Catholic Review: Meet the Saints

Meet the Saints

The second book I chose to review through The Catholic Company was Meet the Saints. Now, when I received the book I have to admit it was a little bit smaller than I had hoped for. The entire text is less than 100 pages, not including the FAQ and Bibliography. So if you purchase this book, keep in mind that you will be meeting the saints, just a very select few of them.

On that note, I think this is the perfect book to "dip your toes" in the water. I would recommend this to someone who was not familiar with saints at all - a perfect gift for RCIA! It's an easy read and broken up into chapters that categorize the saints by what they were known for (Chapters include "Women Who Knew Jesus," "Male Founders," "Special Friends of the Poor," etc.). Each chapter gives a synopsis of three saints that fall into these categories, and lists their Feast Day.

My favorite part about this book are the "Stepping Out in Faith" sections at the end of each chapter. These are a call to action that really take the lives of the saints and put them into perspective as you try to incorporate them into your own life. Here is an excerpt from the first chapter:

Take advantage of the opportunities to do good. Follow in the footsteps of... 

* Salome, who transferred her skills as wife and mother to minister to the crowds that followed Jesus. Consider sharing your talents, abilities and knowledge in new ways within a parish ministry or social outreach effort.
* Martha and Mary of Bethany, who provided Jesus with the support of friendship and a refuge, a place apart. Invite your pastor or member of your parish staff to dinner or for coffee. Write a note to thank a minister for his or her efforts on your community's behalf.
* Mary Magdalene, who committed her life and possessions to Jesus and carried the news of the Resurrection to the apostles. Commit to more fully living your faith in Jesus and the promise of the Resurrection. What will that look like in your life?

The introduction by Bishop Robert F. Morneau has a great suggestion of taking the twelve chapters and studying one every week. This book could certainly be used as a jumping off point to learn even more about the saints featured in each chapter, to study their writings, research who they influenced, etc.

Therefore, I would recommend this book for those who just don't know where to get started. There are so many saints, it can be overwhelming to figure out who is who. The book also has a great FAQ section about saints, as well as an extensive biography list to look into. This book will definitely help you lay the foundation you need for learning about saints, and the "Stepping Out in Faith" sections will help you to implement some of their characteristics into your life. And who doesn't want to be more saintly?


This review was written as part of the Catholic book reviewer program from The Catholic Company. Visit The Catholic Company to find more information on Meet the Saints. They are also a great source for a Catechism of the Catholic Church or a Catholic Bible. I did not receive any monetary compensation for this review.

Catholic Review: Good Words

I recently joined the Catholic Company as a product reviewer, and I received my first book about a week ago! It's amazing how God knew exactly what I needed before I did.


Good Words: Inspiration for Catholic Women

This is the kind of book you want to have on your dresser or nightstand, where you can read it whenever you need to. Of course, you could read it all the way through if you wanted to, but I prefer a little more randomness in my life. The book is separated into different categories such as "For Every Matter Under Heaven," "A Time to Break Down, A Time to Build Up," and "A Time to Seek, and a Time to Lose." In each category are a selection of quotes from a multitude of women writers. The Contents are based off of Ecclesiastes 3 : 1-8.

Given that this has been one of the hardest times in my life, having just been diagnosed with an illness that I will have forever, I've been opening this little book almost every night to find support, inspiration, and hope. I only read a little at a time, and then reflect and pray on that passage. The book includes Questions for Reflection after most quotes, but I choose to skip over those. However, I could definitely see someone starting a devotional journal to go along with this book, selecting a passage, and answering the reflection questions. To each their own.

So far I've really enjoyed it. It's a nice little pick me up, a reminder that I'm not alone and others have walked this path before me. I'm sure as I enter new trials and times in my life that there will be more quotes for me to identify with, and that is very reassuring. You can be sure that these are the best of the best, the cream of the crop quotes, plucked from the best Catholic women authors. The book is small, doesn't take up much space, and is travel friendly. I think I will take it with me to Germany for our vacation - some might even want to carry it with them in their purse.

My favorite quote so far:

Sometimes in the dream of making a difference in the world, our number one enemy is ourselves. We sabotage our dreams, thinking we are too young, too old, too skilled, too unskilled, too poor or too out of it. The truth is that change in the world is effected by people with strengths and weaknesses. Change is effected by ordinary people, and most of us are simply that--ordinary.
- Joan Mueller, Living a Spirituality of Action: A Woman's Perspective

For a casual, occasional, and inspirational read that you will keep coming back to, I highly recommend Good Words: Inspiration for Catholic Women - it has definitely helped me!

This review was written as part of the Catholic book reviewer program from The Catholic Company. Visit The Catholic Company to find more information on Good Words - Inspiration for Catholic Women. They are also a great source for a Catechism of the Catholic Church or a Catholic Bible. I did not receive any monetary compensation for this review.