Books on the Saints

In sixth-century Ireland, the memory of the great missionary Saint Patrick was strong, but so was the influence of the old pagan religion. There was still much work to be done to spread the Christian faith.This book tells the story of one of the greatest saints of the Emerald Isle after Patrick, Saint Kevin, whose monastery at Glendalough was a beacon of light for eight hundred years. Saint Kevin worked miracles, communed with animals, and inspired thousands to leave everything to follow Chri...

This book introduces the reader to thirteen Christian spiritual classics that illustrate the ordinary steps we can take toward living the Gospel life more fully.Drawing on the rich teaching of a particular saint or mystic, each chapter helps us grow in a different aspect of holiness, of intimacy with God. Archbishop Hughes offers an itinerary for becoming a good disciple of the Lord, giving the reader access to an impressive spiritual library that can support and strengthen progress in discip...

The spiritual wisdom of Saint Benedict has endured for centuries and quite literally shaped Western culture from its inception. Tenets of the order, like its motto and Saint Benedict's Rule, are just as influential for lay people as they are for the Benedictine monks and nuns. The cross and medal of St. Benedict is also among the gifts bestowed by the Benedictine Order. For centuries, it has been a conduit for God's power against malicious spirits.The history of this cross and medal--how it f...

Italian Carmelite Antonio Maria Sicari''s vibrant biographies of saints--from Augustine to Catherine of Siena to Faustina Kowalska--have been read across Europe for decades. In How Saints Die, Sicari turns to the most difficult challenge in the life of a Christian: the hour of death.What he uncovers in this darkest moment, however, is not desolation, but inexplicable joy. I have recounted the death of many saints, he writes, but all of them have confirmed for me the truth of this ancient Chri...

St. Francis of Assisi is one of the greatest and most recognizeable saints in the history of the Church. His life was a mirror of the life of Christ. In a decadent age, filled with corruption, Francis became not merely an impetus for reform, but a living image of Christ in his virtue and in his flesh through the stigmata. Candide Chalippe's work is not merely biography, it is a spiritual classic written by an author filled with piety and love for Christ and His Church. This new publication ed...

St. John Henry Newman, regarded as the most important English theologian of the nineteenth century, poignantly reflects on the thoughts that tormented Jesus as a result of His friends' betrayals and the anguish of His Heart in willingly suffering all for love of us. These penetrating meditations will enable you to enter more deeply into our Savior's Passion through multiple vantage points.This work features three of Cardinal Newman's most esteemed classics: Meditations on Lent: Hope in God, R...

Meet a Doctor of the Church whose wisdom on health and nutrition will aid you in everything from better digestion and sleep to improved mood, memory, and pain relief. Hildegard of Bingen (1098-1179) was a mystic and scholar who chronicled more than six hundred pages of visions, wrote cantatas, and even devised her own language. She authored The Book of Divine Works, Causes and Cures, and Scivias and corresponded with the greatest intellectuals, theologians, and royals of her time.As a pioneer...

Protect your family! Entrust your family to St. Joseph. Why? Because God, Himself, did. God entrusted the Holy Family to St. Joseph to keep them safe, and so should you. Drawing on the wealth of the Church's living tradition, Fr. Donald H. Calloway, MIC and co-author Scott L. Smith, Jr., call on all of us to turn to St. Joseph, entrust ourselves, our children and families, our Church, and our world to our spiritual father's loving care. Watch for wonders when the Universal Patron of the Churc...

The Church is a city set on a hill and on that hill there is a lighthouse. The Church directs her light this way and that as occasion warrants. That we might not make a shipwreck of our faith (see 1 Tm 1:19), she illuminates dangerous crags and reefs when all the world would tell us the water is clear. Each age has its heresies, and ours is a hatred of origin, of fatherhood. But if we come from somewhere and someone, we cannot be self-made. As an anchor against the wave of patricide, a light ...

St Bruno was born in Cologne around 1030. He studied at the university in Rheims, where he later taught, and was Rector of Studies for nearly twenty years. Chosen in 1080 as the new Archbishop, Bruno had other plans ̶ he had decided to follow Christ to the desert ̶ and with six of his companions settled in a mountainous and uninhabited spot in the lower Alps, in a place named Chartreuse, under the guidance of the young bishop of Grenoble, Hugh Châteauneuf. They built an oratory with small ind...

What happened to the Apostles? How did the early Christians live? Why did the Romans and other peoples try to destroy them with such brutality? Those answers are all provided in Fr. Pedro de Ribadeneyra, SJ's Flores Sanctorum, carefully translated by Mrs. Anne Hope. Lives of the Early Martyrs not only traces the most ancient testimony to where the Apostles went, and where they won their crowns of martyrdom, but their disciples as well. It carefully elucidates the lives that the early Christia...

St. Felix of Cantalice was a Capuchin Franciscan in the 16th century. Placed among great personages such as St. Philip Neri, St. Charles Borromeo, and others, St. Felix lived a life of poverty and fidelity to the rule of St. Francis. Born in 1515, he lived as a farm worker until he was 28, when he became a Capuchin. He not only begged alms, but gladly distributed them to the poor. It was said that his alms sack was as bottomless as his heart. He walked bare-foot through the streets of Rome, a...

This 2nd edition of the classic spiritual portrait of Mother Seton, newly edited with introduction by Sister Betty Ann McNeil, D.C., traces the spiritual journey of the 19th-century American wife, mother, educator, and religious leader, who became the first native-born canonized saint of the United States.This work is exceptional and unique because it is the only in-depth exploration and analysis based on the actual archival documents of Seton's life, conversion, spiritual growth and developm...

Saint John of the Cross is the Church's premier teacher on contemplative prayer. Catholic tradition even calls him the Mystical Doctor. The sixteenth-century Carmelite priest not only wrote four massive treatises on the spiritual life, along with some of the finest poetry in the Spanish language, but also worked alongside Teresa of Ávila in renewing the Carmelite order. Thérèse of Lisieux claimed she found no other spiritual reading that could satisfy her soul like John of the Cross.Yet the v...

 "Blessed be the Child who today delights Bethlehem. Blessed be the Newborn Who today made the humanity young again. Blessed be the Fruit Who Bowed Himself down for our hunger. Blessed be the Gracious One Who suddenly enriched all of our poverty and filled our need." Ephrem the Syrian (c.306-373) Ephrem was born in the Mesopotamian city of Nisibis toward the end of the third century. An outpost of the Roman Empire, Nisibis and its Christian citizens were to be formed by the reign of Constant...

Pope John Paul II called Elizabeth of the Trinity “a vibrant prophet of the presence of God.” This book enters deeply into her life and spirituality to show why her message remains urgently relevant in a secular age. Attractive, lively, talented, and deeply human, Elizabeth was not a plaster saint. Her life shows how God works patiently with our real nature, transforming us gradually into Himself when we surrender to His grace. Far from presenting holiness as something reserved for religious ...

St. Maximilian Kolbe is one of the most beloved saints of modern times, remembered for his heroic sacrifice at Auschwitz when he offered his life to save another man. Yet behind that act of love stood a lifelong devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary, whom Kolbe called “the Immaculata.” He believed that by consecrating his life entirely to her, his will would be united perfectly to the will of God. In Led by the Immaculata, Joshua Mazrin, a Kolbe devotee and Mariology expert, invites readers to ...

C. Bernard Ruffin's Padre Pio: The True Story is a captivating account of the life of one of the most revered Catholic figures of the 20th century. From his humble beginnings as a Italian farm boy to his years as a beloved spiritual leader, Padre Pio's journey is one of deep faith and miraculous deeds.Ruffin draws on extensive research and interviews with those who knew Padre Pio best to paint a intimate portrait of a man whose intense spirituality and holiness transformed the lives of all wh...

