Novena to St Monica
St. Monica was born around the year 331 in North Africa. For nearly two decades, she prayed for the conversion of her son, Augustine, who had strayed far from the faith in which she raised him. He would later become one of the most influential theologians in Christian history. Monica also endured a difficult marriage to her hot-tempered husband, Patricius.
Her patience eventually won his conversion before his death. When Augustine left North Africa for Italy, she followed him. In Milan, she came to trust the preaching of Bishop Ambrose, whose words helped bring about Augustine's conversion in 386. Monica died in Ostia the following year, with Augustine at her side.
He later wrote about the scene with deep tenderness in his Confessions. Today, she is the patron saint of mothers, especially those praying for a wayward or prodigal child, and this novena is built on her example.
An Opening Prayer to Begin the Novena
St. Monica, you prayed for your son for years without a single visible sign that God was listening. Teach me to pray that way, for as long as it takes, for the person I carry in this novena. Amen.
Day 1 — Years, Not Days
Meditation: Monica prayed for Augustine's conversion for close to two decades, through his years of restlessness, wrong turns, and a lifestyle that broke her heart. She never stopped, and she never prayed as if a switch might flip overnight. Ask her today for patience with a timeline you cannot control. Prayer: St. Monica, give me your patience for the long years, not just the easy days. Amen.
Day 2 — A Marriage That Tested Her
Meditation: Before Augustine, there was Patricius, Monica's husband, a man known for a sharp temper that she met with steadiness rather than matching anger. Neighbors reportedly asked her how she managed a peaceful home, and she credited patience and prayer, not silence or resignation. Ask her today for wisdom in a difficult relationship of your own. Prayer: St. Monica, give me your steadiness in what is hard to bear at home. Amen.
Day 3 — Tears as Prayer
Meditation: A bishop once told Monica, worn down by her weeping over Augustine, that "the son of these tears shall never perish," a promise that turned out to be true, even though it took years to see it fulfilled. Your tears over someone you love are not wasted or weak; they are a form of prayer God hears. Let yourself weep today if you need to, and call it prayer. Prayer: St. Monica, turn my tears for the one I love into prayer. Amen.
Day 4 — Following Him Across the Sea
Meditation: When Augustine sailed from North Africa to Italy, in part to get away from his mother's constant urging, Monica followed him anyway, arriving first in Rome and then Milan to keep praying at close range. Love that keeps showing up, even uninvited, is part of her example. Ask for the courage to stay present to someone even when your presence isn't wanted yet. Prayer: St. Monica, give me the courage to stay close, even when I'm not wanted yet. Amen.
Day 5 — The Right Words at the Right Time
Meditation: In Milan, Monica came under the influence of the bishop Ambrose, whose preaching she trusted even before Augustine did, and it was Ambrose's words that finally opened a door in her son's mind. Sometimes our prayer is not to say the right word ourselves but to trust the person God sends to say it. Ask for the humility to let someone else be the answer to your prayer. Prayer: St. Monica, send the right voice to reach the one I'm praying for. Amen.
Day 6 — The Prodigal Who Comes Home
Meditation: Augustine's own account of his conversion, written years later in his Confessions, describes a moment of surrender that came almost twenty years after Monica had first begun to pray for it. His change did not look like a straight path; it looked like a long, winding road that ended exactly where she had asked God to lead it. Trust that the winding road you're watching someone walk can still end at home. Prayer: St. Monica, bring the prodigal I love all the way home. Amen.
Day 7 — Praying Without Seeing the Ending
Meditation: For most of the years Monica prayed for Augustine, she had no proof her prayers were working; she simply kept praying because she believed God was faithful even when the evidence said otherwise. Ask for that same trust today, especially if you've prayed the same prayer for a long time without an answer. Prayer: St. Monica, help me trust without needing to see the ending yet. Amen.
Day 8 — A Peaceful Death at Ostia
Meditation: Not long after Augustine's conversion and baptism, Monica died in the Italian port town of Ostia, telling her son she had nothing left to ask of life since she had lived to see what she'd prayed for. Ask her today for the peace of a prayer answered, or the peace of trusting one still in progress. Prayer: St. Monica, give me your peace, however my prayer is answered. Amen.
Day 9 — A Mother Who Became a Saint
Meditation: The Church remembers Monica not primarily for who her son became but for who she became through decades of faithful, patient, tearful prayer. Her feast day, August 27, falls the day before her son's, a small reminder that her own faith stood on its own. Let this novena's end mark the start of your own steadier, more patient prayer. Prayer: St. Monica, make me faithful the way you were faithful. Amen.
A Closing Prayer for the Ninth Day
St. Monica, for nine days I have brought you the person I am praying for, the way you carried Augustine in prayer for years. Thank you for showing that patience and tears are not wasted, that love which keeps showing up eventually finds its answer. Whatever the shape of the answer, keep me faithful in prayer the way you were. Amen.
Scripture to pray
And while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion, and ran and embraced him and kissed him.— Luke 15:20 (ESV)
I am reminded of your sincere faith, a faith that dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice and now, I am sure, dwells in you as well.— 2 Timothy 1:5 (ESV)
Wait for the LORD; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the LORD!— Psalm 27:14 (ESV)
Frequently asked questions
Who was St. Monica?
St. Monica (c. 331–387) was a Christian mother from North Africa best known for the years she spent praying for the conversion of her son, Augustine, who became one of the most important theologians in Christian history as St. Augustine of Hippo. She also endured a difficult marriage with notable patience and is remembered for her deep, persistent faith.
How long did St. Monica pray for her son's conversion?
Roughly seventeen years, following Augustine through years of a lifestyle and beliefs far from the Christian faith she had raised him in, and even following him from North Africa to Italy to keep praying and advocating for him at close range. He was finally baptized in 387, with his conversion often traced to a moment he recorded in his own memoir, the Confessions.
What is St. Monica the patron saint of?
She is the patron saint of mothers, wives, and especially mothers of wayward or prodigal children, along with those enduring difficult marriages and those dealing with a loved one's alcoholism, reflecting her own experience with a hot-tempered husband. Her feast day is August 27.
How do you pray the novena to St. Monica for a prodigal child?
Choose the person you're praying for and, for nine consecutive days, read that day's meditation and pray its closing line, holding their name in your heart. Many people pray it for a specific occasion, an anniversary, a birthday, or simply as a daily habit until they see the change they're praying for, following Monica's own model of persistence over years, not days.