St. Augustine (Augustine of Hippo, or Saint Austin, 354–430) was the son of St. Monica. He was raised as a Christian originally, but gave up religion, and was educated at Carthage. In his Confessions, he tells of an untamed youth, during which he became a father to an illegitimate son.
St. Augustine went through a number of philosophical changes, studying neoplatonism and skepticism, until he finally turned back to Christianity and was baptized on Easter, 387 CE. He was chosen to become a priest, which he eventually accepted—later becoming bishop of Hippo (which is in present-day Algeria).
Augustine was famous for his Confessions, both as a source for his own biography and as a story of a conversion to Christianity. He is also famous for his defense of Christianity against early critics in City of God.
St. Augustine’s feast day is August 28. He is often regared as an early scholastic philosopher, though he lived closer to antiquity.
Name: Augustine of Hippo
Born: November 13, 354
Died: August 28, 430
Office: Bishop of Hippo Regius
Canonized: 1298 by Pope Boniface VIII
Feast day: August 29 (West) or June 15 (East)
