Saints for Every Occasion: 101 of Heaven's Most Powerful Patrons [Hardcover]

Thomas J. Craughwell (Author), Arden Von Haeger (Illustrator, Designer)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 1580870597 | ISBN-13: 978-1580870597 | Publication Date: November 26, 2001

Believers have known for centuries that prayer to the saints is a powerful thing. But finding the perfect saint to pray to for whatever problem or challenge you face just got a whole lot easier with Saints for Every Occasion - a new guide to the saints focusing on heavenly patrons especially relevant for our times.

Among the 101 saints profiled are patrons for parents facing divorce, single parenthood, troublesome in-laws, and disappointing kids; saints to watch over children at play and at school, as they watch TV or surf the web; saints for students and sports lovers; and patrons for many contemporary social issues, from homelessness to racial discrimination to AIDS.

Author Thomas J. Craughwell profiles patrons from five continents and many time periods. His saints range from contemporaries of Christ to more modern patrons like Padre Pio ("For a Good Confession"), Pier Giorgio Frassati ("For All Lovers of Sport"), and Faustina Kowalska ("For Confidence in Divine Mercy").

Craughwell's exhaustive research makes Saints a fascinating read for history buffs, and entertaining for anyone interested in learning more about the saints and how their different areas of patronage evolved. And the inclusion of 10 original illustrations by celebrated artist Arden von Haeger help show that the saints are not mere plaster figurines but real men and women who struggled with - and overcame - the same problems and challenges we face today.

Beautifully illustrated and entertainingly told, Saints for Every Occasion features 101 patrons you and your family will seek out time and again.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Books about saints are nearly as numerous as the holy role models themselves, but this version by Craughwell (The Wisdom of the Popes) is a surprisingly welcome addition. Cleverly organized with updated categories like "Saints for the Workplace" and "Saints for Social Action," this volume is full of well-told stories and interesting tidbits about saints, some lesser known and others with ecclesiastical star power. Craughwell has identified saints for single moms, lapsed Catholics and financial professionals, as well as for contemporary concerns and causes like wholesome Web surfing and ending abortion and racial injustice. He has also done his homework, going well beyond saccharine hagiography and painting his subjects with texture, detail and background. His choices include familiar favorites like St. Francis of Assisi, patron saint of ecology, and St. Jude, patron of impossible cases, along with newcomers like St. Maximilian Kolbe, who died at Auschwitz when he offered to take the place of a prisoner who was to be executed. Craughwell also clears up a misunderstanding dating to 1969 about the status of St. Christopher, assuring readers that the patron of travelers did indeed exist and that he remains a saint according to the Catholic Church. Anyone fascinated by the lives of holy people will enjoy paging through this compendium, which, with its calendar of saints' feasts, makes an excellent resource for home and classroom use. (Dec.)Forecast: This will be an alternate selection of both the BOMC and the History Book Club in March, which may help put the tiny publisher Stampley on the map.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

Review

Craughwell has done his homework, going well beyond saccharine hagiography and painting his subjects with texture, detail and background. -- Publishers Weekly, November 26, 2001

Newly divorced, having trouble with in-laws, or afflicted with a toothache? Craughwell has the saint who can ease your burden. -- History Book Club, March 2002

There's a saint for everything and everyone. This inviting guidebook... is felicitously arranged by the kind of help they provide. -- Book-of-the-Month Club, March, 2002

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 432 pages
• Publisher: C. D. Stampley Enterprises (November 26, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1580870597
• ISBN-13: 978-1580870597
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.4 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,021,842 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

After four years in a doctoral program studying medieval English literature, three years as a copywriter for Book-of-the-Month Club, and one year as a marketing director for a pricey, upscale travel company, I went into business for myself as a full-time writer in 1992. (Yeah. I can't believe the business has stayed afloat this long either).
As a writer, I really don't specialize; my resume is all over the map. I developed the concept and wrote the script for History Book Club's first television commercial. I've written direct mail for Time-Life Books, TV Guide, The Reader's Digest, Hilton Hotels, and the American Banking Association. I wrote the original Barnes & Noble web site; a series of online e-learning business, finance, and banking courses for the New York Institute of Finance; and a special "History of the Paperback" web site to celebrate Quality Paperback Book Club's 25th anniversary. My 50 States Fandex cards (Workman Publishing, 1998) have sold 700,000 copies (!). And I've published articles in a variety of newspapers and magazines--from The Wall Street Journal to Emmy magazine to the national Catholic news weekly Our Sunday Visitor.
My first book, Every Eye Beholds You: A World Treasury of Prayer (Harcourt Brace, 1999), was a Main Selection of both Book-of-the-Month Club and Quality Paperback Book Club. My book on patron saints, Saints for Every Occasion (Stampley Enterprises, 2001) has been translated into Spanish, Italian, and Polish.
I'm not a professional talking head, but I've been invited to discuss saints, the canonization process, and Catholic history on CNN, EWTN, Ave Maria Radio; and urban legends on the BBC, The Discovery Channel, Inside Edition, and approximately 75 radio stations.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Saints are for Grown-Ups too, March 4, 2002

By 

Joseph L. Ponessa (Glendive MT USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Saints for Every Occasion: 101 of Heaven's Most Powerful Patrons (Hardcover)

Most of us were introduced to the saints while we were children. As we grew up, our idea of saints has remained on immature level. Thomas Craughwell's book re-introduces us to the saints from an adult person's point of view. The result is refreshing. It is such a relief to know that these 101 saints were not statues in real life. I now feel that Thomas Aquinas is someone I would like to know in real life -- and that Aloysius Gonzaga would be a little scary for his intensity! I left the book by my bed and read two or three capsule biographies each night for over a month. Interestingly, the most moving lives were those of the young saints -- but seen from the adult vantage point of wanting to reach out and protect these youths from harm's way. At the end, I was sorry the book was over. Then on the last page I saw that there is the possibility of a sequel. Let it be!

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A thoughtful, serious, expansive reference, April 11, 2002

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Saints for Every Occasion: 101 of Heaven's Most Powerful Patrons (Hardcover)

Saints For Every Occasion: 101 Of Heaven's Most Powerful Patrons by Catholic commentator and author Thomas J. Craughwell tells the fascinating, compelling, and inspiring stories of Catholicism's patron saints, with special attention to their aspects and relevance today. Each canonized individual is presented with a brief but memorable summary of their lives, to aid those seeking the right words for prayer in the medley of problems faced in this complex world. Highly recommended for personal, seminary, and parish library reference collections, Saints For Every Occasion is a thoughtful, serious, expansive reference that makes for intent browsing in times of inner turmoil.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Saints alive, February 22, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Saints for Every Occasion: 101 of Heaven's Most Powerful Patrons (Hardcover)

I am definitely not religious, but I found this book to be so entertaining and enriching that I have to recommend it. It's full of history and culture, and the author's sly style (which sometimes made me laugh out loud) doesn't interfere with the nourishment he gently makes available through the stories of the saints he's selected. It's the kind of book you love to dip into from time to time, to learn something and be amused and maybe feel a bit better about the world.