Buy new:
-46% $11.94
FREE delivery Monday, July 22 on orders shipped by Amazon over $35
Ships from: Amazon
Sold by: BookFast
$11.94 with 46 percent savings
List Price: $21.99

The List Price is the suggested retail price of a new product as provided by a manufacturer, supplier, or seller. Except for books, Amazon will display a List Price if the product was purchased by customers on Amazon or offered by other retailers at or above the List Price in at least the past 90 days. List prices may not necessarily reflect the product's prevailing market price.
Learn more
Get Fast, Free Shipping with Amazon Prime FREE Returns
FREE delivery Monday, July 22 on orders shipped by Amazon over $35. Order within 12 hrs 39 mins
Only 1 left in stock - order soon.
$$11.94 () Includes selected options. Includes initial monthly payment and selected options. Details
Price
Subtotal
$$11.94
Subtotal
Initial payment breakdown
Shipping cost, delivery date, and order total (including tax) shown at checkout.
Ships from
Amazon
Ships from
Amazon
Sold by
BookFast
Sold by
BookFast
Returns
Eligible for Return, Refund or Replacement within 30 days of receipt
Eligible for Return, Refund or Replacement within 30 days of receipt
This item can be returned in its original condition for a full refund or replacement within 30 days of receipt.
Read full return policy
Returns
Eligible for Return, Refund or Replacement within 30 days of receipt
This item can be returned in its original condition for a full refund or replacement within 30 days of receipt.
Read full return policy
Payment
Secure transaction
Your transaction is secure
We work hard to protect your security and privacy. Our payment security system encrypts your information during transmission. We don’t share your credit card details with third-party sellers, and we don’t sell your information to others. Learn more
Payment
Secure transaction
We work hard to protect your security and privacy. Our payment security system encrypts your information during transmission. We don’t share your credit card details with third-party sellers, and we don’t sell your information to others. Learn more
$11.05
Get Fast, Free Shipping with Amazon Prime FREE Returns
Book in good condition. Pages are crisp and clean with no markings. Rubbing on cover. Wear on corners and edges. Ships direct from Amazon! Book in good condition. Pages are crisp and clean with no markings. Rubbing on cover. Wear on corners and edges. Ships direct from Amazon! See less
FREE delivery Tuesday, July 23 on orders shipped by Amazon over $35. Order within 18 hrs 24 mins
Only 1 left in stock - order soon.
$$11.94 () Includes selected options. Includes initial monthly payment and selected options. Details
Price
Subtotal
$$11.94
Subtotal
Initial payment breakdown
Shipping cost, delivery date, and order total (including tax) shown at checkout.
Access codes and supplements are not guaranteed with used items.
Kindle app logo image

Download the free Kindle app and start reading Kindle books instantly on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required.

Read instantly on your browser with Kindle for Web.

Using your mobile phone camera - scan the code below and download the Kindle app.

QR code to download the Kindle App

My Cousin the Saint: A Story of Love, Miracles, and an Italian Family Reunited Paperback – Illustrated, June 16, 2009

by Justin Catanoso (Author)
4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 20 ratings
See all formats and editions
{"desktop_buybox_group_1":[{"displayPrice":"$11.94","priceAmount":11.94,"currencySymbol":"$","integerValue":"11","decimalSeparator":".","fractionalValue":"94","symbolPosition":"left","hasSpace":false,"showFractionalPartIfEmpty":true,"offerListingId":"%2F3jJaEtc0oWHs20wrmqhAXVokc6%2FtZ2EcC63ZhE6BRCo1E0uXr7Ygn4ySI%2BIfKnIJurqnVsNhKmaj1lfNU6FAX1rAHMFUrjkNYa2Mo4QkqMORyo5CA6Wc8XYPOzvDWJfAtvis4EcjHyIQqqbK%2FJtP5fl47z0ZheSs8K1Oe1Y63jfFQOGZrFMp%2BrcpQnrM8uc","locale":"en-US","buyingOptionType":"NEW","aapiBuyingOptionIndex":0}, {"displayPrice":"$11.05","priceAmount":11.05,"currencySymbol":"$","integerValue":"11","decimalSeparator":".","fractionalValue":"05","symbolPosition":"left","hasSpace":false,"showFractionalPartIfEmpty":true,"offerListingId":"%2F3jJaEtc0oWHs20wrmqhAXVokc6%2FtZ2EZikoZfNN5TQJ62I8IqYosT92FLzjz8E3OAU838WzyxUGw%2FzbXE%2BLrqkgi51QgnpDCGO8i%2F8DZmEz0vvZAiC2bJ2Eo6In0ZWc6N1%2FfHDoHr4WvOYhHju59bHONMc8KeSaC1phcNyldjiKq5N8hwjF06TJPVU6OPaY","locale":"en-US","buyingOptionType":"USED","aapiBuyingOptionIndex":1}]}

