Saint Augustine

On August 28th the Church remembers St. Augustine, Bishop of Hippo and Doctor of the Church. Augustine was about 37 when he became a priest. Here is a except from the Catholic Encyclopedia:

Augustine did not think of entering the priesthood, and, through fear of the episcopacy, he even fled from cities in which an election was necessary. One day, having been summoned to Hippo by a friend whose soul's salvation was at stake, he was praying in a church when the people suddenly gathered about him, cheered him, and begged Valerius, the bishop, to raise him to the priesthood. In spite of his tears Augustine was obliged to yield to their entreaties, and was ordained in 391.

He was elected Bishop of Hippo 5 years later in A.D. 396. All this was after he had lived with his girlfriend for 14 years and had a child with her. He was also member if the Manichean cult.

Saint Augustine is a patron of this blog and a quote from his Confessions is at the top of the blog. At 37 and given his dissolute life before his conversion I wonder how many vocation directors would consider him as a candidate for the priesthood?

Saint Augustine, pray for us!