The Modern Saints: Portraits and Reflections on the Saints

by Marcie Alvis Walker (Contributor), Fr. James Martin (Contributor), Tsh Oxenreider (Contributor)

The saints were the original social justice advocates. This stunning collection of contemporary portraits celebrates their diversity and spiritual depth as never before, accompanied by thoughtful reflections from bestselling and influential writers.

Over the centuries, the rich diversity and relevance of the saints has been whitewashed, their images portrayed as expressionless, and the lessons of their lives watered down. But artist, writer, and modern iconographer Gracie Morbitzer is painting the truth. The Modern Saints is a celebration of the divergence of ethnicities, ages, abilities, and practices of spiritual pilgrims who transformed the world, and an invitation to connect with historical icons whose lives have astonishing and inspiring relevance for our present-day.

Each entry of this striking collection features a contemporary image of the saint, a re-imagining of the space they might hold in society today, and an inspiring prayer to honor each figure. Readers will appreciate each contribution from our current generation's spiritual thought leaders that illuminate the impact and wisdom each historical saint offers us today.

Among forty-eight additional spiritual reflections and original paintings, The Modern Saints

With its unique portraits and compelling narrative, this 52-week collection is perfect for devotional reading, as it will move, encourage, and strengthen each reader as they find solidarity and profound belonging within the host of saints.

Genres: Spirituality, Faith, Christian, Theology

320 pages, Hardcover

Published December 5, 2023

Reviews

[Theresa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Outstanding. Easily the best book I’ve read all year. The icons are incredible, the reflections inspiring. You need this in your spiritual reading collection.

[Diana (diana_reads_and_reads) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Our homeschool umbrella requires us to have some sort of Christian ed component. I mostly let church and youth group fill that requirement, but I do like to have something that we read during morning basket each day. I picked up The Modern Saints when I saw @livingwellread post about it, and it was the perfect book for my daughter and I to slow read together this past year.

We are not Catholic, and I have very limited familiarity with the saints, but the history of the Christian church fascinates me. I loved how Morbitzer brought together art, history, and devotion in this beautiful book. The devotions, while trending Catholic, are written by authors from a variety of faith traditions and led to a lot of fruitful discussion between my daughter and me. I had a few theological nits, but that didn’t take away from my enjoyment of the book.

[Michele · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve been a fan of Gracie’s Modern Saints icons for a few years now. I can’t even remember how I came across them; the images are so powerful, compelling, and relatable.
The book features 52 of the icons and includes a story/bio of the saint and a reflection by various authors.
I love the symbolism used in the art, how Gracie envisions their modern day look and the appropriate physical look (skin tone, hair, etc)
This is not the “Lives of the Saints” book I grew up with as a little Catholic girl and I am blessed to meet these amazing people in a fresh, beautiful, and thoughtful way.

[Jean Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was immediately intrigued by this book when I discovered it on the shelf of a local independent book shop, autographed by the illustrator and editor. I bought it as a high school graduation gift for a niece (would also make a great Confirmation gift), but once I started perusing these sometimes charming, sometimes surprising and always updated icons of holy men and women I love, I claimed the book as my own. (I purchased another for my niece and three more for adult daughters.) I was also impressed by the Who’s-Who of contemporary Christian authors who reflect on each saint’s connection to his/her/their own lives.

Little did I know how late I was discovering the young influencer behind the compilation, modern iconographer Grace Morbitzer. Her deeply researched hagiographies, sincerely composed intercessory prayers and suggestions for social action tied to each saint’s patronage has drawn more than 11K followers on Instagram. She also writes a touching introduction to the book and several essays, as expertly composed as those of the more seasoned authors. “We have ...so much in common with [saints],” she writes. “We can also be like them no matter [our] position on faith, how we may have hurt or been hurt in the past. ...The humanity of the saints can bring [us] healing, empathy, hope, more questions and a place to start on this journey.”

I love how this book is conceptualized as a weekly devotional (52 portraits and essays) but does not include spiritual journal prompts to end each chapter, which I find overly pedantic oftentimes. The well-written reflections and riveting gazes of dread-locked, tattooed, and scarred-but-holy humans stayed with me for days without such assistance.

Based on the power of this book, I’ve since met the editor/illustrator, written a profile about her for U.S. Catholic Magazine (Feb. 2024), and invited her to launch a new season of my podcast, Readpraywrite.com. That is an impactful experience!

[Conor · Rating 5 out of 5]

I first picked this book up after seeing the author, Gracie Morbitzer post about it on her instagram page. As an avid follower of her artwork, particularly her icons of the saints, this was a must read for me and I preordered it from B&N that day. Since then, I’ve tried to read a chapter or two per day over the course of the last year, fully diving into her own unique take on those saintly icons. Little did I know, that the accompanying biographies and stories would show me a new way of perceiving each of the saints in accordance with the various author’s lives.

Never before had I seen or read the stories of countless saints like Sts. Cyrpian, Disman, Edith Stein, or Olympias. To immerse myself in their lives was a humbling and prayerful experience which only added to my litany of spiritual petitions to some of my favorites, including Sts. Oscar Romero, Ignatius, John, and Teresa of Avila. Morbitzer’s iconography is breathtaking, offering a visual testament to the timelessness of these saintly lives, something that we so desperately need in today’s world. I cannot recommend this book enough to anyone looking to learn more about those individuals who truly encapsulated Christ’s love, mercy, and compassion for us all.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ancient and modern saints are more than holy God-followers. They're also human with passions, vices and interests. In this book, multiple and diverse writers share insights into the backgrounds, work and influence of various saints. Readers gain a history lesson and make personal connections as they reflect on how each saint can influence our actions and lives today.
I really appreciated the essays. Each writer personalized the saint in ways that connected with me. I also liked that each entry lists the saint's lifespan and their patrons, which is helpful as a quick reference.
And I needed the accompanying portraits of each saint. Artist, writer and modern iconographer Gracie Morbitzer captured each saint's personality and work in unique ways. Her work made the saints accessible and helped me relate to each one.
My favorite saints are Monica, Hildegard of Bingen and Dymphna. But each person in this book has a unique story to tell and can motivate modern readers to change our world too.

[Carrie Ann · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was phenomenal! It features 52 saints, and each one was written about by a different person. The section on each Saint includes a piece of art, historical information, a reflection, and a prayer. The art is really cool— it’s modern (as the title implies) and ethnically accurate. The reflections are interesting and discuss how the Saints are still relevant for people of faith today. ⁣
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Growing up Presbyterian, I knew nothing about the Saints that are honored by the Catholic Church. This book is totally accessible to non-Catholics, and the authors come from different faith backgrounds. This book would be cool as a weekly devotional for anyone interested in considering social justice issues in the church or how historical figures can influence our faith. ⁣
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Many thanks to @convergent_books for sending me a copy of this book. While I flew through it in a week, I know I’ll be revisiting it in the future!⁣

[Rachel Hafler · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved learning more about a few familiar saints and being introduced to some saints that I'd never even heard of. I've been reading this before bed, just one or two entries each night for the last few months and I really enjoyed taking my time with it.
This is difficult to review since it is a collection of reflections on the saints and each chapter is written by a different author. Some of the chapters were shallow or lackluster, but some of them were deeply moving. I love Gracie Morbitzer's art and iconography and that's really why I bought the book in the first place, so 5 stars for the actual saint portraits and the intro that went along with each saint. Anywhere from 2-5 stars for each of the individual reflections. Overall though, I am glad to own this book and have a chance to engage the stories of the saints through its pages.

[Abigail Myers · Rating 5 out of 5]

Illuminated by Gracie Morbitzer's distinctive and heart-filled icons, these stories of saints both well- and little-known take us out of the realm of miracles, for the most part, and into the ways in which the earthly lives, troubles, and blessings of the people known formally as saints invite us to contemplate the ways in which we, too, can transform and transcend our own trying circumstances. I was so excited to read this book because I commissioned the icons Gracie painted of St. Junia and St. Kevin, and they're both included in the book alongside some other never before seen pieces, so even if you've browsed Gracie's website or Etsy store before, there's still a lot of new work to enjoy in here -- icons and the written reflections and prayers offered by lots of thoughtful folks.

[Cathie · Rating 3 out of 5]

There are 52 "chapters" in the book. Each starts with a full-page contemporary art icon of the featured saint, and has a brief artist's statement, then a "short story" about the saint, then a reflection of how the saint is still relevant or what we can learn from this saint, followed by a short prayer and bio of the reflection writer.

All the art is by Gracie Morbitzer, but each saint has a different reflection author.

I'm glad a read this book but it didn't appeal to me as much as I thought it would. The art was very interesting but only 3 of the reflections spoke to me, and I thought some were strange - but I'm not familiar with contemporary Catholic writing.

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

Modern Saints by Gracie Morbitzer is fantastic. It has become a nightly read. The essays come from a variety of perspectives and are interesting and well-written. I’m learning about saints I’ve never even heard of. However, it is the illustrations that draw me in the most. I feel like I know these saints in a way I didn’t before. Their humanity shines through.

[Kat · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is fantastic as a reflective book, visually stimulating, and works really well as a coffee table book too. The modern saints are wonderfully portrayed by Gracie with relatable stories from renowned Catholic figures today. This book gives a fresh perspective on the saints and their divinely inspired ideas which have transcended generations.

[Meg Macgill · Rating 5 out of 5]

Incredible book and works of art that I recommend to anyone willing to see the saints in a different light. I read a reflection every day and learned so much. I plan to come back to this book over and over again.

[Angelica · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love the art, love the essays

[Cara Meredith · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gracie’s artwork (and the inspiration behind each piece) is its own reflection and meditation — and I say this as one of the authors featured in the book.