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Patron Saint of First Communicants: The Story of Blessed Imelda Lambertini
Gifts were piled high for 5-year-old Imelda\'s birthday. Imelda was delighted, but still she asked, \"I was wondering if I could have just one more present.\" \"Greedy girl!\" laughed her father. Unfortunately, her parents could not give her this one present--Our Lord in Holy Communion. But Imelda decided to ask Our Lord Himself. What would He reply? This book gives the answer and tells how little Imelda came to be the Patroness of First Communicants.
85 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1944
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About the author
Mary Fabyan Windeatt
101 books24 followersMary Fabyan Windeatt was born in Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada, in 1910. Interested in music as a child, she received a degree in music from Toronto Conservatory of Music at the age of fifteen and a further degree in music from Mount Saint Vincent College in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, in 1927. This same year she moved with her family to San Diego, California, graduating from San Diego State College in 1934 with a degree in business.
She moved to New York to seek employment in the field of advertising but was unsuccessful. With time on her hands, she began to write and in 1934, she sent a story, which was accepted for publication, to a Catholic magazine. She continued to write while pursuing her studies, graduating in 1940 with a master’s degree from Columbia University.
Miss Windeatt eventually contributed verse, book reviews, short stories, and articles to thirty-three different publications and wrote numerous biographies of saints for children. The first biography, Saints in the Sky, The Story of St. Catherine of Siena, was published in 1941. Considerable research went into her books; for example, she traveled to Peru in the summer of 1941 prior to publishing Lad of Lima, The Story of Blessed Martin de Porres in 1942. (St. Martin de Porres was canonized a saint in 1962.) In addition to her biographies, she also wrote the text for twenty-eight Catholic coloring books and was a regular contributor to the monthly Dominican magazine The Torch in which many of her books originally appeared in serial form. A third-order (secular) Dominican, she has been called the “storyteller of the saints”—especially Dominican saints.
Later in life, Miss Windeatt moved near St. Meinrad’s Abbey in St. Meinrad, Indiana with her mother. She died on November 20, 1979.
Under their original titles, the series of saint biographies that Mary Fabyan Windeatt wrote in the 1940’s and 1950’s are currently out of print. However between 1991 and 1994, Tan Books and Publishers, Inc. republished twenty of these saint biographies.
Rich in Roman Catholic culture and doctrine, these books illustrate to both children and adults how the Faith was lived every day by the saints; they inspire us to know, love, and serve God as the saints did. Mary Fabyan Windeatt had the ability to relate much factual information about each saint while seasoning the narrative with the doctrinal truths they lived. While each saint shines forth in these books, these writings also reveal to us Ms. Windeatt’s own strong Catholic beliefs; her faith too lives on.
She moved to New York to seek employment in the field of advertising but was unsuccessful. With time on her hands, she began to write and in 1934, she sent a story, which was accepted for publication, to a Catholic magazine. She continued to write while pursuing her studies, graduating in 1940 with a master’s degree from Columbia University.
Miss Windeatt eventually contributed verse, book reviews, short stories, and articles to thirty-three different publications and wrote numerous biographies of saints for children. The first biography, Saints in the Sky, The Story of St. Catherine of Siena, was published in 1941. Considerable research went into her books; for example, she traveled to Peru in the summer of 1941 prior to publishing Lad of Lima, The Story of Blessed Martin de Porres in 1942. (St. Martin de Porres was canonized a saint in 1962.) In addition to her biographies, she also wrote the text for twenty-eight Catholic coloring books and was a regular contributor to the monthly Dominican magazine The Torch in which many of her books originally appeared in serial form. A third-order (secular) Dominican, she has been called the “storyteller of the saints”—especially Dominican saints.
Later in life, Miss Windeatt moved near St. Meinrad’s Abbey in St. Meinrad, Indiana with her mother. She died on November 20, 1979.
Under their original titles, the series of saint biographies that Mary Fabyan Windeatt wrote in the 1940’s and 1950’s are currently out of print. However between 1991 and 1994, Tan Books and Publishers, Inc. republished twenty of these saint biographies.
Rich in Roman Catholic culture and doctrine, these books illustrate to both children and adults how the Faith was lived every day by the saints; they inspire us to know, love, and serve God as the saints did. Mary Fabyan Windeatt had the ability to relate much factual information about each saint while seasoning the narrative with the doctrinal truths they lived. While each saint shines forth in these books, these writings also reveal to us Ms. Windeatt’s own strong Catholic beliefs; her faith too lives on.
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
April 17, 2022
A good telling of the life of Bl. Imelda, patron saint of First Communicants. It was a good Lent family read as our daughter prepares for her First Communion.
February 21, 2025
This was such a sweet little story. Blessed Imelda is the patron Saint of First Communicants because of her great love for Jesus in the Eucharist. She desired to receive him so deeply that he came to her when others would not bring him to her in communion. As a very young little Dominican nun, she died of pure joy upon receiving her Jesus for the first time. She’s my Saint of the year along with the word “Joy,” and her story was really very sweet to read about. A different, deeper kind of joy perhaps.
February 10, 2025
This was actually my second time through this one. I read it to my 2nd grade CCD class, and is probably their favorite part of CCD!
May 16, 2018
I am sort of surprised my kids liked this book as much as they did. I was getting a little bored with the pious sentiments. The book meant to tell the story of a saint, so it is understandable why there is a lot of spirituality. It is well written though and is a good overview of Imelda’s life.
March 2, 2023
All of these books are the best. The writing is perfect and the Catholicism is NOT watered down. Very refreshing!! I recommend not only for children but for adults as well, especially those looking for a good read that isn't heavy!
December 9, 2021
My fav of Mary Fayban Windeatt’s books. I love this saint and wish it were a little longer. Otherwise - awesome.
April 17, 2020
A good basic account of the Blessed's life, aimed at children but quite readable for adults too. The illustrations would make nice colouring pages, although I'm not sure how historically accurate they are.
October 16, 2023
This is the story of Saint Imelda. Her mom had a dream with her birth that the child was for God. When she was a little girl, she loved and prayed for the old man basket maker named Peter. He was blind and the little girl always prayed for the return of his sight. When she was a little girl, she joined the Dominican’s as a novice. Her biggest wish was to receive our Lord in holy communion. She was denied due to her age. On her last day of life, our Lord floated a communion to her and it stayed above her head. The chapel smelled of flowers. She was found kneeling in the chapel dead. When her parents arrived, Peter also arrived to pray as he now had his sight back.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 29, 2010
My kids really enjoyed learning about a saint who died as a child. The story captured their imaginations and led them to conclude that even they could do great things for God!
December 22, 2013
Good series
August 18, 2015
I liked this book a lot It is the wonderful story of Blessed Imelda Lambertini who got to receive her First Communion when she was only 11 years old.
February 3, 2016
It was a beautiful book about the patron saint of first communicants. I did not know much about her at all until now.
June 2, 2021
I liked this book a lot It is the wonderful story of Blessed Imelda Lambertini who got to receive her First Communion when she was only 11 years old.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews