The patron saint of animals, birds, and the environment, Francis of Assisi led the rediscovery of nature in the Christian West. This magnificent spiritual biography by the phenomenally popular G. K. Chesterton-a convert to Catholicism-chronicles the beloved saint's calling, his extraordinary life, and his influence in the Church. Its charm and wit will appeal to even the most secular-minded readers. How fitting that Francesco Bernardone was born just...

Written in the 16th century by a reform-minded Carmelite monk, Dark Night of the Soul is a treatise focusing on the metaphor of a dark night to represent a lonely phase in one's personal spiritual life. Saint John was a Roman Catholic mystic and a Spanish poet, and this work reflects his mystical stages toward union with God. Written on a scroll smuggled to him by one of his guards, his songs are the ultimate expression of the spiritual seeker's journey...

Saints at Heart presents an engaging picture of the spiritual life as shown in the experience and writings of the saints. The title announces the book's double theme: the lives of holy men and women who have consecrated their lives to God, and to the possibility of our following them and also dedicating our hearts to God. Readers will discover in this book well-told and appealing stories of women and men, ordinary human beings like themselves, who...

Afterlives of the Saints is a woven gathering of groundbreaking essays that move through Renaissance anatomy and the Sistine Chapel, Borges' "Library of Babel," the history of spontaneous human combustion, the dangers of masturbation, the pleasures of castration, "and so forth" each essay focusing on the story of a particular (and particularly strange) saint.

Many of us think of Patrick as the beloved Celtic leader - a super human saint, who was blessed with a desire to do great things for God. But here Jamie Arpin-Ricci writes a fresh and informative telling of the story of his early life when he came to terms with his own humanity. He was captured by the Irish, forced to be a slave, and made to live and work for years in isolation and lonely suffering. Patrick experienced transformation over many,...

Keeping Company invites you to step off the treadmill and "go for a walk"-wherever you are. There are ways that you, too, may experience God more intimately. For a spiritual pilgrim, the Road to Compostela is not about beautiful vistas, meeting interesting people, and drinking good wine. It is not about exercise. Luke Larson and his wife Evie took this famous journey for very different reasons. For a true pilgrim, walking an ancient path becomes...

A Man Sent by God is a fascinating account of the life and times of one of Ireland's most revered holy men. The reader is guided through the various stages of John Sullivan's life from his childhood in Dublin, secondary school at Portora, university education at Trinity College, and his call to the bar in London. This is followed by an account of the second part of his life when he converted to Catholicism, entered the Jesuit order, and lived an ascetic...

There are many editions of the writings of Francis, and biographies about him, but here in one volume are both, plus the complete text of the late medieval work The Little Flowers, which did more to establish the legend of the man than any other work.

Saint Bridget of Sweden was one of the most privileged mystics in the history of the Church. Born to a wealthy family, she was given in marriage to a pious and good-hearted nobleman, with whom she raised eight children, including the future Saint Catherine of Sweden. When her husband died, Bridget founded an order of nuns, the Order of the Most Holy Savior, more commonly called the Bridgettines. She labored until her death to spread her order and...

To live a virtuous life might seem like a daunting task, but we are fortunate to have examples to follow- the saints who have faced sin through the embodiment and exemplification of virtue. In this book, the reader will meet seven saints who lived seven virtues, and will discover concrete ways that they can live those virtues in their own lives. Each chapter will include: A quote from the saint; A personal reflection on each saint; A brief biography;...