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Married Saints and Blesseds Through the Centuries Paperback October 1, 2002
Countless saints have been priests or religious, living out lives of penance and sacrifice for the good of the Church. But many Catholics don't realize that married couples are called to holiness as well. Fr. Holböck's tells the inspiring stories of over 200 married saints and blesseds from the Virgin Mary and St. Joseph to Margaret of Scotland, King Louis of France, Thomas More, and modern examples like Gianna Molla and Louis and Zélie Martin, parents of St. Thérèse of Lisieux. The example of these holy men and women is essential to living a truly Catholic married life. Important Church documents and scripture passages are also included to further guide and enlighten the reader. Many illustrations.
Unknown Binding
First published October 1, 2002
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About the author
Ferdinand Holböck
20 books1 followerDr. theol., Lic. phil. Ferdinand Holböck, Univ.-Professor an der Theol. Fakultät der Universität Salzburg. Konsistorialrat, Domkapitular des Salzburger Metropolitankapitels, Päpstlicher Hausprälat, seit 1982 Mitglied der Päpstlichen Theologischen Akademie in Rom, geboren am 13. Juli 1913 in Schwanenstadt, Oberösterreich, nach Philosophiestudium Theologiestudium in Rom; Priesterweihe am 30. Oktober 1938 in Rom, Kaplan an der deutschen Nationalkirche der Anima in Rom, dann an mehreren Orten der Erzdiözese Salzburg Salzburg; Lazarettpfarrer, Religionslehrer an mehreren Höheren Schulen, seit 1946 Lehrbeauftragter und Dozent, seit 1952 Professor für Dogmatik an der Theolog. Fakultät der Universität Salzburg, Schriftleiter des "Österreichischen Klerus-Blattes", Verfasser einer Reihe dogmatischer Werke. Dazu noch eine große Anzahl von Beiträgen in Fachzeitschriften und Festschriften.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
January 13, 2020
I started this book in 2015, then left it for a few years, and picked it up a few months ago.
Each saint or blessed has a short but thorough article, ranging from 1-8 pages. Sometimes one of the spouses has been raised to the altars, sometimes both. There are well-known and lesser known saints, from a variety of countries and from all social extractions. This makes the reading quite interesting and varied.
Each saint or blessed has a short but thorough article, ranging from 1-8 pages. Sometimes one of the spouses has been raised to the altars, sometimes both. There are well-known and lesser known saints, from a variety of countries and from all social extractions. This makes the reading quite interesting and varied.
August 10, 2020
ENGLISH: 119 minibiographies of as many marriages, at least one of whose members has been declared holy or blessed by the Catholic Church.
The minibiography I liked most is that of St. Thomas More. It is a very complete summary of his life, in just 15 pages, although of course it couldn't go in depth. It didn't mention, for instance, his foreign travels and his most famous work, Utopia.
The only criticism I must make refers to some of the supposedly "married saints & blesseds," who decided to live a "white or Josephite marriage" (an unconsummated marriage), and sometimes even joined separate monasteries. I think these cases shouldn't have been included in the book, or at least put in a separate part, for I'm not sure that they can be considered real marriages. I understand, however, that the intention of the author was to prove that there are many married saints and blesseds, and therefore eliminating them would have defeated the issue.
A subtle case is that of Saint Nicholas von Flüe, married with 10 children, who one day, after twenty years of marriage, and when his youngest child was barely 16 weeks old, abandoned his home, his wife and children, to become a hermit. The book editor himself finds this case difficult to understand, although the fact that the Church has declared von Flüe a saint must be taken into account. The chapter contains a text by the Benedictine monk Michael Jungo which shows clearly the pressure that Von Flüe's wife had to endure, for she opposed the separation, until she relented and accepted her husband's decision.
We can compare to this the case of St. Francis Borgia, who after losing his wife Eleanor, with whom he had had eight children, decided to dedicate his life to God and became a Jesuit in secret, waiting to make it public (and to be ordained a priest) until "all eight of his children were provided for and all the affairs of governing the Duchy of Gandia had been settled." This way of acting is mucho more understandable for our way of thinking than von Flüe's.
