Christians of today face questions that would have seemed absurd to our ancestors. Did Jesus exist? Isn't the Bible a fairy tale? Aren't the accounts of the ancient martyrs just fables? These accusations gain traction because the average person today has practically no knowledge of the Church's ancient past. I Am A Christian aims to remedy this deficiency by providing a collection of the earliest and most trustworthy eye-witness accounts from Roman antiquity. Taken together, these works form a glorious record of early Christian zeal and fortitude in the face of aggressive state persecution. When reading them, one notices a common refrain: when questioned, the accused would cry out: “I am a Christian,” which was the equivalent of saying, “I am guilty as charged.” In an era when such an admission carried a death sentence, these authentic testimonies provide a convincing answer to modern skeptics who will find them as baffling as did the ancient Roman emperors, proconsuls and magistrates of nearly two millennia ago.

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     Most American Catholics are familiar with St. Katharine Drexel, St. John Neumann, St. Kateri Tekakwitha and Ven. Fulton Sheen. But have how many have heard of Bl. Lucas Tristany? Or Ven. Solanus Casey? Or Ven. Theresa Dudzik? Or Servant of God Gwen Coniker? The American Martyrology helps the faithful recall the heroic lives and deaths of dozens of men and women of God with strong connections to the United States. Arranged in calendar form, the Martyrology is, in effect, a catalog of national sanctity which assists the faithful to remember those who have died with a reputation for holiness and encourages us to "private devotion toward the Servant of God and the spontaneous spreading of his reputation of holiness or martyrdom and of intercessory power." [Sanctorum Mater, Art. 117].

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     Three hundred and thirty-two years after her death, Kateri Tekakwitha has been canonized as a saint of the Catholic Church. Read about her extraordinary life through the eyes of someone who actually knew her: Fr. Pierre Cholonec, one of the two main biographers of St. Kateri. Father Cholonec's account of Kateri's life, as presented in this book, helped solidify her name and reputation within the Catholic world and began the process that would culminate with her canonization in 2012. This new edition of Fr. Cholonec's famous biography, originally written in 1696, places the courageous and endearing story of the Lily of the Mohawks into the hands of everyday readers, featuring antique illustrations exemplifying the saint's life and the environment in which she lived.

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     Wounds of Love offers young Catholics a compelling historical account of the life of Saint Pio of Pietrelcina. The novel follows the journey of Saint Pio from his youth as a farm boy in Pietrelcina to his days as the beloved wonder-working friar of San Giovanni Rotondo. His fascinating and inspiring life unfolds in these pages, from the moment he received the Stigmata to his bouts with the devil to his reading of souls to the touching relationships he shared with his parents and so many others. Yet Wounds of Love goes beyond mere biography, giving ample room to explore the intense inner life of the great Capuchin saint. Written in an engaging narrative style and beautifully illustrated throughout, Wounds of Love will deepen your love of Padre Pio.

     These stories, the author explains, are meant to show human and lovable people whose mysterious passion for God led them into preposterous escapades. With an eye on the taste of a child for concrete detail and no apologies for the embroidery of legend, each tale, in a style akin to fairy-tale, sets forth the unique qualities of a Genevieve, a Felix, a Dorothy, or Comgall -- 16 real saints brought unforgettably to our attention and admiration.

     Here are yet more of those human and lovable people whose mysterious passion for God led them into preposterous escapades. Ethel Pochocki presents a follow-up collection of wildly distinctive saints-from Hyacinth to Zita to Longinus to Kentigern. Readers will again be charmed by the vivid immediacy of their settings. We find out what very real people they were, these saints who lived and breathed in a world as changeful as our own. Ethel Pochocki leads us through their adventures, joys and sorrows to the truly happy ending each one gained.

     Ethel Pochocki, whimsically and unforgettably, presents a new set of heavenly friends to readers young and old in this third collection of Once Upon a Time Saints stories. Beginning in the dark of December, the start of the Church Year, there are stories and poems for each month, all bursting with saintly--not to mention angelic--deeds and happenings. Each tale or verse--whether of mystical apparitions in a tiny Irish village or of friars who float in the air or of entire countries single-handedly converted to Christianity--makes it quite plain that heaven doesn't keep to its place at all, but is happily determined to spill over into earthly life--here, there and . . . all around the year.

     Saint Anthony of Padua has been a friend to millions of Catholics. But few seem to know much about his remarkable life. In this imaginative novel, based on historical records and traditions, John Beahn brings to life one of the most beloved saints of history. The son of a knight in the court of Portugal’s king, Saint Anthony renounced his heritage of wealth and power to become a Franciscan priest. In the years to come, he earned international fame as a preacher, reformer, miracle worker, champion of the poor, and Doctor of the Church.

     St. Francis was born in 1567 in Savoy, a duchy of the western Alps. Military and political confl icts there were heightened and complicated by religious tensions between Catholics and Protestants, whose leader John Calvin had settled in nearby Geneva. Francis’s aristocratic father had great plans to position him for rapid advancement in this turbulent setting: He sent the young man to law school, maneuvered for his appointment as a senator, and chose a noble heiress as his future wife—but God had other plans.

     St. Patrick’s life was a series of heroic adventures: Captured as a young teen by pirates and taken from his comfortable life in ancient Roman Britain, he was sold as a slave in Ireland. Six years later he escaped and, after a long, arduous journey, he returned to his family— only to receive a call from God to go back to Ireland as a Christian missionary. Trained and ordained as a priest, he returned at last to Ireland where his bold preaching brought many thousands into the Christian fold and led to the establishment of numerous churches.

     Status and wealth, power and fame: St. Thomas More had them all. As a wise and popular statesman, internationally recognized scholar, and Lord Chancellor of England, More was perhaps the most highly respected Englishman of his day until his conscience required that he lay down his life for his Catholic faith. Making use of the historical records, Beahn sets the scene for the disastrous efforts of King Henry VIII to divorce his queen and marry his mistress—while demanding that the Church grant him sanction for his immorality.

     Helen Homan has captured all the excitement and beauty of the lives of these saints from their childhood growing up together in Assisi to their profound conversion and lifelong influence—indeed centuries-long influence—on the whole world through their radical living of the Gospel and founding of two great religious orders, the Franciscans and the Poor Clares. Combining the stories of Francis and Clare in one volume makes for a book that will be of great interest to both boys and girls of a wide age span.

     In this magnificent and stirring novel, Louis de Wohl turns his famed narrative skill to the story of the soldier and merchant's son who might have been right-hand man to a king … and who became instead the most beloved of all saints. Set against the tempestuous background of 13th Century Italy and Egypt, here is the magnificent and inspiring story of Francis Bernardone, the brash, pleasure-loving young officer who was to become immortalized as St. Francis of Assisi. The story teems with action, pageantry and intrigue with finely conceived characters-the beautiful, saintly Clare, Frederick, the hawk-faced King of Sicily and Holy Roman Emperor, the Sultan Al Kamil, Pope Innocent III. The scene shifts from Assisi, Rome and Sicily to the deadly sands of Egypt.

     The renowned novelist De Wohl, with his usual crisp language and descriptive narrative, as well as irony and humor, presents the colorful and tumultuous times of the early Christian era in this story of intrigue, romance and power politics revolving around Helena, the devoted and saintly mother of Constantine.
     The narrative begins when Constantius, a Roman officer stationed in Britain, meets and wins Helena, only daughter of the mystical King Coel of Britain. The story follows their early lives together, and their ten-year separation when Constantius returns to Britian as a conquering Caesar and Helena has become a rejected wife and a devoted mother to their son, Constantine. Helena's fierce determination to raise Constantine as a warrior and her gradual acceptance of Christianity prepare her for the final miracle of her life--the discovery of the True Cross. The Living Wood is an action-packed novel that captures with equal skill and tumult of the battlefield and the plots and counter-plots of the court.

     The daughter of a British petty king, the princess Helena is the lawful wife of the Roman governor, Constantius Chlorus. When Britain is treacherously taken over by a usurper, Helena is separated from her husband and forced to live in secret with her son, Constantine. When Constantius returns, however, it is with a new wife and a new title--Caesar of the western empire. Dejected, Helena finds comfort from the Christian priest Albanus. But Christianity is officially illegal under the persecuting emperor Diocletian, and Helena soon finds her new friends in grave danger. Summoning all her courage, Helena decides to confront her former husband and in doing so, possibly change the course of history forever.
     Helena and the True Cross is an engaging retelling of the life of one of history's most amazing women, as well as a history lesson on the life of her famous son, Constantine the Great. Young readers and old will appreciate the epic sweep of the tale and Louis de Wohl's masterful skill as a storyteller. 

     As in his other popular novels, Louis de Wohl, with humility and deep religious conviction, takes us into the mind and heart of a saint, giving at the same time an enthralling picture of the era in which he lived. Here is a skillful weaving of the story of St. Ignatius Loyola’s conversion and pilgrimage with the colorful and dangerous history of Spain and Italy in the early sixteenth century.
     Seriously wounded at the siege of Pamplona in 1521, Don Inigo de Loyola learned that to be a Knight of God was an infinitely greater honor (and infinitely more dangerous) than to be a Knight in the forces of the Emperor. Uli von der Flue, humorous, intelligent and courageous Swiss mercenary, was responsible for the canon shot which incapacitated the worldly and ambitious young nobleman, and Uli became deeply involved in Loyola’s life. With Juanita, disguised as the boy Juan, Uli followed Loyola on a pilgrimage to the Holy Land to protect him, but it was the saint who protected Uli and Juan. Through Uli’s eyes we see the surge and violence of the turbulent period in Jerusalem, Spain and Rome.

     Saint Ignatius and the Company of Jesus tells the exciting, dramatic story of St. Ignatius of Loyola and the order he founded, the Society of Jesus. As a young man, Ignatius had dreams of an adventurous life as a soldier. His dreams, however, did not come true the way he had hoped. Seriously wounded in battle, the soldier Ignatius had a profound conversion to Christ during his period of healing and recovery. He abandoned a promising career in the military and dedicated the rest of his life to the service of Christ and the Church. This book tells of his starting one of the most influential orders in the church, and gives a graphic account of his adventures, his many encounters with popes, kings and emperors, and the great work the Jesuits did in spreading the Gospel.

     Saint Elizabeth of Hungary spent her life differently than most saints. Instead of living in poverty like St. Francis of Assisi, she lived most of her life in a castle surrounded by incredible wealth. Although Elizabeth was a princess, she longed to live the kind of poverty she heard about through the Franciscans. She became a member of the Third Order of St. Francis and she constantly gave her jewels and best clothes to the poor. Sometimes she gave everything away and had nothing nice to wear, but Jesus always provided for her at the last minute. When she emptied the castle store-houses of grain for the poor, Jesus would miraculously fill them up again. Her subjects were never able to grow accustomed to the queen who lived the life of a saint, but they always appreciated her generosity and saw in her such simplicity and holiness. Only four years after her death she was canonized a saint.

    In Lay Siege to Heaven, Louis de Wohl devotes his considerable talents to an interpretation of one of the most unusual women of all time, Saint Catherine of Siena. The daughter of a prosperous dyer in fourteenth-century Siena, Catherine never forgot the mystical experience of her extreme youth; at that time she devoted herself to Christ. It was, however, a shock to her family when, refusing marriage, she insisted on giving her life totally to God.
     Her career was extraordinary. In that confused and dangerous era of history, the Pope was living at Avignon: Catherine persuaded him to return to Rome. The City-States of Italy were at war with each other: Catherine subdued them. There was pestilence: Catherine served and saved. She performed miracles, she received the stigmata, she drew about her a crowd of devoted men and women. A saint who would not let the Lord God alone, she really did lay siege to heaven—and changed the face of her world. 

     This is the story of the girl to whom the Blessed Virgin appeared as "a little young lady" and revealed herself as the Immaculate Conception. Bernadette Soubirous lived with her family in the abandoned jail of the little French village of Lourdes, never dreaming that the very name of Lourdes would one day bring inspiration and hope to millions. Bernadette studied her Catechism, took care of her brothers and sisters, and gathered firewood – and no one knew she was a Saint. But one day, as she was gathering wood, Our lady appeared. Within a few weeks, thousands were kneeling in the field to pray to the Lady who could be seen and heard only by Bernadette. This was the beginning of one of the greatest Marian Shrines of modern times and of the miracles with which Our Lady blessed her children.

     As a young priest, Dominic sat all night at a wooden table in a village tavern. He preached the truths of the Church to an embittered inn-keeper and, in the morning, joyfully received the man again into the faith of his fathers. This was the beginning of the great preaching career of Saint Dominic, the "Athlete of Christ" and founder of the order which bears his name. Saint Dominic led a life of excitement and adventure. As a boy he sold his books to feed the poor and offered himself as ransom for a prisoner. As a young priest he rode with a king's cavalcade to carry a marriage offer to the princess of Denmark from the prince of Castile. But his greatest adventures came when he walked from town to town and preached the word of God and the power of the Holy Rosary prayer. The work of the thousands of Dominican priests and sisters all over the world stands today--seven centuries later--as a living memorial to the sanctity of their founder.

     Saint Francis Xavier's life is, in itself, a dramatic story. With humility and deep religious conviction, the famous Catholic novelist Louis de Wohl takes us into the mind and heart of this great missionary and saint who went by order of St. Ignatius of Loyola to "set all afire" in the Orient. Louis de Wohl captivates the reader as he follows Xavier's life from student days in Paris, through his meeting with Ignatius, his rather reluctant conversion, and his travels as one of the first Jesuits. The story takes the reader from Europe to Goa, India, Malaysia, Japan, and finally, to an island off the coast of China, where the exiled Xavier dies virtually alone. The book captures the dramatic struggles and inspiring zeal of this remarkable saint, giving at the same time an enthralling picture of the age in which he lived.

     After his war torn boyhood in Navarre, Francis Xavier went to the University of Paris, determined to have a good time. He was interested in sports and became broad jumping champion of his college, and did not pay much attention to his studies. At first he scoffed at this fellow student, Ignatius Loyola, a former soldier who wanted to win the world for God. But Ignatius showed him that true champions are a far more heroic breed - those who risk their all to win the world for God. Francis joined Ignatius' followers, and became one of the first members of the Society of Jesus. Francis Xavier was selected by Ignatius to do missionary work in India. This great saint's eagerness to spread the Word of God involved him with the pearl divers of the Indian coast, the natives of Malaya and the Spice Islands, the cannibals of Morotni and the hostile feudal lords of Japan. This book captures the true spirit of a daring man who braved the many dangers of India and Japan in amazing adventures of courage and faith.

      Born in very humble circumstances, young Giuseppe Sarto had one burning desire while growing up on a farm--to become a priest. But never did he or his generous parents ever dream that he would one day sit in the Chair of St. Peter.
     This is the inspiring story of the humble "Pope of little children," whose love for Christ and children moved him to change the requirements for First Communion so that young children as early as 7 years old could receive the Holy Eucharist. Young readers will be inspired by the life of this holy man--from his youthful days of hard work and prayer to receive the education he needed; to his days as the Holy Pontiff, Pope Pius X, the only canonized Pope of this century.

     Meet young José and his friend Trino as the war breaks out in their hometown of Sahuayo. Follow José through his own struggles as the violence escalates, up to his joining the Cristero army in 1927 to fight for freedom of religion. Captured by government forces, José refused to deny his faith in exchange for his freedom. Tortured and forced to march to his grave, he cried out, "Viva Cristo Rey!" (Long live Christ the King) José died as he had lived, a hero.
     Inspired by this young martyr to become a priest himself, Father McKenzie spent ten years researching and writing José's story. The result is a riveting tale of a young man's bravery and passion for God. Drawing on all existing sources, including never-before-seen documents from the Vatican and the Mexican Government, Saint José plunges the young reader into a country at war, not over territory, but over the right to worship God freely.

     This book tells the story of one of God's most lovable and loving saints, St. Philip Neri. Despite his wisdom and learning, he was a simple, radiant, childlike soul who never ceased, even in his honored old age, to make jokes, to play with his many pets, to tease, to amuse, to teach the great lesson that it is the joyous heart that wins friends to Christ.
     Philip grew up in a very poor family in Florence, and was later taken in by his uncle, a prosperous merchant. Ever searching for a way best to serve God, he abandoned a merchant's career to become a lay apostle. Deciding that he could best help his fellow man as a priest, he then entered the seminary, and his holiness, joy and zeal soon inspired thousands of Romans to live a vibrant Christian life. St. Philip founded a religious congregation, and became the counselor of popes and cardinals, the trusted friend of beggars and outcasts.

     Louis IX of France, who took the throne in 1226, had one aim in life--to be a good king. Guided by the advice of his mother, he ruled well and was beloved by his people. At the age of twenty-eight he took the cross of the crusade and, with his army, set out for Egypt to defeat the Saracens, the most energetic enemies of the Holy Land. Instead, the Saracens charged to victory and imprisoned Louis, whose saintly conduct while in prison shamed his captors.
     Released, and after another miserable failure in Palestine, he returned to France broken in health but still fired with the desire to liberate the Holy Land. And so again, St. Louis led his men out from France, this time on the last crusade.

     Father Damien and the Bells is the story of the saintly Fr. Damien, who in 1872 went to the island of Molokai, where lepers had been exiled to live in miserable surroundings. Damien earned the trust of the lepers, and his appeals for help resonated throughout the world.
     He spent his life caring for all the needs of the outcast lepers, and was so dedicated to service that he eventually contracted leprosy himself. Even after he was stricken with the disease, however, Damien carried on working for his “fellow lepers” to the end.

     Over three hundred years ago, many Frenchmen came to the unknown forests along the St. Lawrence River. Most of them came in search of furs and wealth. But there were some--a handful of Jesuit missionaries--who came not to get, but to give. They wished to give the savage Indians the knowledge of God and of His love for them. One of these missionaries was Isaac Jogues, martyr and Saint. This is the story of his dangerous and difficult life among the Indian tribes in their tree-dark country--of his work of conversion, of his efforts to teach the Indians rules of health and to set them free from their superstitious belief in the power of their medicine men. Including a wealth of anecdotes drawn directly from the historical sources, this is the inspiring story of the enslavement of Saint Isaac by the Mohawks, his daring escape, and finally, his death as a martyr for the Faith.

     A well-written and engrossing tale, Cross among the Tomahawks tells the story of the period of first contact between the pagan Indian tribes of the Saint Lawrence valley and the Christian French missionaries. Centering on the life of a young Huron named Tsiko, the tale is fast-moving and engaging for readers of all ages. With accurate and detailed history drawn directly from the original sources in the Jesuit Relations of the Canadian Missions, the book is a tremendous introduction for young readers to the era of exploration and the early Catholic missions to the Native Americans. The lives and deaths of many of the Jesuit martyrs are described, and the author does not shy away from an account of the awful, though triumphant martyrdom of Saint Jean de Brebeuf, sparing little detail.

