“Every time a Catholic mother asks me what author she should
read, I have a ready answer: Lisa Hendey,” says noted author Fr. James Martin,
S.J.
Amen, Father Martin.
Lisa Hendey is a seemingly omnipresent champion to Catholic women
everywhere. Hendey has a big
presence online, where she runs her encouraging and informative website CatholicMom.com. She also is a featured blogger at the
popular Faith & Family Live! web community,, and she speaks and writes on new
media as a way to spread the Catholic faith.
A Book of Saints for
Catholic Moms is such a great companion and natural “sort-of sequel” to The Handbook for Catholic Moms,
Hendey’s first book. (Incidentally, that was the second book I ever reviewed here at the Catholic
Post. Lisa was also my first
author interview, since Fulton Sheen, author of first book review Treasure in Clay, was unavailable for an
interview).
I appreciate how handsomely the book is designed and
“feels.” Especially lovely are the
illustrations/icons for “heart, mind, body and soul,” such a great theme in The Handbook for Catholic Moms and
continued here. Each saint has an
icon of either heart, mind, body or soul based on the saint’s particular
charism—for instance, a heart for St. Monica, mother of St. Augustine, and a
body for martyr St. Maximilian Kolbe.
There are 52 great saints, some well-known, others not so
much. I enjoyed discovering newish-to-me
saints like St. Rose Venerini (mind) , a 17th century lay educator,
and St. Theodore Guerin, who helped bring the Sisters of Providence to the
US. There are also fresh
reflections on saints like St. Jerome (soul) and St. Jane Frances de Chantal (heart).
Each saint/chapter is divided into five sections: lessons (an essay/reflection on the
saint; traditions (charming familiar and obscure observances associated with
the saint); saintly wisdom (a quote from or about the saint); scripture for
each day of the week; and saint-inspired activities for mom alone or with kids.
I read through The
Book of Saints cover to cover, but it would be a great resource to have at
hand throughout the year. A reader
could choose to use this book as a bedside devotional to “keep up with the
saints” all year, or get even more practical by planning some of the activities
for the family. Any way it is
utilized, The Book of Saints for Catholic
Moms is an enduring treasury for heart, mind, body and soul.
This is my monthly column in the print Catholic Post. Check back all month long on the blog for discussions, giveaways and more about this book and many more.
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