ESPAÑOL: 119 minibiografías de otros tantos matrimonios, uno al menos de cuyos miembros ha sido declarado santo o beato por la Iglesia Católica.
La minibiografía que más me gustó es la de Santo Tomás Moro. Es un resumen muy completo de su vida en solo 15 páginas, aunque por supuesto no puede profundizar. No menciona, por ejemplo, sus viajes al extranjero y su obra más famosa, Utopía.
La única crítica que tengo que hacer se refiere a algunos de los supuestos "santos y beatos casados" que decidieron vivir un "matrimonio blanco" (no consumado) y, a veces, incluso ingresaron en monasterios separados. Creo que estos casos no deberían haber sido incluidos en el libro, o al menos deberían haber sido colocados aparte, ya que no estoy seguro de que puedan considerarse verdaderos matrimonios. Sin embargo, entiendo que la intención del autor era demostrar que hay muchos santos y beatos casados y, por lo tanto, eliminarlos habría ido en contra de sus intenciones.
Un caso delicado es el de San Nicolas von Flüe, casado y con 10 hijos, que un buen día, tras veinte años de matrimonio, y cuando su hijo menor apenas tenía 16 semanas de edad, abandonó su hogar, a su esposa y a sus hijos para convertirse en ermitaño. El propio recopilador de los casos encuentra el caso difícil de comprender, aunque el hecho de que la Iglesia haya declarado santo a von Flüe tiene algo que decir al respecto. El capítulo contiene un texto del monje benedictino Michael Jungo en el que queda muy clara la presión continua que tuvo que sufrir la esposa de Von Flüe, que se oponía a la separación, hasta que cedió y aceptó la decisión de su marido.
Podemos comparar con este el caso de San Francisco de Borja, que después de perder a su esposa Eleanor, con quien había tenido ocho hijos, decidió dedicar su vida a Dios y se hizo jesuita en secreto, esperando para hacerlo público (y ser ordenado sacerdote) hasta que "proveyó el futuro de sus ocho hijos y resolvió los asuntos de gobierno del Ducado de Gandia". Esta forma de actuar es mucho más comprensible para nuestro modo de pensar que la de von Flüe.
The minibiography I liked most is that of St. Thomas More. It is a very complete summary of his life, in just 15 pages, although of course it couldn't go in depth. It didn't mention, for instance, his foreign travels and his most famous work, Utopia.
The only criticism I must make refers to some of the supposedly "married saints & blesseds," who decided to live a "white or Josephite marriage" (an unconsummated marriage), and sometimes even joined separate monasteries. I think these cases shouldn't have been included in the book, or at least put in a separate part, for I'm not sure that they can be considered real marriages. I understand, however, that the intention of the author was to prove that there are many married saints and blesseds, and therefore eliminating them would have defeated the issue.
A subtle case is that of Saint Nicholas von Flüe, married with 10 children, who one day, after twenty years of marriage, and when his youngest child was barely 16 weeks old, abandoned his home, his wife and children, to become a hermit. The book editor himself finds this case difficult to understand, although the fact that the Church has declared von Flüe a saint must be taken into account. The chapter contains a text by the Benedictine monk Michael Jungo which shows clearly the pressure that Von Flüe's wife had to endure, for she opposed the separation, until she relented and accepted her husband's decision.
We can compare to this the case of St. Francis Borgia, who after losing his wife Eleanor, with whom he had had eight children, decided to dedicate his life to God and became a Jesuit in secret, waiting to make it public (and to be ordained a priest) until "all eight of his children were provided for and all the affairs of governing the Duchy of Gandia had been settled." This way of acting is mucho more understandable for our way of thinking than von Flüe's.
ESPAÑOL: 119 minibiografías de otros tantos matrimonios, uno al menos de cuyos miembros ha sido declarado santo o beato por la Iglesia Católica.
La minibiografía que más me gustó es la de Santo Tomás Moro. Es un resumen muy completo de su vida en solo 15 páginas, aunque por supuesto no puede profundizar. No menciona, por ejemplo, sus viajes al extranjero y su obra más famosa, Utopía.
La única crítica que tengo que hacer se refiere a algunos de los supuestos "santos y beatos casados" que decidieron vivir un "matrimonio blanco" (no consumado) y, a veces, incluso ingresaron en monasterios separados. Creo que estos casos no deberían haber sido incluidos en el libro, o al menos deberían haber sido colocados aparte, ya que no estoy seguro de que puedan considerarse verdaderos matrimonios. Sin embargo, entiendo que la intención del autor era demostrar que hay muchos santos y beatos casados y, por lo tanto, eliminarlos habría ido en contra de sus intenciones.
Un caso delicado es el de San Nicolas von Flüe, casado y con 10 hijos, que un buen día, tras veinte años de matrimonio, y cuando su hijo menor apenas tenía 16 semanas de edad, abandonó su hogar, a su esposa y a sus hijos para convertirse en ermitaño. El propio recopilador de los casos encuentra el caso difícil de comprender, aunque el hecho de que la Iglesia haya declarado santo a von Flüe tiene algo que decir al respecto. El capítulo contiene un texto del monje benedictino Michael Jungo en el que queda muy clara la presión continua que tuvo que sufrir la esposa de Von Flüe, que se oponía a la separación, hasta que cedió y aceptó la decisión de su marido.
Podemos comparar con este el caso de San Francisco de Borja, que después de perder a su esposa Eleanor, con quien había tenido ocho hijos, decidió dedicar su vida a Dios y se hizo jesuita en secreto, esperando para hacerlo público (y ser ordenado sacerdote) hasta que "proveyó el futuro de sus ocho hijos y resolvió los asuntos de gobierno del Ducado de Gandia". Esta forma de actuar es mucho más comprensible para nuestro modo de pensar que la de von Flüe.
April 10, 2025
I highly recommend this book to those single and discerning/waiting for their vocation of marriage, those engaged, and finally all married couples. This book emphasizes the importance and assurance of marriage as a vocation, while also not making it your salvation. Christ alone is our Savior, and these beautiful and moving stories of couples who are united in love for Jesus and the mission God has set onto their hearts, breathes in us the solemnity, holiness, and witness of this vocation. This would be a perfect wedding gift, truly!
August 17, 2022
A beautiful assortment of a lot of unknown saints and blesseds. Really inspiring to see all these holy couples who have so much in common despite their vastly different walks of life. Like 70% of them waited until their spouse died and then joined a convent or monastery though. Whatever works I guess.
September 10, 2017
I write and speak often about women saints, and one of the things I frequently hear is that people wish they knew more about saints who had been married. This book does a first-rate job of sharing information about the men and women who found their vocations in marriage throughout the ages. An excellent resource!
December 8, 2019
How well do you know the Catholic saints? This is a quiz. Name saints that were married with children?
Time is up. Pencils down class. How did you do?
You can find all the answers in this biographical reference book of saints and those under serious consideration for sainthood. You will find that there are many roads to holiness.
Time is up. Pencils down class. How did you do?
You can find all the answers in this biographical reference book of saints and those under serious consideration for sainthood. You will find that there are many roads to holiness.
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May 25, 2021Done
April 16, 2008
A very good book with a chapter devoted chronologically to married saints through the ages, beginning with Mary and Joseph, Anna and Joachim to modern saints like Peter To Rot (whom I did not know at all prior to reading this book). I just skipped around here and there choosing a saint that appealed to me. I really enjoyed the chapter on St. Elizabeth of Hungary who appeared to be a very holy and happy wife. To quote,"Elizabeth was not the sort of wife who is cool and aloof who draws back like a mimosa at every tender approach or pleads a headache as an excuse; no, she was an extremely warm, affectionate person who hungered for love and intimacy."
What a wonderful example of marital fidelity we can find from her and the other saints within these pages!
What a wonderful example of marital fidelity we can find from her and the other saints within these pages!
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews