Modern Saints: Their Lives and Faces, Book 1

by Ann Ball

Stories of 55 saints, beati, and holy people from the past 200 years, along with their portraits—most are actual photographs. Includes St. Gemma Galgani, St. Bernadette, St. Maria Goretti, St. John Neumann, Padre Pio, Edith Stein, St. Peter Julian Eymard, St. Frances Cabrini, St. Maximilian Kolbe, St. John Bosco, St. Dominic Savio, and many, many more. Will bring hours and hours of pleasure and entertainment to the entire family. A book you just cannot stop reading!! Impr. 458 pgs 175 Illus, PB

Genres: Catholic, Religion, Christian, Biography

480 pages, Paperback

First published November 1, 1983

Reviews

[Laura McAninch · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wish there were volumes of this! This is my idea of perfect reading before going to sleep at night. Soothing to the soul and so very inspiring.

[Anne Marie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I started to read this book in order of the saints presented. But certain biographies of the saints were long and did not keep my interest, so I changed my approach. I looked up to the best of my ability when the Saints/Blessed/Venerable feast days were. Some I had to use the date of their death. So when a Saint from this book had their feast day, that’s when I read their biography to make it more meaningful. I liked that this book had “modern” saints of the 19th and 20th centuries. The pictures or photos of each of the saints were also nice to see.

[Kristen Rose · Rating 4 out of 5]

At first glance this book is enormous and overwhelming. However, once you start to read you’ll find that it consists of dozens of short biographies, each a few pages long. This makes is much easier to read for a little while at a time and make your way through the book in small chunks.

[Fides · Rating 4 out of 5]

Written to a junior high/high school reading level, but really good.

[Orinoco Womble (tidy bag and all) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Written with high school students in mind, these lives of the saints and blesseds are presented in clear, direct language and avoid the rank sentimentalism so common in works before about 1970. I learned about people whose names were familiar but about whom I knew nothing concrete. Ball could have used a better proofreader as the language is awkward in spots, such as when she writes of (now St) Padre Pio's mystical experiences which "satiated his soul in an insatiable way".

[Matthew · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderfull lives, that is wonderfull collection of biographic essays. I can't remember which saints seemed particularly impressive to me, except the ones who happened to be placed near the end of the book. After reviewing the table of contents I will name a couple of the most interesting: Saint Charles Lwanga and his companions is an excellent story, I think, for catachumens; the tale of the Venerable Charles de Foucauld is a wonderful tale of conversion of life.

[Maggie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Many interesting and edifying biographies of saints, blesseds, and others. The edition I have (not sure if it's been updated) has some in it who have since been beatified or canonized, though were not at the time, and probably some who still haven't. Still edifying reading material - good to read one biography a day for spiritual reading.

[Rosalba · Rating 5 out of 5]

this book is profoundly inspirational.Compared to this, the world is folly! I want to be a SAINT!