Evodius was at that time a baptised Christian.
Along with Evodius, other persons were willing to move from Milan to Carthage.
A final member of the intended travelling party was
Severus, about whom there is a separate Augnet page.
Others already in North Africa were also intending to join the lay community.
The group in Milan made their way to
Ostia, the port of the city of Rome, to await passage on a ship across to Carthage in North Africa.
While they waited, Monica suddenly took ill, and was dead within ten days.
She died there on 13th November 387. Evodius was mentioned in the
Confessions as being present.
Augustine wrote, "You, O Lord, also brought to us Evodius, a young man who had served as a imperial agent. He had converted to You. We planned to return together to Africa, but, reaching Ostia, my mother died.
Evodius took up the Psalter and began to sing, "I will sing of mercy and judgement to You, O Lord." I struggled to restrain the animal grief which arose in me, and I asked You to heal my sorrow; but you did not do so…" (Confessions 9, 8-13)
The plan for the group of Christian friends in Thagaste was put back about a year, during which time Augustine and Evodius, and presumably Adeodatus, went to Rome.
When the group began, Augustine brought together late in the year 388 as many as ten persons:
Adeodatus, Evodius,
Alypius, and
Severus who like Augustine were North Africans who had travelled from Milan.
(Continued on the next page.)
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