     Having witnessed the endless string of disasters that shattered his beloved Italy in the late 6th century AD, Pope Saint Gregory the Great set down in the Dialogues a sequence of tales to help his contemporaries escape from their worldly troubles and contemplate eternal life. Peter, Gregory’s interlocutor, laments that he has never heard of anyone famous in Italy for virtue. To set him straight, Gregory offers an entire litany of stories of Italian saints—from Honoratus of Funda who pinned a great rock to a mountainside to prevent it from crushing an abbey, to Florentius and his ill-fated bear. Perhaps most importantly, Gregory’s Dialogues contain an entire book dedicated to the life of Saint Benedict of Nursia--the oldest and most detailed biography of this important Church father.
     To modern readers, these tales of visions, miracles and extraordinary Christian virtue paint a vivid portrait of daily life amid the wreckage of once-prosperous Roman Italy. In addition, the Dialogues offer a glimpse into the theology of one of the great minds of the Church during the time when Roman authority ebbed forever in the West and ecclesiastical authority emerged to fill the void. More...

     Born about the year 1140 in the foothills of the Alps near Grenoble, Hugh of Avalon became a Carthusian monk at La Grande Chartreuse. In his mid-40s, he was summoned to England to help found the first Carthusian monastery in that country. His success was such that in 1186 he was elected Bishop of Lincoln. As bishop, Hugh helped to make Lincoln a center of learning, rebuilding the cathedral in the new Gothic style and winning the respect of the leaders of his age, including Pope Innocent III and the kings of England, Henry II, Richard I, and John (who helped carry the bier at Hugh's funeral in 1200).
     Hugh gained a reputation for sanctity and mercy during his life thanks to his concern for the poor, his love for children, his hospitality, and his defense of the Jews. His kindness, wit and cheerful disposition won him a wide circle of friends, including a wild swan which guarded him while he slept and subsequently became his chief iconographic emblem. Hugh was perhaps most famous for delivering a stinging public rebuke to Richard I, which the king received with grave humility. Hugh was canonized a saint in AD 1220. More...

Mark Twain was a persistent critic of organized Christianity and an occasional abuser of Catholicism. However, in 1896, he published an absolutely beautiful historical fiction account of the life of Joan of Arc that is completely sympathetic to the Catholic Church in general and to Saint Joan in particular. Personal Recollections of Joan of Arc tells Joan's story from beginning to end and Twain handles his subject with a delicacy bordering on reverence. The work is little more than an eloquent retelling of Joan's history, from her humble upbringing in Domrémy, to her glorious exploits on the field of battle, to the grotesque mockery of a trial which condemned her as a heretic. The story is told through the eyes of Joan's page, Louis de Contes. It is alternately profound, humorous, inspiring, and shatteringly sad. Twain called it his best and favorite work and though lengthy, it is an easy and enjoyable read for ages 12 and up.

Written by the brilliant Catholic novelist Louis de Wohl, this book tells the epic tale of Joan of Arc. In the early 15th century, the English dominated much of France. The cause of the weak French dauphin, Charles VII, seemed on the verge of collapse. But at the moment when final defeat seemed inevitable, a girl named Joan arrived on the scene, claiming to be a messenger from God. Her message was simple but impossible: the besieged city of Orleans must be relieved and the Dauphin must go to Rheims to be crowned king.
     Those who doubted Joan were soon humbled, for her ability to predict future events was uncanny. But no sooner was her misison fulfilled than Joan was captured by the English. Following an unjust trial, Joan was condemned and died a martyr for Christ and for France. Painting a compelling and enjoyable story of the Maid's career, De Wohl's biography is perfect for kids ages 9 and up, or as read-aloud for younger children.

