"Boyett's witty, weird, and sometimes even wise Pocket Guides are proof that the best things do come in small packages." DANIEL RADOSH, AUTHOR, RAPTURE READY! We name our cities, hospitals, and churches after them. We flock to shrines bearing their remains. We ask for their help when we lose our keys. Who are these saints, what made them so holy, and what in the world are those birds doing on St. Francis's shoulder? Jason Boyett's Pocket Guide to Sainthood takes an intriguing and unflinching look at the fascinating and fascinatingly weird lives of the saints. Whether you are a Catholic desperately needing a patron, or a Protestant trying to identify your cabbie's bobblehead, this may be as close as you ever come to true holiness. Make the most of it by learning How St. Denis delivered his best sermon while holding his own decapitated head Why both hair shirts and nakedness are mainstays of saintly fashion Which saints are the patrons of bowel disorders, serial killers, and other useful categories What is involved in the canonization process, should you get so lucky...or martyred With Pocket Guide to Sainthood, virtue just got a whole lot more entertaining. THE POCKET GUIDE SERIES explains complex religious subjects with a lethal dose of educational hilarity, guided by the author's insatiable curiosity, humor, and gentle irreverence. The Pocket Guide series includes Pocket Guide to the Bible, Pocket Guide to the Afterlife, and this book. Discover more at www.pocketguidesite.com.

Guide to the life and travels of the Apostle Paul from both theological and numismatic perspectives. Traces his various missionary tours and the coins he would have encountered on his travels. Includes colour and black-and-white photos, maps, bibliography and index. Authors are numismatists specialising in coins relating to the early history of Christianity. Lewis has an honours degree in Divinity from the University of London and is a medical practitioner on the Gold Coast, Queensland. Bolden's expertise is in the area of coin restoration and identification. Both are members of the Australian Numismatic Society.

The lives of the Saints are one of the most powerful ways God draws people to himself, showing us the love and the joy we can find in him. But so often, these Saints seem distant—impossibly holy or dull or unlike us in race and age and state in life. In Saints Around the World, you’ll meet over one-hundred Saints from more than sixty countries, including Saints with different disabilities, strengths, and struggles. The beautiful illustrations and captivating storytelling will introduce you and your children to new heavenly friends while also helping you fall more in love with Jesus. Each story in this book is written not only to capture the imagination but also to speak about God’s tremendous love and our call to be saints. There are stories in Saints Around the World for when you feel like life isn’t fair, when people are being unkind to you, when you’ve made a terrible mistake, when you’re struggling at school, when prayer is hard. And there are stories of shouting down Nazis, of fleeing a murderous villain, of making scientific discoveries, of smoking a cigar while enemy soldiers amputate your leg. There are scared Saints, brilliant Saints, weak Saints, adventurous Saints, abused Saints, overjoyed Saints, disabled Saints—and the point of every one of them is the love of God. Whether you’re checking the map to find Saints who look like you or perusing the extensive indices to find Saints with your skills or struggles, you’ll find countless stories in this book that remind you how very possible holiness is.

An in-depth resource that separates fact from myth about the lives of saints Saints For Dummies offers information on famous saints (both men and women) from the Eastern Orthodox, Protestant, and Catholic traditions. With a historical biography on each saint including information on what they are known for, what they did in life to achieve sainthood, and how readers can pray to them in time of need. This easy-to-understand guide reveals that most saints were very common, ordinary, and imperfect human beings with faults and foibles who overcame their shortcomings to become figures of great spiritual and historical significance. You get a unique glimpse into the lives and the character traits of these righteous men and women, as well as future pending saints. Explains which saints are invoked for specific situations Rev. John Trigilio and Rev. Kenneth Brighenti are the coauthors of Catholicism For Dummies, Women in the Bible For Dummies and John Paul II For Dummies Whether you're a scholar or just curious about the topic, Saints For Dummies will have you intrigued and informed from the first page.

Adoration is love, and eucharistic adoration is love of Christ present in the Blessed Sacrament. In the Gospels there are few people who understand love for Jesus as well as Mary Magdalene, which is the reason she is a prophetess of eucharistic love. This work is an extended meditation on the life of Saint Mary Magdalene, known as the "Apostle to the Apostles" because the Risen Christ appeared to her first and then sent her to announce the Resurrection to the apostles. Based on the biblical texts traditionally associated with Mary Magdalene, this book helps readers to learn from her inspiring example and to enter more deeply into adoration of Jesus Christ truly present in the Blessed Sacrament. In telling the story of Mary Magdalene's profound conversion after a life so steeped in sin that the Lord had to expel seven demons from her soul, this book shows how she is a shining witness to the transforming power of an encounter with Jesus Christ. Mary Magdalene is the perfect model for those who have experienced the redeeming love of Christ and who seek to deepen their devotion to him and to the Eucharist.

Catholic lore, American tales, and Sicilian superstition blend in this “clever, funny, heartbreaking, and heartwarming” novel (Publishers Weekly). Born with unruly red hair, a sharp tongue, and wine-colored marks all over her body—marks that oddly mimick a map of the world and make her subject to endless ridicule—Garnet Ferrari would hardly consider herself blessed. So when an emissary from the Vatican shows up at her door, convinced that her seeming ability to cure the skin ailments of others qualifies her for sainthood, she’s not quite convinced—or pleased. Garnet sets off on a quest to better understand who she is and where she and her unusual gifts came from. Tracing a twisted path that leads from Sicily to West Virginia, poverty to riches, romance to loss, reality to mythology, Garnet uncovers a truth far more powerful than any dermatological miracle: that the things of which we are most ashamed often become our greatest strengths. “A cleareyed, touching fable of a girl learning the hard truths about herself and others.” —Kirkus Reviews

Mary Clare is on the lookout for a miracle. Mary Clare O’Brian is determined to be a saint when she grows up (the halo will help cover her frizzy hair). But lately none of her prayers seem to be working the way she wants them to: her mother is losing her faith, her parents can’t pay all the bills, and her brother receives a draft notice for the war in Vietnam. Mary Clare has a plan to help, but it just doesn’t seem to be working. How is she supposed to become a saint when her world is falling apart? Dear Mother Superior, My name is Mary Clare O'Brian and I am in sixth grade. I would like to join the convent right after 8th grade before I start liking boys too much. I’m already having problems with boys liking me. Gregory in my class throws spitballs at me and told my best friend he likes me. I haven’t told him that I want to be God’s bride yet. Do you think I should?