ST AUGUSTINE - PATROL SAINT

Born/died - 13 November 354 – 28 August 430

St Augustine is the patron saint of brewers. His mother was St Monica and his father was a Roman leader in North Africa in the 400's AD.

At the age of 16 he went to university in Carthage and was a gifted student. His biggest problem was that he loved to go to wild parties and did so for the next ten years.

One day St Augustine heard Bishop (St) Ambrose speaking about Jesus. He and his best friend, Alipius, were changed significantly by St Ambrose's wise words. Soon after, St Augustine had a revelation from God and converted fully to Christianity in 387AD.

Aurelius Augustine was baptised, became a priest and then a bishop. He founded religious orders and is regarded as one of the greatest saints who ever lived.

On the wall of his room he had the following sentence written in large letters:
                                             

Here we do not speak evil of anyone.

Interesting facts:

St Augustine was the Bishop of Hippo when the Visigoth barbarians attacked and sacked Rome in 410AD. Many people believed that their civilisation was about to come to an end, but Augustine’s writings helped get them through their difficult times.

In 439AD the Vandal barbarians invaded North Africa and besieged the city of Hippo where Augustine lived. He locked himself in his room with all his writings and prayed until he died. A year after his death the Vandals took over the city.

St Augustine is known as one of the ‘Doctors of the Church’ and one of the greatest Catholic writers in history.