What do you think?
Rate this book
Saint of the Day: The Definitive Guide to the Saints
“The stories of saints reaffirm that holiness is not restricted by age, sex, nationality, geography, or time in which a person lives. Saints represent almost every occupation and family background. Holy women and men use their diverse, God-given talents by witnessing in their unique way to God’s compassionate love; there are no clones among the saints.” — from the Introduction
For more than forty years, Saint of the Day has been a trusted guide, and this latest edition continues the tradition.
Like his predecessors, Pope Francis continues to recognize and acclaim people from all walks of life. Newly added saints and blesseds include Oscar Romero, Marie of the Incarnation, François de Laval, Miriam Teresa Demjanovich, Stanley Rother, Pope Paul VI, and Solanus Casey.
For more than forty years, Saint of the Day has been a trusted guide, and this latest edition continues the tradition.
Like his predecessors, Pope Francis continues to recognize and acclaim people from all walks of life. Newly added saints and blesseds include Oscar Romero, Marie of the Incarnation, François de Laval, Miriam Teresa Demjanovich, Stanley Rother, Pope Paul VI, and Solanus Casey.
431 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1990
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
September 17, 2018
Franciscans concise overview of many of our great saints. Well written and never boring.
November 30, 2009
This book is all right, but not great. I got it through Catholic Company as a review book thinking it would be good for morning prayers and a discussion of the saint of the day, but the first problem is that it doesn't have a saint for everyday...it also is over the head of my 9 year old, who generally has very good comprehension. It doesn't contain enough information for adults and older kids.
I did enjoy the comment and quotation for each entry. "a comment on the example of this life relevant to our own and an appropriate quotation from Scripture, the words of the saint or another spiritual writer for reflection.
I did enjoy the comment and quotation for each entry. "a comment on the example of this life relevant to our own and an appropriate quotation from Scripture, the words of the saint or another spiritual writer for reflection.
January 3, 2020
I decided to read “Saint of the Day” throughout the year and, with a little catching up, kept to schedule. It generally provides up to a two-page biography of a saint for most days of the year. Some are popular while others are obscure but all are interesting. I liked it because it refreshed my memory of some with whom I was familiar, introduced me to new saints and inspired me by the accounts of so many heroes and heroines who made the Church through out the Christian era. You could read this through but I recommend using it as I did, as a daily spiritual touchstone.
January 1, 2021
Excellent Guide to the Saints
This book, although not an encyclopedia of all of the Saints, provides an excellent history of some of the most important Saints. The descriptions are brief, well written and interesting. I just completed reading it and plan to read it again next year.
This book, although not an encyclopedia of all of the Saints, provides an excellent history of some of the most important Saints. The descriptions are brief, well written and interesting. I just completed reading it and plan to read it again next year.
December 28, 2021
Excellent introduction to the saints by taking you through the calendar year. I enjoyed reading this (mostly) along with the day of the year this year, and I learned about a lot of saints and feasts of the Catholic church that I hadn't been familiar with before.
July 3, 2014
Not comprehensive by any means, but incredibly informational!
May 1, 2026
"A loving God offers us friendship, and the result of that gracious act is our holiness" (xiii).
"The saints and blesseds whose lives are described in this book are special signs of God's activity. Their surrender to God's love was so generous an approach to the total surrender of Jesus that the Church recognizes them as heroes and heroines worthy to be held up for our inspiration" (xiv).
"We have kept and identified some of these legends, therefore, as the quaint and human poetry of countless ordinary Christians whose imaginations knew no bounds when divine friendship with God's holy ones was involved" (xv).
"In his highly acclaimed book, MAKING SAINTS: HOW THE CATHOLIC CHURCH DETERMINES WHO BECOMES A SAINT AND WHO DOESN'T AND WHY, Kenneth Woodward says of Pope John Paul II, "As a poet and playwright, he understands the primordial power of stories; his many beatifications and canonizations are dramatic validation of this book's central argument: *that saints exist in and through their stories*" Woodward goes on to write:
a saint is always someone through whom we catch a glimpse of what God is like--and of what we are called to be. Only God 'makes' saints, of course. The church merely identifies from time to time a few of these for emulation. The church then tells the story. But the author is the Source of the grace by which saints live. And there we have it: a saint is someone whose story God tells" (xvi).
