All Saints: Daily Reflections on Saints, Prophets, and Witnesses for Our Time (Paperback)

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Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Saints have typically been figures from the distant past, canonized for miraculous lives of perfection and self-denial. Orbis editor-in-chief Ellsberg here redefines this stereotype in this diverse and substantial compendium of the lives of men and women, ancient and contemporary, who gave themselves completely to their vocations. Well-known saints, apostles, and martyrs take their place beside lesser-known figures (the woman with a flow of blood who touched Jesus' hem), theologians and philosophers (e.g., Martin Buber, Simone Weil, Kierkegaard), artists (Van Gogh, Mozart, J.S. Bach), literary figures (Dante, Tolstoy), social reformers (Gandhi, Schweitzer), and numerous others who do not fit into neat categories. A different figure is introduced for each day of the year to coincide with feast days or birth/death dates, and helpful biographical sources are provided.
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Description

This praised and best-selling daily reader presents short, comprehensive biographies of 365 saints and spiritual masters from Christianity and other faith traditions, including Mary Magdalene, Therese of Lisieux, Thomas Aquinas, Mother Teresa, Moses, Martin Luther, and Gandhi.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 608 pages
• Publisher: The Crossroad Publishing Company (September 1, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0824516796
• ISBN-13: 978-0824516796
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (43 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #67,474 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

22 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars What a wonderful, inclusive "cloud of witnesses", July 22, 1999

By	Marc DelMonico (Washington, DC United States) - See all my reviews

All Saints is truly remarkable. While there are many traditional collections honoring Catholic saints, this is the first I have seen that is truly catholic (universal) in embracing many different traditions and the best of those traditions. Ellsburg's book reminds me that saints are made, not born. Each day I am presented with the story of some man or woman who struggled to grow in relationship with God and to live well in the world around him/her. Many advocates of social justice and modern "saints" (as modern as the 90s) are included here, which is wonderful to see. I have ordered many copies for family and friends! No one who knows the value of role models should be without one.

28 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Innovative, inspiring guide to saintly lives, April 14, 1998

By	Kevin G. Mark (Melbourne, Australia) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

While one could fill a bookcase with one-volume guides to the saints, this new publication both takes a refreshing, innovative approach in its choice of spiritual models and sets new standards of such writing. Over one or two of the book's large-format pages, Robert Ellsberg presents each of his 365 insightful portraits of men and women who present inspiring and challenging role models for today's Christian. His selection puts individuals traditionally celebrated as saints alongside others also recognized today as spiritual giants, including some from non-Christian faiths.

The profiles are presented one per day, often on their official feast days, if this applies. At the end of each entry, Ellsberg provides one or two well-chosen suggestions for further reading. An index makes the book a useful reference, in addition to it being rich spiritual reading.

The merits of `All Saints' were well captured by Henri Nouwen when he commented on a draft version of the book prior to his death (Nouwen himself receives an entry in the finished book): `This book is a great treasure. Though not pious it is spiritually evocative; though untraditional, it is consistent with the larger Catholic tradition. While broadening the traditional vision of sanctity it calls us to explore our own ways of becoming a saint. I consider Robert Ellsberg to be one of the most significant spiritual writers in the United States, and this book puts him right into the center of contemporary spiritual literature.'

Ellsberg is editor-in-chief of Orbis Books and has written and edited a number of award-winning books, including works on Dorothy Day and Mahatma Gandhi. In `All Saints' he has produced a compendium of holy lives that will truly speak to and inspire today's women and men. [A Selection of the John Garratt Catholic Book Club.]

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A well-written and cogent daily reader generous in 'saints', May 31, 1999

By	[e-mail] (Rural Metamora, Illinois.) - See all my reviews

Ellsberg chronicles not only expected Saints, but also Old Testament figures, writers like John Donne and George Herbert, social activists like Fr. Pedro Arrupe, SJ, Dorothy L. Day, G.K. Chesterton, and the anti-Nazi Order of White Rose. Gandhi and Moses rub page-shoulders with Julian of Norwich, Sojourner Truth, and the Beguine martyrs. Well-documented readings feature a prefatory quote by the day's saint, a biography, and a reflective linking to other 'saints' of the day and subsequently. Have given two copies away already and am on-line to order more; like any good book, -All Saints- by Robert Ellsberg improves with every reading.