How the Saints Shaped History

by Randall Petrides

In every era of the Catholic Church, holy men and women have shaped history through their gifts and talents and, most importantly, through their resolute commitment to Jesus Christ. Some led armies, some founded monasteries, some lived a radical call to charity - and each one had a unique part to play.



How the Saints Shaped History focuses on the essential role of the saints, as vessels of God's grace, in moving the Church (and the world!) through her two-thousand-year history. Written especially for everyday Catholics hungry to learn more about the Faith, this book is both comprehensive and accessible. It tells the story of how more than 180 saints, from Saint Mary Magdalene to Pope Saint John Paul II, led the Church through many crises and back to her spiritual roots.



As our Church continues to face crises, this book reminds us that we still have reason to hope in our own time. As the providential hand of God worked through the saints to shape history, each of us is called to become a new saint to shape the history of the Church today.

342 pages, Kindle Edition

Published April 28, 2023

Reviews

[Chrystina · Rating 2 out of 5]

I had a tough time getting through this book. I am not anti-religious or anti-Catholic—I am Catholic—but the blatant apologist tone got to be ridiculous.
According to Petrides, the Inquisition was actually a good thing, the separation of Church and State is a terrible thing and the Enlightenment was disastrous for humanity.
I am a believer, but God gave me an excellent brain and as thanks for my God-given gift, I actually USE my brain.
In many instances, the scholarship was excellent, and if not for absurdity of many of Petrides’ pronouncements, this would have been an interesting and enjoyable read.

[Dennis J. Waszak · Rating 1 out of 5]

Disappointing

I'm not sure if the kindle edition was different from the printed edition but I was very disappointed with my reading of this on my kindle. Topics begun were left hanging. Often, chapters were too brief for any real development of the topic. It was stated to be a story of the saints through history but what I saw were periods where saints were not even mentioned, so it fails as a true history of Catholic saints. It also fails as a history, leaving major events with just a cursory. Overall, a disappointment.

[Elizabeth Petrides · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a survey of Church history with the saints, not kings and popes, as protagonists. It's a big-picture look at the story that helps the reader connect the dots between historical events. This is a refreshing - and valid - way to look at the Church, because the Church is a divine as well as a human institution. The narrative is well-written, with a timeline at the beginning and discussion questions at the end. While hundreds of books have been written about saints and about history, this one combines the two in a very readable story.

[Tom · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a very rewarding read. It has filled a lot of gaps in my knowledge of Church history such as the great schism, how St. Peter's Basilica came about, the plagues, how the coming of Jesus was perfectly placed in history, the inquisition and the crusades, and much more. It is very well written, and very easy to read. It is very balanced in that it presents the good and the bad of Church history and how God raised up Saints to get the Church through difficult times. It is not a scholarly work, but Randall admits that early on. It's more for the every day person in the pew. I highly recommend this book.