Saints All Year

The word saint refers to all Christians, but this book focuses on Saints with a capital S-those who have been officially recognized by the Catholic Church. To be recognized as a Saint, a few things must happen. First, when a righteous person dies, witnesses provide evidence to the Catholic Church of the person's love for Jesus. The person's letters, diaries, and books are studied. If the Church believes there is evidence to prove he or she lived a holy life, the person is declared a "Servant of God." Then, as more evidence is presented, he or she becomes known as "Venerable," then "Blessed," and finally as "Saint." For clarity, anyone in this book who is in this process is noted as being "on track to become a Saint."Saints may have multiple names, dates, and locations associated with their life. These devotions use only one name to refer to each Saint, include each Saint's approximate lifespan, and mention only the locations relevant to the devotion. Locations are presented as they were known during the Saint's lifetime. A modern name of their location is included if applicable.Many, but not all, devotions are ordered by the Saints' feast days. The devotion dates that do not match the feast days are marked with an asterisk by the devotion date (e.g., January 3*).The life of each Saint inspires us to love Jesus the way that each Saint loved Him. All Saints loved Jesus with everything they had. As you read their stories, remember this: all people (including you!) are called to give Jesus everything.