. Through the merits and intercession of both, grant that we may do true penance for our sins and, mourning them bitterly until death, obtain forgiveness for them all and afterward enjoy the joys of your glory. Through Jesus Christ our Lord, who with you and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns for all ages. Amen.