In the right corner of the narthex we find St. Augustine. His intense zeal for the truth and sorrow for sin are indicated by pierced, flaming heart. The words "Tolle, Lege" (take up and read) recall the mysteriously-heard command that prompted him to read a random passage in the New Testament, which led him to conversion from a life of sin. He is here to remind us that before we enter the nave for Mass, we should remember our sins sorrowfully, so that we can be forgiven during the Penitential Rite and healed when we receive Jesus in the Eucharist.

"If all people's tongues were put together, if each of their members were changed into a tongue,
they would not suffice to praise her (Mary) as she deserves." - St. Augustine

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