Purchase options and add-ons

Justin Catanoso, born and raised in New Jersey, knew little of his family beyond the Garden State. That changed in 2001 when he discovered that his grandfather's cousin, Padre Gaetano Catanoso, aaaaawas a Vatican-certified miracle worker. A typically lapsed American Catholic, Justin embarked on a quest to connect with his extended family in southern Italy and, ultimately, to awaken his slumbering faith.

A compelling narrative written with grace and honesty, My Cousin the Saint is a testament to the challenge of being Catholic in twenty-first-century America. More than a biography, more than an immigrant memoir, more than a chronicle of renewed faith, it is a love letter to a family now reunited across oceans and years.

Previous slide of product details
  1. Print length
    368 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publication date
    June 16, 2009
  4. Dimensions
    5.31 x 0.83 x 8 inches
  5. ISBN-10
    0061729329
  6. ISBN-13
    978-0061729324
  7. See all details
Next slide of product details
The Amazon Book Review
The Amazon Book Review
Book recommendations, author interviews, editors' picks, and more. Read it now.

Editorial Reviews

Review

“Justin Catanoso went to Italy in search of his canonized cousin. In finding the story of his own family, he has written a warm and candid memoir that I admire.” — Gay Talese, author of Unto the Sons

“Glorious. . . . It’s a great story: part travelogue, part detective story, part spiritual journal, and beautifully told.” — America: The National Catholic Weekly

“A fascinating quest for ancestry and an illuminating wrestling with faith.” — washingtonpost.com

“Worth worth reading for the travelogue alone.” — Greensboro News & Record

“A glorious book! Part spiritual journey, part detective story, part travelogue, Justin Catanoso’s engrossing new memoir shows how discovering God always leads to discovering yourself. His quest to learn about his saintly cousin leads him to a fuller and richer understanding of his faith, his family, and, ultimately, himself.” — James Martin, SJ, author of My Life with the Saints and frequent commentator for the New York Times and National Public Radio

“A beautiful book that brings with it the joy and recognition of family and of faith.” — Antonio Monda, author of Do You Believe?: Conversations on God and Religion

“Vividly brings to life one of the Church’s newest canonized saints.” — The Catholic Standard & Times

“A book for history lovers. . . for students of theology, for those who question their faith, or for anyone stumbling down life’s highway.” — Cape May County Herald

From the Back Cover

Justin Catanoso, born and raised in New Jersey, knew little of his family beyond the Garden State. That changed in 2001 when he discovered that his grandfather's cousin, Padre Gaetano Catanoso, aaaaawas a Vatican-certified miracle worker. A typically lapsed American Catholic, Justin embarked on a quest to connect with his extended family in southern Italy and, ultimately, to awaken his slumbering faith.

A compelling narrative written with grace and honesty, My Cousin the Saint is a testament to the challenge of being Catholic in twenty-first-century America. More than a biography, more than an immigrant memoir, more than a chronicle of renewed faith, it is a love letter to a family now reunited across oceans and years.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ William Morrow Paperbacks; Illustrated edition (June 16, 2009)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 368 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0061729329
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0061729324
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 11.4 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.31 x 0.83 x 8 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 20 ratings

Customer reviews

4.4 out of 5 stars
4.4 out of 5
20 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Carol
5.0 out of 5 stars Cousins book
Reviewed in the United States on July 30, 2023
Verified Purchase
I had no interaction with seller. But product was great
Helpful
 Report
MARY A
5.0 out of 5 stars ITALIAN MEMORIES
Reviewed in the United States on March 4, 2013
Verified Purchase
THIS BOOK WAS FANTASTIC, I JUST FINISHED IT, AND PLAN TO REREAD IT AGAIN. I AM OF ITALIAN DECENT AND FOUND THE BOOK VERY INFORMATIVE. I WISH I STILL HAD FAMILY IN MESSINA. MAYBE SOMEDAY I TO WILL GET THERE.. MARYANN
Helpful
 Report
MG - Phoenix
4.0 out of 5 stars Missing Photographs
Reviewed in the United States on April 2, 2022
Verified Purchase
Well written story that I read with a book club. Most copies had photographs in a center section but my copy and other newly published copies were missing these. Clearly the printer either missed this or excluded. A disappointment as these photographs are referenced often by the author.
Helpful
 Report
Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Great story
Reviewed in the United States on August 21, 2018
Verified Purchase
It was a wonderful storyline that kept me captivated throughout the entire book.
One person found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
Marietta
2.0 out of 5 stars A Brilliant Book by a Mediocre Catholic
Reviewed in the United States on April 24, 2013
This is a brilliant book by a mediocre Catholic. It reads like a movie, it is hard to put down. The author is excellent at describing scene after scene, detailing people's appearances and actions, how they relate to one another, even interpreting how they feel at various instances. It's so engaging, the reader eventually feels like she's part of the adventure.

The fact that Justin Catanoso's family runs a nursery in NJ also helps the author keep this book picturesque. In his travels to Italy, from Rome to Calabria, he is impressibly able to identify the different plants and trees abounding in the Mediterranean region. Citrus trees are not simply oranges - they are bergamots, grapefruits, bloods, clementines. It's rare to find a travelogue that does not so much concentrate on food as on the cultural landscape and on long lost relatives that the author meets and wants to know more intimately.

Okay, it's not a travelogue. It's in fact, a pilgrimage. It is a search for the American author's Italian roots that happen to produce a canonized saint. Justin Catenoso has a wonderful time basking in the extended family's hospitality and affection that in no time at all he feels like at home. How did this big, loud, warm, fun-loving branch of the family tree that carries his last name produce a saint? Most importantly, Catanoso wants to know if being related to a saint makes a difference when it comes to obtaining spiritual favors and miracles.

The best part of the book is the journalist Justin's foray into the Vatican's Congregation for the Causes of Saints. He discovers that canonization is a complicated, meticulous, and scientific process that leaves no moral stone unturned if only to guard the Church's reputation for scrupulousity. He also discovers that searching for a would-be saint's elusive "heroic virtue" is just as important as scoring a miracle or two.

I would love to give this book five-stars for the author's sheer honesty and entertaining skill. But on the whole, it's unsatisfactory. Justin searches for his cousin, Saint Gaetano Catanoso, but now that he finds him, he desn't know what to do. Shall he be content with literally following the saint's footsteps, climbing up hills and mountains where the saint had been, admiring his relics, talking to people who revere him, recounting what he accomplished (pastoring impoverished parishes, evangelizing neighboring towns, doing charitable works both materially and spiritually, establishing a congregation of missionary Sisters dedicated to the service of the poor, etc. and living a sacrificial life of constant prayer, obedience, voluntary poverty, and celibacy.) Shall he be satisfied with just knowing and writing a book about those?

I don't think so. Once back in the States and wanting to revive whatever is left of his latent Catholicism, the author finally finds the truth about himself. It is like a slap on the face when a Franciscan priest tells him for all that effort, he remains a mediocre Catholic. And I agree.

Being a relative to a saint doesn't give one easy access to realm of the saints. One does not learn how to swim by simply looking at the water. If the author had been guided by a practicing Catholic, he probably would have ventured into the deep. It's a pity that his mother who urged him in childhood to frequent the sacrament of penance (confession), is seldom heard from as soon as he embarks on his journey.

Come to think of it, of the number of photographs in the book, there is not one of his mother. I bet if he had involved his mother more in his search, he would have learned how she copes with the tragedy of his brother's death and be told that unanswered prayers do not go to waste. I'm sure she would have told him that the "Communion of Saints" does not just refer to people who have died and gone to Heaven, but also those in purgatory, and those trying to lead holy lives while still on earth.