The sixteenth century was a golden age for the Church in Spain, producing great thinkers such as Victoria and Suarez, and mystics such as St. Teresa of Avila and St. John of the Cross. Hidden among these towering figures is the venerable Father Louis de Ponte, SJ. Born at Valladolid in 1554, de Ponte lived a remarkably pure and innocent life, advancing steadily in both learning and holiness. Though he served as an administrator within the Jesuit order, ill health eventually led him to withdra...

St Philip Neri (1515-1595) is known as the Apostle of Rome and the founder of the Congregation of the Oratory. This translation of his maxims and sayings is the work of Fr Faber, first published in 1847. His Maxims emphasise the constant teaching of the masters of the spiritual life, going back to the Desert Fathers (themselves always the favourite reading of St Philip). Full of good sense, they present us with an essential spirituality, presented as easily accessible reflections for each mon...

Finding Our Way to God offers a practical and compassionate approach to spiritual direction rooted in mental prayer and the teachings of St. Alphonsus Liguori, founder of the Redemptorists. This method helps create healing and peace for those seeking spiritual guidance. Fr. Dennis Billy examines the moral life within the context of spiritual direction, highlighting the pastoral wisdom of St. Alphonsus, whose focus on the poor and marginalized makes his approach accessible across religious and...

During the reigns of Elizabeth I and James I, it was high treason—and therefore punishable by death—to be a Catholic priest in England. In this dangerous era, hiding places were essential whenever pursuivants arrived in search of clergy. Among the master craftsmen responsible for constructing these ingenious “priest-holes,” one name stands above the rest: St. Nicholas Owen. A small and later crippled man, Owen built the majority of England’s priest-holes, saving the lives of countless priests...

Thomas Aquinas stands among the greatest thinkers of the Western tradition, a towering figure whose influence continues to shape theology, philosophy, and contemporary intellectual debate. This accessible and engaging introduction presents both the life and the thought of Aquinas, showing how his synthesis of faith and reason remains profoundly relevant for modern discussions about the future of Christianity. The book highlights Aquinas’s major contributions, the development of his ideas, and...

Maximus the Confessor (580–662), one of the towering figures of early Byzantine theology, occupies a place in the Greek patristic tradition comparable to that of Thomas Aquinas in the Latin West. His profound influence as a spiritual and theological master is evident in the vast space dedicated to him in the Philokalia. For Maximus, dogma and prayer were inseparable, and his unwavering defense of orthodox Christology—against the heresies of his time—was grounded in this deep unity of truth an...

This short, beautifully illustrated volume serves as an inviting introduction to St. Francis of Assisi through one of his most beloved works, the Canticle of the Creatures. As G. K. Chesterton observed, the Canticle is a “supremely characteristic work,” so rich with Francis’s spirit that much of his life and character can be discerned from it alone. For newcomers to Francis, the Canticle provides a perfect entry point; for Franciscans—especially members of the Secular Franciscan Order—it offe...

Imagined in the first person and interwoven with excerpts from the letters of Saint John Neumann, this narrative follows the journey of a young, poor immigrant whose vocation draws him far beyond his Bohemian homeland. From childhood he sensed a calling to missionary work in North America, a conviction that shaped every step of his life. Within twenty years of arriving in the United States as a Redemptorist priest, he served the North American Province, became Bishop of Philadelphia, and laid...

Blessed Carlo Acutis is an inspiring example for today’s teens and adolescents. Often called the unofficial patron saint of the internet, Carlo lived the life of an ordinary millennial who loved soccer, computers, and video games, yet he was deeply committed to Mass, confession, prayer, and helping others grow closer to Jesus. Using his computer skills, Carlo created online resources to promote devotion to the Eucharist and to help others understand the beauty of Catholic teaching. Diagnosed ...

Praying with the Saints invites you to embark on a spiritual journey through the words and prayers of one hundred beloved saints. Spanning two millennia, this beautifully curated anthology offers encouragement, solace, and inspiration from holy men and women whose lives continue to illuminate the path to God. Through their heartfelt prayers and reflections, you’ll discover a bridge to the divine and a companion for every season of life—times of joy, suffering, and contemplation alike. Prais...

