Monica was the mother to Augustine. She was possessively involved in his life, intervening in his decisions about whom to marry and where to live. She spent much of her life in despair that her son was not a Christian. When Augustine converted, she was overjoyed, and the two went on to live together in a spiritual community where they discussed and practiced their faith. Near the end of her life, she and Augustine experienced a profound moment in which they sensed that everything around them had been silenced and that they were unified, facing outward towards God. When Monica passed away, Augustine remembered her as an advocate of pure faith standing against the rational and materialistic worldview of the times.