"The story of every saint is the story of God's grace and human cooperation, of God's faithful love and the person's often circuitous route to appreciating that love, of God's constancy and human weakness" (xvi).
"The saints and blesseds whose lives are described in this book are special signs of God's activity. Their surrender to God's love was so generous an approach to the total surrender of Jesus that the Church recognizes them as heroes and heroines worthy to be held up for our inspiration" (xiv).
"We have kept and identified some of these legends, therefore, as the quaint and human poetry of countless ordinary Christians whose imaginations knew no bounds when divine friendship with God's holy ones was involved" (xv).
"In his highly acclaimed book, MAKING SAINTS: HOW THE CATHOLIC CHURCH DETERMINES WHO BECOMES A SAINT AND WHO DOESN'T AND WHY, Kenneth Woodward says of Pope John Paul II, "As a poet and playwright, he understands the primordial power of stories; his many beatifications and canonizations are dramatic validation of this book's central argument: *that saints exist in and through their stories*" Woodward goes on to write:
a saint is always someone through whom we catch a glimpse of what God is like--and of what we are called to be. Only God 'makes' saints, of course. The church merely identifies from time to time a few of these for emulation. The church then tells the story. But the author is the Source of the grace by which saints live. And there we have it: a saint is someone whose story God tells" (xvi).
"The story of every saint is the story of God's grace and human cooperation, of God's faithful love and the person's often circuitous route to appreciating that love, of God's constancy and human weakness" (xvi).
April 13, 2024
Does not have a Saint for every day. I initially bought a digital version with the intention of using it as a daily morning reflection. I really enjoyed the format, some history, comments, and quotes for each Saint. Unfortunately, the seeming randomness of the "days" made it impossible to read in any sort of routine, so I eventually just started reading it when I just had time for a short reflection. This book had a wide variety of Saints from different time periods and locations, but it seemed to have more of a focus on North American Saints than most Catholic resources and to be written for an American audience. Overall I enjoyed this book, but the false "of the day" made it frustrating.
December 31, 2021
First of all, this book does not have a Saint for everyday of the year. I found only the “popular” saints were focused on in this book, and the writings on the saints were very textbook like and bland. It would have been nice to brighten up the biographies with pictures. If anyone is using this book to find any additional information about a Saint not found in other places, you probably won’t find too many unique facts, but the book is a good one for anyone who is interested in finding out who some of the saints are and what they did in their lives.
January 23, 2026
I was just going to take in a saint a day for 365 days, but the Saints are just too interesting. Quick sketches are conveyed but a great deal is achieved in that economical use.
I learned a lot.
My new favorite quote from the new-to-me, extremely impressive, and so wonderfully-named,
Saint Fidelis of Sigmaringen:
“Woe to me if I prove myself but a half-hearted soldier in the service of my thorn- crowned captain.”
Amen!
Saint Fidelis of Sigmaringen,
pray for us!
All the Holy Souls, The Church Triumphant,
pray for us!
Mary, Queen & Mother of All Saints,
pray for us!
I learned a lot.
My new favorite quote from the new-to-me, extremely impressive, and so wonderfully-named,
Saint Fidelis of Sigmaringen:
“Woe to me if I prove myself but a half-hearted soldier in the service of my thorn- crowned captain.”
Amen!
Saint Fidelis of Sigmaringen,
pray for us!
All the Holy Souls, The Church Triumphant,
pray for us!
Mary, Queen & Mother of All Saints,
pray for us!
January 1, 2021
Interesting read
Easy to read and really interesting. You could probably read it twice it’s almost like a daily ritual of remembrance.
Easy to read and really interesting. You could probably read it twice it’s almost like a daily ritual of remembrance.
December 31, 2024
Informative daily meditation on Saints
Interesting reflection on the Saint of the Day with informative description of each and suggestions for the reader to model.
Interesting reflection on the Saint of the Day with informative description of each and suggestions for the reader to model.
December 22, 2010
Was not a cover to cover read, actually got this title from the saint of the day website where you can daily check the saint of the day. Hoping for more patron saint information as well, not much extra here.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews