The Voices of the Saints: A Year of Readings

by Bert Ghezzi

The inspiring stories of 365 holy men and women-from the best known to some of the most obscure-come to life in an engaging collection of biographical profiles, quotations from the saints themselves, meditations, and prayers.

Voices of the Saints opens with an instruction from Saint Philip "The best preparation for prayer is to read the lives of the saints, not from mere curiosity, but quietly and with recollection a little at a time. And to pause whenever you feel your heart touched with devotion."

With these words of faith and wisdom as his guiding principle, Bert Ghezzi presents the lives of such familiar and beloved saints as Saint Peter and Saint Catherine of Siena; Saint Jerome and Saint Thérèse of Lisieux; of humble, little-known figures like Felix of Nola, Pelagia the Penitent, and Leonard of Port Maurice; and of sainted men and women associated with a particular place, including Margaret of Scotland, Rose of Lima, Elizabeth Ann Seton, and Junípero Serra.  In lively profiles written for contemporary readers, Ghezzi chronicles their journeys of faith and their contributions to the vitality of the Church.  The voices of the saints resound throughout the book, in quotations drawn from their own writings, the works of biographers, and the recollections of witnesses.

Readers can use Voices of the Saints in several different ways.  Organized alphabetically, it serves as a helpful, easy-to-use dictionary.  It also features a day-by-day numbering system, ideal for daily readings; notations at the end of each entry, enabling the exploration of the lives in historical order; an index that highlights particular themes (including the intriguing "Porcupine Saints"), and a calendar of saints' days.  A fascinating look at disparate and unusual lives-each one a rich source of illumination, inspiration, encouragement, and motivation-along with prayers and meditations, Voices of the Saints is a valuable companion for members of Catholic, Episcopal, and other traditional churches, and an enlightening introduction to the saints for general readers.


From the Hardcover edition.

Genres: Catholic, Religion, Nonfiction, Christianity, Faith, Spirituality

816 pages, Paperback

First published September 23, 1998

Reviews

[Jamie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Page-and-a-half readings on each of saints recognized by the Catholic church are narrated by Ghezzi and most include writings of the saint him- or herself. The saints are placed in the book in alphabetical order, but the book also provides a guide to read the saints chronologically, by topic, or by calendar feast date. The small snippets are interesting, but left me looking up a lot of information online. Ghezzi seems to take liberties to edit down the lives of the saints to make his own point about which attributes Catholics should emulate.

[Julie Davis · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have loved this book since the first edition came out and I was lucky enough to score a review copy. I now have it on my Kindle for ease in reading about whatever saint has come up in alphabetical order that day. Each is covered in about two pages, which include a sizable chunk of the saint's writing or something by a contemporary (if they weren't a "writing" saint) so we get a deeper look at them from the inside. It is my favorite saint book.

Here's a bit more from The Anchoress whose full review you can read here.

Bert Ghezzi’s Voices of the Saints; A Year of Readings is one of those books every Catholic household really should have. This is a meticulously researched and cross-referenced book of saints for grown-ups. No pictures, no frills – you get the information you are seeking, and a taste of their own writings, but the book is arranged with themes and calendar prompts. If you’re if you’re dealing with issues of, say, obedience, you look under “obedience” (if you’re feeling cranky look under “porcupine saints”) and you’re be referred to a helpful Christian whose one struggles or wisdom will help you out. This book gives you a real sense of the “communion” of saints.

[Megan · Rating 5 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

[J Brown · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was fortunate enough to request a copy from a young man on the internet. This is a great book that touches on any number of subjects concerning saints. It literally is a wealth of information about the saints, albeit the descriptions are summaries. You can learn about which saints to read about concerning a concept that you are working with. You can also read day by day. You can even read by the era in which the saints lived. This book also includes the apostles. One thing that I found challenging while reading this book was that you have to move around in the book and this becomes somewhat confusing if you read books straight through. If you like books that skip around then this book is for you.

[Meredith Henning · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is my year-round Saints book, I love it!

[Madeline · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very moving. It makes you feel like the saints are speaking to you, telling you their life stories.

[Briana · Rating 3 out of 5]

There are better Saints books out there. I felt like some saints had more and better information then others. This book is a good enough book if you want an easy to follow introduction to the saints. You don't have to read this as a daily devotional. I read afew pages per week and was still able to understand it.

[Amanda · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was probably my least favorite saint book I've ever come across. I had to force myself to read each entry, so I finally allowed myself to quit when I was half-way through. I just didn't like it much.

[Jason · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very nice book. Great for daily devotional and reading. Provides a nice intro to lives of the saints. Its a good book keeping in mind that it is not an all encompassing on either content or quantity, but it's still nice.

[SmarterLilac · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good introduction to the saints, for those of us who didn't attend Sunday school.

[Lynn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book!! Lots of information, easy to read one Saint at a time!

[Jonas Stephan Johnson · Rating 5 out of 5]

God so good Corking