Sarah Park-McLaughlin and Kris McGregor centers on McLaughlin’s book Praying with St. Augustine, a collection of the saint’s prayers drawn from his sermons and writings. McLaughlin shares how she began gathering these prayers decades ago after being moved by hearing them at a retreat. Despite initial rejections from publishers, she felt guided to persevere, and Sophia Institute Press eventually published the collection. St. Augustine’s prayers are timeless, personal, and deeply moving, often combining Scripture with heartfelt cries for mercy, praise, and understanding. McLaughlin highlights how Augustine’s humility and honesty about his struggles make him relatable, not a distant “plaster saint.”

The book explores St. Augustine’s life and impact: his conversion through the prayers of his mother, St. Monica; his role as bishop in North Africa; his defense of the faith against heresies; and his enduring influence on the Church through writings like The City of God and Confessions. McLaughlin notes that his prayers are varied—ranging from praise to petition to meditations on divine mysteries—and can serve as guides for anyone seeking a deeper prayer life. She stresses that the book is both devotional and instructional, accessible to those new to Augustine as well as lifelong students of his work, offering prayers that draw us into a more intimate relationship with God.

“For years, there have been no books of St. Augustine’s prayers available. Finally, in this treasure trove, you will find select prayers from his works — some of the most potent prayers ever composed. As you read the innermost thoughts of the greatest Church Father, you will be transported in time and learn how to pray with the heart of a saint. St. Augustine’s timeless words will help you encounter the “Beauty of ancient days, yet ever new” face-to-face and experience the relationship between praying and believing.

As Dr. Kreeft explains, “No Christian writer, perhaps no writer at all, has ever been as eloquent as St. Augustine. Few have been as philosophically and theologically profound, or as passionately in love with God…. No passages in Augustine’s writings are more eloquent than his prayers, or more profound than his prayers, or more saintly than his prayers, for prayer is the very lifeblood of sanctity.”

These precious gems are uplifting and accessible to all. Covering a range of topics and styles, they include praise and petition for health, docility, forgiveness, restoration, and salvation. You will also find prayers glorifying the Trinity’s attributes, such as wisdom, light, goodness, mercy, and truth, as well as intimate prayers of adoration to the Incarnate Word.

Offering these magnificent prayers will ready you to behold glimpses into the mystery of God. St. Augustine will teach you:

The three valuable lessons Jesus taught us about prayer

When you pray these prayers fervently you will join forces with the entire company of Heaven in a litany of endless worship and praise. St. Augustine taught that prayer makes you ready to receive God’s blessings. As you pray with St. Augustine, be prepared to be blessed!”

Sarah Park McLaughlin, Former humor columnist, author of My Humor Writing Journal [Amazon] and retired university English teacher, love Catholicism, apologetics, C. S. Lewis. Her blog can be found here.

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