     "This book changes lives," one of our customers told us. She knew of a young man who read it and was so inspired, he entered the seminary. Well suited for young readers and old alike, this book is a fine introduction to the life of Saint John Bosco. It is full of poignant and humorous little stories about his various struggles and antics. Saint John comes across as a real person, not an impossible model of sanctity. He is full of zeal for Jesus and the Blessed Mother, and is one of those rare people who is able to combine that zeal with a magnetic personality. By doing so, he was able to bring thousands of people closer to our Lord.
     Two other saints appear in this book. Saint Dominic Savio was one of Don Bosco's boys who was a model of extraordinary virtue. The other is Saint Maria Mazzarello, foundress of the Salesian sisters. Filled with engaging stories about Don Bosco's tricks as a young man, and his mysterious "dog" that seemed to appear whenever he was in danger, this book makes for a great read-aloud.

El Cid, God’s Own Champion is an inspiring new biography of the extraordinary Catholic knight chosen by God to save his nation from Islamic aggression. Known by the honorary title of El Cid, Rodrigo Diaz is a legendary hero whose story is directly relevant to modern times. Exiled by his king, insulted and maligned by those who should have supported him, he selflessly fought against seemingly insurmountable odds to save Christian Spain. He commanded the respect even of his enemies--upon his death a Muslim historian acclaimed him, “a miracle among the great miracles of the Almighty.” The Cid is an example of what can be achieved through devotion to duty, prayer, and trust in God.

     Jean-Marie Vianney, a farm boy born during the French Revolution, longed to become a priest. But he could not learn Latin, and it seemed as if the humble, lovable, slow-thinking Jean-Marie would never be ordained. He did at last become a priest, and such a holy one that St. Jean-Marie Vianney is invoked as the patron saint and model of parish priests everywhere. To many he is known, not by name, but simply as "the Curé of Ars," the parish priest who devoted his life to the little village of Ars and so successfully led his people to sanctity that he became a prime target of the devil.

     Saint Benedict: Hero of the Hills presents the powerful story of the famous life and miracles of St. Benedict for the Vision Book series of saints for youth. Known as the Father of Western Monasticism, St. Benedict played a major role in the Christinization and civilization of post-Roman Europe in the sixth century. Having lived in an era of great immorality and vice, Benedict founded an order for monks whose strong life of prayer and work helped convert the godless society around them. It tells how his Benedictine order of monks spread throughout Europe and the New World. The heroic life of his sister St. Scholastica, his saving a boy from drowning, raising one from the dead, and the story of poisoned wine are all told in this exciting, dramatic tale of a great saint.

     This is the inspiring dramatic account of the colorful and courageous life and death of the martyr, St. Edmund Campion, "hero of God's underground" during the persecutions of the Catholics in England in the 1500s. Campion, the most celebrated young scholar of his day, was on his way to becoming the Archbishop of Canterbury until a crisis of conscience turned him back to his Catholic faith. He fled England, became a Jesuit priest, and was sent back to be the leader of the underground ministry to the persecuted Catholics until, after a long and frustrated search, the government finally captured him and brutally executed him. His daring and brilliant underground ministry to Catholics all over England, his zeal for the faith, and his great courage and joy in the face of martyrdom are all related in this compelling story for youth.

     Saint Therese and the Roses is a beautiful story about one of the most popular saint of modern times, St. Therese of Lisieux, the "Little Flower." Growing up in Lisieux, France was occasionally painful but usually delightful for Therese and her four sisters. For practical Marie, studious Pauline, hot-tempered Leonie, mischievous Celine, and beautiful, lovable Therese, growing up meant growing closer to God. The Little Flower found her pathway to holiness right in her own back yard. With their disagreements, secrets, visits to the convent, school adventures, and romances, these five girls are an enjoyable handful for their kindly, widowed father. But Therese, because she loves her family, discovers that one of her sisters might unwittingly prevent her dearest wish from coming true. .

