Matushka Jenny Schroedel has published essays and book reviews in a variety of magazines, including Books & Culture, Portland Magazine, and First Things. She has a Masters in Theology from St. Vladimir's Seminary. She lives in Hawaii with her husband John, an Orthodox priest, and their two daughters.
I really enjoyed this book as it contained many facts that didn’t necessarily pertain to a certain saint, I.e, there was a chapter dedicated to relics. Some areas of the book I wish were in greater detail which is why I only gave 4 stars.
I’ve been fascinated with the lives of saints for a while, and this was the perfect book to cozy up with to find out more. I found the segmenting of the types of saints helpful, and frankly, I’ve kept this book as a reference.
I was expecting to read something that highlighted the saints in the Bible. Unfortunately this book did not live up to my expectations. The martyrs were individual people not necessarily Biblical.
The Catholic Church haas many saints, some of which are recognized by non-Catholics. The first section of the book discusses the process by which a person is named a saint. It is followed by biographies and histories of numerous saints. Patron saints of various professions are listed. For example, brewers claim St Augustine of Hippo and St. Nicholas of Myra. A calendar of feast days is also provided. This is a handy reference.
The Book of Saints explores the lives of numerous Saints of both the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox Churches. Jenny Schroeder presents the saints in various categories, including martyrs, healing saints, literary, holiday saints, saints and animals, etc. I also found the appendixes informative; Saintly lives in historical context, Doctors of the Church, Calendar of Saints' Feast Days and Patron Saints by occupation. Good reference to keep for study and inspiration.