Women in History: Asking for Saint Monica's Intercession

For Holy Women's History Month, Alex Resch shares how her devotion to Saint Monica helps her have hope when family and friends are far from the Church.  

Saint Monica was the mother of Saint Augustine. Saint Augustine was a Doctor of the Church, and arguably, one of the greatest saints of all time. Much to the dismay and heartache of his holy mother, Augustine lived a less than holy life for much of his youth.

Praying for Loved Ones Who Are Away from the Faith

Every single Catholic I know has at least one family member or friend who has fallen away from the Faith. For me, this is always a painful situation because, like Saint Monica, all I want is for my loved ones is to know the good and gracious God who loves them! Saint Monica’s witness of perseverance in prayer and radical trust in God always gives me hope, and she is a wonderful example to turn to in times when I worry that those I love have lost strayed far from God.

A few years ago, I was speaking with some family members about their concerns about their children who no longer practiced the Faith. I suggested that we start a novena to Saint Monica together. We asked for Saint Monica’s intercession to guide our family members back to the Faith. We finished the novena and all felt peace from praying it together.

Placing Our Intentions in the Hands of God

Praying about a specific intention, sometimes in the form of a novena, always helps me let go of a concern or situation that I am dealing with, and allows me to place it in the hands of God. When we pray a novena, it’s not a magic wish or spell that will automatically make the situation turn out how we want. Praying the novena to Saint Monica helped me let go of my worries and fears and have faith that God would take care of everything in His way and in His time.

Many times, when we pray for the conversion of a loved one, we may never see any progress or change in them in this life. However, months after we prayed the novena to Saint Monica, one of the family members who we were praying for had her children baptized in the Catholic Church! This was a wonderful sign and miracle to us that God was working and answering our prayers.

Ever since this happy outcome, I have always asked Saint Monica’s intercession to guide wayward family and friends back to the Church.

Saint Monica, pray for us!

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Copyright 2026 Alex Resch
Images: (banner) Trinity Mirror / Mirrorpix / Alamy Stock Photo; iStockPhoto.com, licensed for use by Holy Cross Family Ministries