Saint Monica

27th August

Saint Monica’s life is a testament to the virtues of Patience and Perseverance. These two virtues, though seemingly the same, are slightly different.

The virtue of Patience helps people remain calm and not complain when others would. Most of the time, this virtue is practiced in relationships with other people and in situations where many things go wrong.

The virtue of Perseverance might demand greater moral strength. Although it is based on the virtue of Patience, it is also the strength to keep going in difficult situations where you feel like giving up.

Saint Monica is an example of these two virtues because she practiced them with her husband, her mother-in-law, and her son, Augustine.

After watching the video with the children, it would be a good idea to discuss these two virtues with them, considering of Monica’s life. It would be difficult for the children to identify these qualities on their own, therefore you should ask them:

  • Do you think that Saint Monica showed a lot of patience?
    • With whom and how?
    • Do you have to be patient with someone?
      It would be good to consider their opinion, maybe even with a sense of humour! Include your opinions as well. Encourage them to identify situations at home and at school.
    • What can we do?

Explore Saint Monica’s incredible perseverance and how her refusal to give up on her son Augustine, ultimately led to his life-changing conversion.

  • Let them mention how this was presented in the video.
  • Ask them: Do you ever feel like giving up? (in a school subject, for example, or a hobby, a sports activity, and in something that they do not think is going according to plan)

You can help the children to identify these thoughts in a more practical way:

  • They can choose a chore that they find very difficult, and they choose to do it for a couple of days, 
  • You can give them a tangled ball (of wool, thread, string) and they won’t stop until they find the end and make a ball
  •  You can use a game (even online) that test the children on how long they keep trying to find an answer or a solution.

St. Monica kept on praying and she never gave up. Help the children understand that praying means talking to Jesus.

Family Prayer Time: Let the children mention where, when and with whom they have lost their patience.

Encourage them to think about situations in which they need to persevere. Then they ask Jesus to help them and to guide them just as he did with Saint Monica.

From a very young age, Saint Monica loved praying, going to church, and helping those in need. She even guided her husband to embrace the Christian faith. Her biggest worry, however, was her son  Augustine,  She never ceased praying for his eventual conversion and remained devoted to him until her passing.

Today we are going to sow a plant!

Materials needed:

  1. Pot full of soil
  2. Seed
  3. Water and nutrients (to plant and water it according to the plant you choose)

Instructions:

  1. Put the seed in the pot and cover it with more soil
  2. Water it
  3. Keep watering it and keep giving it the nutrients it needs according to the plant you have chosen
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How to use this space

God speaks to us in many ways, including through the Saints of the Church. Here you will find useful background and activities to better understand the holy life, helping you to connect the saints to daily life in a meaningful way.