Saint of the Day: Lives, Lessons, and Feasts [Paperback]

Leonard Foley (Editor), Pat McCloskey (Editor)

Product Details

• Paperback: 365 pages
• Publisher: St Anthony Messenger Pr; 5 Revised edition (August 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0867165359
• ISBN-13: 978-0867165357
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,269,868 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Faithful, well-written, January 28, 2007

By 

Rich Leonardi (Cincinnati, Ohio) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Saint of the Day: Lives, Lessons, and Feasts (Paperback)

Fr. Foley's "Saint of the Day" is on the whole a faithful, well-written collection of brief essays concerning saints and feast days. Each entry is approximately two pages, and includes a "Comment" by the author and a "Quote" from a source like a document from Vatican II.

It is only in the author's comments that things occasionally go awry, generally due to the author's somewhat progressive sensibilities. For instance, St. Thomas Aquinas is awkwardly described as a "towering example of ... inclusiveness." Likewise, the entry for Ss. Perpetua and Felicity compares their martyrdom to the murder of Anne Frank during the Holocaust. Yet young Anne wasn't killed for her beliefs, but for her "race"; Nazis were quite happy to kill Jewish converts to Christianity. That doesn't make Anne's death any less tragic, but it does make the comparison rather forced.

To his credit, however, Fr. Foley also includes a reference to Vatican II's call for Gregorian Chant and polyphony in his entry for St. Cecilia. This martyr from the Roman era is the patron saint of musicians and a favorite of liturgically-orthodox Catholics. Similarly, he includes a generous quotation from G.K. Chesterton in the entry for St. John Bosco.

That feast days like the Presentation, the Annunciation, and the Most Holy Name of Jesus are also included makes "Saint of the Day" even more useful for liturgical catechesis. Fr. Foley's prose is suitable for high school students and adults, and the book is a good choice for a Confirmation gift.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good quick reference for Saints, March 16, 2007

By 

Melinda W. (Long Beach, CA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Saint of the Day: Lives, Lessons, and Feasts (Paperback)

I'm happy with this book. I can find out about the Saints whose names adorn churches, etc. in my area. I also found a very hard to find Saint in this book. It is a great book to have as a reference if you are Catholic or just curious.

3 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Inspirational, September 14, 2007

By 

J. - See all my reviews

This review is from: Saint of the Day: Lives, Lessons, and Feasts (Paperback)

Not all saints were doers of miracles, or were martyrs,but simply believed and attempted to live as Christ would have us all do. Ordinary people living ordinary lives, unknown, unrecognized.

Gives great hope to us all.