Secular Saints [Paperback]

Joan Carroll Cruz (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1, 2009

A monumental Lives of the Saints: people who lived and died as laymen and laywomen. No priests, nuns or monks here--people who often had to overcome incredible difficulties to achieve holiness or who had committed outrageous sins prior to their conversions. Fully indexed by topic. Purposely written to inspire and encourage lay people today. Unique in Catholic literature! 800 pgs 192 Illus, PB

Product Details

• Paperback: 800 pages
• Publisher: TAN Books and Publishers (January 1, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0895556588
• ISBN-13: 978-0895556585
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.1 x 2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,247,459 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Review from the Publisher, March 15, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Secular Saints (Hardcover)

250 Canonized & Beatified Lay Men, Women and Children. This book includes NO PRIESTS, NO NUNS, NO MONKS - just "SECULAR SAINTS" - men, women and children who achieved great sanctity while living in the world - men, women and children who often had to overcome incredible difficulties to achieve holiness, who were placed in the most unlikely circumstances, who committed outrageous sins prior to their conversion, or who faced the most unbelievable problems.

Here are recounted such stories as the saint who mistakenly murdered his parents, the saint who committed rape, the saint who was killed by his adopted son, the saint who for many years was a man's mistress, saints who were alcoholics, saints who died in childbirth, saints who had an unfaithful husband or wife, saints who were orphaned, who were abandoned, who married young, who died young, who ran away from home, who left the Faith and later returned, who died for the Faith, who were killed in battle, who were murdered, saints who were tortured, who were fired from a job, who were disliked, who were homely or illiterate, who were mystics, who were neglected, who were poor, who were ridiculed, who were sick, who had mental problems, who endured others' bad temper, who had trouble with their in-laws, who though married lived as celibates, etc.

Before writing this book, Mrs. Cruz set the definite standard of selecting only those saints who never became priests, monks or nuns, and who never lived the life of cloistered religious. Once again, Mrs. Cruz presents to the reader a great best-selling book, a book the reader will love and cherish all his or her life, a book that will inspire people living in the world to emulate and imitate these famous and lesser-known canonized saints, and in the process help them to become "secular saints" themselves. 800pp. 192 pictures. HB. Index. Imprimatur.