Showing titles in Saints & Sainthood

When Our Lord wants a message to get out to his church, he raises up a powerful saint to do the task. Such a saint was Gertrude the Great! She was the one to plant the seed which would bloom through the hands of another powerful saint and visionary St. Margaret Mary Alacoque, four centuries later, and subsequently through Saint Faustina Kowalska in the 20th century, through the Mission of Divine Mercy.

There were many obstacles Mother Cabrini had to overcome on her voyage to the New World. The first adversity she had to conquer was the Atlantic Ocean. She'd had a bad experience as a child, where she fell into the river in search of some little dolls which had fallen from a ledge into the water. She was saved from drowning by her guardian angel, but he had never taken her fear of water. She was now going to tackle one of the largest bodies of water in the world, and not the most pleasant.

The "Rule" of St. Benedict was written in the sixth century by the father of monastic life, St. Benedict himself. It towers in the great tradition of Christian Monasticism. Its leading characteristics are its wonderful discretion, moderation, and keen insight into the capabilities and weaknesses of human nature. Here is a common sense approach to arranging life so that Christian spirituality and virtue can be lived out in any community settings - monastic or familial.

In The Franciscan Saints, spiritual trailblazers span the centuries from Francis and Clare to Solanus Casey and Mychal Judge, with representatives from every walk of life and corner of the world. Each entry features the essential biographical facts and adds the insight and depth only Ellsberg can provide. The author’s sharp eye for signs and stories of holiness in the gritty, messy real world informs his selections, making his work unique.

The tale of St. Josaphat, a prince who gave up his wealth and kingdom to follow Jesus, was widely told and read in the Middle Ages, translated into a dozen languages, and even cited by Shakespeare in The Merchant of Venice. Only in the 19th century did scholars note the parallels between the lives of Buddha and Josaphat. In Search of the Christian Buddha traces the Buddha’s story from India to Persia to Jerusalem and then throughout Europe, as it was rewritten by Muslim, Jewish, and Christian authors, illustrating its unsuspected integration into European culture.

Biographies will only take you so far. It's impossible to truly understand Francis of Assisi without reading or hearing his own words. A scholar and lover of Francis, Sweeney has added six writings to his bestselling compilation, additional texts that we're most certain came from Francis himself.

Even before Kateri Tekakwitha’s canonization on October 21, 2012, many had been inspired by the story of the young Native American mystic who lived in the Mohawk Valley during the 17th century. With Emily Cavins's skill for weaving together historical facts and a compelling story, listeners will discover Kateri’s path to sainthood against the backdrop of her life as a Native American in New York.

St. Maria Goretti was only a child when she died a martyr’s death. Yet today, she inspires millions who find in her a perfect model of purity and holiness. Listen here about her great holiness in the midst of tremendous suffering, how she died at the hands of a vicious murderer who tried to defile her purity, and how she visited this very same murderer years later in his jail cell to forgive him.

The Lord had an urgency to give Saint Faustina Kowalska the message of divine mercy with or without a spiritual director; and so, the day was to come, on February 22, 1931, in Vilnius, when the Lord’s mission would begin to be revealed to her. She was in her cell; she saw the Lord Jesus clothed in a white garment.

St. Ambrose (CE 340-397), bishop of Milan, felt strongly that virginity was one of the principle virtues. He was very successful in persuading maidens to adopt chaste religious vocations, so much so that many a mother refused to permit her daughter to listen to him. At one point, the saint was compelled to refute the accusation that he was depopulating the state. He did this by appealing to the young men of his age that they should not have any difficulty in finding wives.

In the battle for our children’s souls, Catholic parents have a key advantage over the world: our children were made for heaven. God willed us to exist now—in a world that celebrates sin as virtue and punishes Christians as “haters”—as part of his merciful plan. Unbreakable helps Catholic parents raise strong children able to resist the soul-endangering temptation to “get along” to “get ahead” in the world.

Saint Alphonsus Ligouri begins a life in the courts of law. His father had him trained to become a lawyer. By the time he was 16 years old, he was so proficient in his studies, he received a degree of Doctor of Laws. And this came about in spite of the fact that the required age to receive such a degree was no younger than 20 years of age. Although his father's focus was to groom him for the world, his mother, who was highly spiritual, was the loving instrument who would prepare him for a future life as Jesus and Mary's troubadour.

To have found God and still seek Him is a love paradox, rejected by the too-easy-satisfied religious person, but justified by the offspring of the flaming heart in happy experience. This heavenly contradiction was expressed by Saint Bernard of Clairvaux in a musical four-line poem that will be quickly grasped by every worshiping soul.

Today, we all face spiritual warfare and can find strength and inspiration through Padre Pio's example and intercession. In Padre Pio's Armor: Prayers that Route Demons, you will discover how to fortify yourself and become a spiritual warrior. This book delves into the life of Padre Pio, invoking 25 prayers and a novena for his intercession.

When we wrote on the life of St. Teresa in our book Saints and other Powerful Women in the Church, little did we think that we would, some day, be using her visions of heaven, hell, and purgatory to affirm these important truths of our Catholic faith.

Here is the book that will help you climb St. Paul's "eight steps," to attain happiness, holiness, and Heaven. Bestselling author Kevin Vost breaks open St. Paul's life and spirituality through the lens of St. Thomas Aquinas, as well as other saintly and noble men and women.

Enter the world of Faustina Kowalska, the saint who unlocked the depths of Divine Mercy and forever changed the spiritual landscape of modern Catholicism. Her story is more than just a life of devotion—it’s an invitation to transform your relationship with God. From her humble beginnings in Poland to the miraculous visions that would define her legacy, Faustina's journey reveals the extraordinary within the ordinary. Through her eyes, you’ll see how one soul’s complete trust in God can ripple across the world, sparking a movement that transcends borders. In Faustina Kowalska for ...

Few Christians in history are more revered when it comes to prayer and contemplation than St. Teresa of Ávila. Known for her piety and rapturous mystical experiences, many have sought to pursue her path or a path like it. While some have done this formally in the Carmelite orders she established, countless others have grown in their faith and experiences of intimacy with God through her writings and prayers.

Basil the Great is not just a name from the past—he's a powerful force whose influence shaped the very foundation of Christianity. Whether you're new to theology or a seasoned scholar, Basil the Great for Beginners: The Life, Writings, and Impact of a Great Theologian will draw you into the world of one of history's most compelling figures. Imagine unlocking the wisdom of a man whose thoughts have influenced millions for over 1,600 years. Basil wasn’t merely a theologian; he was a revolutionary thinker who tackled the most complex issues of his time with clarity and precision. His ...

As much as any of the saints, Saint Francis of Assisi - born Giovanni di Pietro di Bernardone - is known for his profound piety. He is especially remembered for how he renounced worldly possessions in order to focus on spiritual things. At great personal risk, he attempted to convert the Sultan in Egypt to end the Crusades. His Franciscan Order grew quickly in his time and has since birthed several other orders that persist to this day.