Winner of a second-place award in the contemporary spirituality category from the Catholic Media Association. Eight modern saints invite you to follow their example and live the Beatitudes—the heart of Jesus’s teaching—in your own life. Through her beautiful full-color art, scripture passages, journaling prompts, and original prayers inspired by the Our Father, Catholic artist Jen Norton guides readers to put the Beatitudes into practice, challenging them to examine the state of their hearts ...

If there is to be real renewal in Christian life, a culture steeped in the blood of the Lamb, saints must rise up to seed it. Only the witness of sanctity can save us now. More than ever, we need heroic men of God like St. Ignatius of Antioch, bishop and martyr of the early Church, whose life and letters Dr. Regis Martin illuminates in these stirring pages. No other writer of the Apostolic Age has expressed with such passion, such blazing intensity, an ardent thirst for God as St. Ignatius, t...

"I know I am not worthy of her help, yet she is to me in my darkness of sin what the bright and shining star is to the mariner, for her pardon gives me hope." -- Alessandro Serenelli Through vivid storytelling, this historical account reveals the disturbing influences and grim motives that possessed Alessandro Serenelli, St. Maria Goretti's murderer. Yet it is much more than a chilling tale; this true narrative is a testament of transformation and redemption -- God's mercy shining forth throu...

Learned and filled with holiness, he not only organized the constitutions, and established the Salve Regina after compline but was instrumental guiding the work of others to establish the Dominican Liturgy.Though master-general of the order, Bl. Jordan's humility prevented him from attributing himself as a director of any human authority. He was not and did not wish to be anything but a docile instrument of grace. As a director of conscience in his breadth and delicacy, Jordan had the Catholi...

In this volume on the Sacraments, St. Robert Bellarmine follows the structure of the Council of Trent to present a precise and authoritative defense of Catholic sacramental theology against the errors of early Protestant reformers. In his treatise On the Sacraments in General, Bellarmine explains the nature and purpose of the Sacraments, examining their definition, matter and form, their divine institution, the distinction between Old Testament and New Testament rites, the conditions for vali...

St. Paschal Baylon was born on the feast of Pentecost in 1540 in Terre Hermosa, Spain. His parents were poor and grew up tending animals. He was endowed with great piety, and soon gained the respect of the other boys. After receiving a vision, he was inspired to become a Franciscan, and though he was offered a great fortune as an inheritance, nevertheless at 24, begged to be received by the Friars minor at Monteforte. He could always be found with a rosary and had great devotion to the Blesse...

The love of nature in our days has gone so far apart from Christian feeling. Men have forgotten that God's thoughts find expression in the visible, as well as in the invisible, world, and that inner and secret harmonies bind the natural and the supernatural together. The things of beauty which God has bidden arise on the earth lose half their grace, because men do not mount by them to the better understanding of the supernal beauty of the operations of that world which Faith reveals to our ga...

Devotion to St. Joseph, the foster-father of Jesus, is one of the oldest and strongest currents in Catholic spirituality. The Month of St. Joseph, first published in 1872, provides a complete 31-day cycle of reflections, prayers, and examples designed to deepen love for the humble patriarch who raised the Incarnate Word. Each day offers a short reading focused on an aspect of St. Joseph’s life—his fatherhood, poverty, purity, meekness, work, hidden life in Nazareth, exile in Egypt, and powerf...

Saint Alphonsus de Liguori (1696–1787), Doctor of the Church, was a legal prodigy who earned a double doctorate at the age of sixteen. Born into a noble Italian family, he abandoned his legal career to serve the poor and sick of Naples. In 1732, he founded the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer, the Redemptorists, dedicating his life to preaching missions and guiding souls. Remarkably, his literary career did not begin until he was nearly fifty. From then on, he wrote tirelessly, producin...