I'm sure she would have told him not to receive communion if he does not believe the Eucharist to be the true Body and Blood of Christ. And not to receive Him if he hadn't been to Church for the last 10 months or even missed last Sunday's Mass without first going to confession. (Who were he trying to impress by doing so?) She would have told him that the book the sacristan carries from the Epistle side of the altar to the Gospel side (in the Tridentine form) is not exactly a Bible but an altar Missal, the Roman Missal. She would have told him that he could dream and dream till kingdom come - of becoming a lector (in the Novus Ordo), but he wouldn't be allowed to proclaim the Gospel because that's for the Ordained to do.

I am surprised that a brilliant journalist that he is, Justin Catanoso didn't bother researching Padre Gaetano's writings before writing this book. He was not wanting for interpreters. The saint had published a newletter (Il Volto Santo) which he wrote, edited, multiple-copied by hand, and distributed to his followers. Padre Gaetano was known to say many times, "The Holy Face is my life. He is my strength," yet Justin didn't even try to look into what those words meant. He visited the church that the saint built and the chapel where his relics are enshrined, both featuring the Holy Face as depicted in the sanctified Veil of Veronica, but Justin hardly noticed and didn't ask its significance in the life of the saint.

Justin notes that at every photograph, picture, or statue of Saint Gaetano, he is shown holding a rosary. What does it mean? Justin couldn't be bothered. Saint Padre Gaetano founded the Veronican Sisters of the Holy Face with houses in Italy, the Philippines, and Tanzania. Justin had associated with the nuns in the saint's home base, yet failed to ask them what exactly is the charism of the "Holy Face"? How did the devotion travel from France to Italy to the Philippines and Tanzania? What spiritual characteristics do the other "Holy Face" saints share with Padre Gaetano Catanoso - i.e., Sr. Mary of Saint Peter, Ven. Leo Dupont, Ven. Mary Pierini, Saint Therese of the Child Jesus and the Holy Face, Saint Gertrude, etc.?

Really, Justin - I know that you're not writing a hagiography, but - Come on, man - you want to get to know your cousin, the saint, well? Not just in appearance, not just how his family regard him and not just about his miracles, some of which you reported with skepticism? So what's preventing you from getting to know the saint as he truly was and still is?

I think I know the answer. After Justin has found his cousin the saint, he is hesitant to sit at his feet for some words of spiritual wisdom. He can't afford to. He knows that getting to really know Saint Padre Gaetano Catanoso would eventually lead close to, if not in full view, of the Holy Face of Jesus Christ. And he is scared.
3 people found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Not, my Favorite!!!
Reviewed in the United States on August 13, 2013
Verified Purchase
This was not my favorite read, some parts I found very boring, a little too much religion, not what I had expected at all.
Helpful
 Report
Davide
5.0 out of 5 stars fantastic
Reviewed in the United States on September 24, 2013
Verified Purchase
Superb book. Easy to be read, easy to be followed. Amazing stories inside!
I strongly suggest it to all readers.
Helpful
 Report
J. Neill
4.0 out of 5 stars A Jounalist's Exploration of Faith and Family
Reviewed in the United States on August 6, 2012
This lovingly written memoir details the author's journey to uncover the story and the meaning of having a saint in the family. In the process he begins to appreciate more and more the values of family, religion, friendship and even miracles in his own life's journey. The book contains many photographs relating to the journey, including some of his cousin, St. Catanoso and other relatives, both in the United States and in Italy who influenced his journey.

What was particularly interesting to me was his description of growing up in South Jersey, the accounts of his immigrant grandfather's path to success in the early 20th century and his determination to gain an understanding of his cousin saint by personal interviews and getting to know other relatives and those who had a part in the canonization of .St. Gaetano Catanoso.

This book will reward someone perhaps of similar uncertain faith and casual Catholic practice who is interested in getting a sense of what it might mean to discover and then explore that there is a saint in the family.To get a sense of what it might mean for a Catholic of uncertain faith and casual practice to discover that there is a saint in his family
Helpful
 Report