     This Vision Book tells the inspiring true story of the life of Elizabeth Bayley Seton from her childhood in a distinguished New York family to her becoming a sister and foundress of an order of nuns. Born in 1774, Elizabeth Bayley grew up in a well-to-do Protestant family and seemed destined for a tranquil life. At age 19 she married William Seton and together they had five children. Tragedy struck when William died of tuberculosis in 1803. Elizabeth learned that her family fortune was lost as well. She converted to Catholicism at a time when Catholics were the object of persecutions in the United States. Her family was shocked by this decision. Elizabeth met Bishop Carroll of Maryland, and he gave her the inspiration to found the American Sisters of Charity and the first American parochial Catholic school. In time her order of sisters flourished, and they established more schools, orphanages and hospitals across the United States. At her early death (46 years old) Mother Seton's congregation numbered twenty-one communities throughout the country.

     This charming book tells the beautiful story of American saint, foundress of the Sisters of the Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament and servant of the oppressed. Born in 1858 to Francis and Emma Drexel, Katharine grew up in a happy, devout, and wealthy Catholic family in Philadelphia. Her parents were greatly loved and admired by many for their kindness and generosity to the poor. After the death of her parents the young Katharine decided to use all the fortune she had inherited to help the less fortunate in America, especially the Indians and African Americans. Acting upon the words she had heard come from a statue of Our Lady, "Freely you have received, freely give", Katharine became a sister and foundress of a religious order. Her inspiring story encourages a love of Christian charity and an openness to the religious life.

     This is the inspiring story of Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha, a holy young woman who converted to Christianity under the auspices of the French missionaries during the 1600s. Kateri's mother was a very devout Christian woman who, after being captured by the Iroquois, was not allowed to baptize her daughter. Kateri's whole family died of smallpox, and she was adopted by a chief who was very anti-Christian. When she was baptized by the missionaries, Kateri was ostracized from the tribe. With the help of the priest, she made a daring escape, and thereafter lived a life devoted to God. Denied her desire to become a nun, she declined marriage and lived as a single woman with deep faith, offering her sufferings and life to Christ. She died at the age of twenty-four and is affectionately known as the "Lily of the Mohawks." Drawn from the historical records of Kateri's life, this book offers a miniature history lesson about life as an Indian convert in 17th century colonial America.

     The greatest Spanish monarch, King of Castile and Leon, St. Fernando III was born in the year 1199 - exactly 100 years after the death of his illustrious ancestor, El Cid. In him would be combined the soul of a knight dedicated entirely to God, the irresistible power of the Cid, and due to his royal heritage, the authority to marshal the might of an entire kingdom against the enemies of Christ. Personally leading his armies into battle, he took back more territory from Islam than any other king in history. First cousin of St. Louis IX of France, he died a saintly death in the year 1252. His incorrupt body can still be seen in the Cathedral of Seville, and his feastday, May 30th, is a holy day of obligation in Spain.

     This Vision book, ideal for ages 9-14, tells the inspirational story of the great French saint of charity, St. Vincent de Paul. From his days of youth as a shepherd boy to his slavery in North Africa, his escape to France, his priestly service to the poor and to abandoned children, his founding of both the Vincentian Order and the Daughters of Charity, clashes with the Jansenists and his political adventures at court, this dramatic story of Vincent de Paul is sure to inspire all readers.

     In this updated anthology Ethel Pochocki has selected a mixture for older youth of "soldiers and sailors, kings and queens, doctors, lawyers, beggars, thieves, poets, diplomats, fools and cranks," and she has told their stories in her characteristic lively style. She shows how brave and generous such people were; how they challenged the society they lived in; and how they have since become light-bearers to enthral future generations of young people. Beginning with the Mexican Indian, Saint Juan Diego, born in 1474, and spanning 500 years, these 33 chapters include modern men and women, such as Blessed Teresa of Calcutta and Jean Vanier, as well as old favorites such as SS Teresa of Avila, Philip Neri and Francis de Sales. The author shows us how human and attractive their lives are, whatever the century they lived in, as they spring to life in these pages.

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