St. Leonard was born in 1676 at Port Maurice, near Genoa. He went to Rome to study, and there took on the Franciscan habit at the friary of St. Bonaventure. St. Leonard was zealous for souls, and wanted to be a missionary to foreign lands; instead he was called by God to give missions to the Christians of his own country.For twenty-four years, amid great hardships and dangers, he preached missions in every corner of Italy. The power of his words, which flowed from his strict life converted co...

In the Workshop of St. Joseph, by the Rev. Heuser, presents the reader with a fictional account taking place at the time of the Holy Family's flight to Egypt, and later return to Nazareth.It follows several fictional characters, Eliab, his daughter Zelah who becomes a servant for the Holy Family, and his son Ahijah, all of whom are Jews living in Egypt. Zelah accompanies the Holy Family back to Nazareth, and Eliab and Ahijah follow them, ultimately taking up residence in Nazareth itself. The ...

Many readers know John Fisher primarily as the fellow martyr of Thomas More and as a victim of King Henry VIII’s break with Rome. Far fewer realize that Fisher was already renowned in the early sixteenth century as one of Europe’s foremost theologians and as a reforming bishop of exceptional holiness and learning. His theological precision and fidelity to tradition made him uniquely suited to confront the doctrinal crisis emerging from Germany. When Martin Luther denied core Catholic doctrine...

The epistles of St. Ignatius are presented here in their entirety, offering valuable historical insight through an accessible English translation. St. Ignatius of Antioch, one of the earliest and most significant Christian leaders, became Bishop of Antioch around 67 A.D. During his ministry, he wrote several letters to Christian communities and individuals, many of which survive as some of the earliest Christian texts. Known for his extensive travels and missionary zeal, Ignatius also gave us...

This learned and historically grounded work traces the development of mystical theology leading up to John of the Cross. The author offers a careful study of the principal figures and texts that shaped the medieval mystical tradition and prepared the way for its great synthesis in the Carmelite reform. The book examines the contributions of Hugh and Richard of St Victor, St Bonaventure, and a number of influential works long attributed to other authors. It includes substantial treatment of Hu...

Leaving no stone unturned, this authoritative book offers fresh perspectives on the life, times, and zealous ministry of St. Paul. Historian and professor Rev. Waldemar Chrostowski provides the chronology of the luminary apostle's life in fascinating detail, from his transformation at Damascus to his numerous escapes from mortal danger that rivaled those of an action-film hero. But these stories of persecutions, trials, sentencings, tumultuous missionary journeys, and encounters with remarkab...

This book examines how thirteen extraordinary men and women from apostolic times to the present--most of them canonized saints--came to see how God wanted them to organize their lives and, seeing that, set out to shape their lives accordingly. It adopts a new and illuminating approach to a familiar literary genre--the lives of the saints and what the turning points were in their dedicating themselves to God. Instead of concentrating on the question of vocation, the book situates the thirteen ...

St Therese of Lisieux is one of the best-loved saints of the Church. Her writings are amongst the most popular works of spirituality the world has ever known. Admitted to Carmel in 1888 at the age of fifteen, she only lived nine more years. St Therese wrote with utter simplicity, and yet, because of her outstanding spiritual discernment, Pope John Paul II declared her a Doctor of the Church. Her gifts as a poet, however, have remained largely unknown to English-speaking readers - here for the...

Saint Joseph stands close to Jesus and Mary at the heart of the gospel story. Yet he remains largely in the background, silent and steady. Not surprisingly, Christians throughout the ages have pondered deeply this mystery that is Joseph.Many have speculated about the unknown details of his life, and several mystics were granted visions that portrayed the hidden days--both the ordinary and the extraordinary--of Our Lord's appointed guardian vividly and profoundly. The Life of Saint Joseph as S...

Color, learn, pray! Father Donald Calloway, MIC, presents a fun way for children of all ages to grow closer to St. Joseph, the ultimate superhero and the "Terror of Demons." Learn more about this great Saint by coloring the wonderful illustrations by Sam Estrada, each portraying a different title of St. Joseph.