187 . Saint Vincent de Paul & 193 . Saint Anthony of Padua
Along the Paths of the Gospel
Rating: (5/5)
(US) - Out of Print
1999, Pauline Books and Media, 72 pgs
Age: 7+
"Vincent had a big heart. It was filled with all kinds of dreams and wishes. At first, his greatest dream was to become successful and famous. This dream finally did come true, but not at all in the way he had planned. Wonderful things began to happen as soon as Vincent opened his heart up to God."
Purchased a new copy from an online Catholic bookstore.
Saint Vincent de Paul is a saint whose influence is strongly felt today with his charities and religious orders still in full swing 350 years after his death. This brings a relevance to knowing his story not felt with other often unknown saints. Vincent wasn't always a saintly man; he grew up wanting what most young men want: career, fame, fortune and that is what he pursued through the priesthood in his day. Vincent wasn't a bad person though and while he loved the luxuries of life he soon found they didn't bring happiness or contentment of the soul. God lead him in another direction, that of teaching the poor and illiterate about God and he set about preaching throughout the countryside to the poor and prisoners; teaching other priests to preach to the common man and organising ladies into first the Daughters of Charity, then the religious order the Sisters of Charity. Here he found his happiness that luxury couldn't fulfil. A delightful, simple picture book story in a palm-sized format with plenty of text that manages to bring a detailed outline of Vincent's life from birth to death and the legacy he left behind. Beautiful watercolour illustrations. Another fine entry in this excellent series of titles on various saints for the approximate 7-12 year range.
193 . Saint Anthony of Padua: Proclaimer of the Good News by Marie Baudouin-Croix. illustrated by Augusta Curelli. Translated by Sister Maryellen Keefe, OSU
Along the Paths of the Gospel
Rating: (5/5)
(US) - Out of print
1999, Pauline Books and Media, 72 pgs
Age: 7+
Most Catholics have a close relationship with St. Anthony as he is the one we pray to for lost items. Anything missing around the house and I can be heard calling upon St. Anthony to help me find it but what is the story behind this and who exactly was St. Anthony many of us may not be so sure. From the early 1200s Anthony (born Fernando) was a godly child and asked his parents to let him become a priest at age 15. His wealthy family was not exactly pleased as they had thought he would follow in the father's footsteps and be a knight to the King but being a religious family they finally relented and gave Fernando to the Augustinian monks to serve the "King of the World". Fernando loved being a priest and devoted himself to the poor and tried to live as Jesus did but he saw that some priests had a love for money, wealth and material items making him feel angry inside. Until one day he met some men who belonged to "The Little Brothers", who followed Francis. They had given up their earthly items, lived as Jesus did and helped the poor. After he heard of the martyrdom of these certain brothers he begged his order to let him join them and eventually he was given permission. He traded his white robes for the brown habit of the Franciscan monks, changed his name to Anthony, and devoted his life to helping the poor, evangelizing and preaching the Good News. Miracles are associated with Anthony ever afterward as he continued on and the small story of one of his books being stolen from him, which he prayed for its return only to have it shortly show up is how he became the patron saint of lost items. Like all the books in this series, a small palm-sized picture book with a lot of text and gorgeous watercolour illustrations, it ends with a specific prayer to the Saint and makes for interesting and detailed reading even in this brief format.
Saint Vincent de Paul is a saint whose influence is strongly felt today with his charities and religious orders still in full swing 350 years after his death. This brings a relevance to knowing his story not felt with other often unknown saints. Vincent wasn't always a saintly man; he grew up wanting what most young men want: career, fame, fortune and that is what he pursued through the priesthood in his day. Vincent wasn't a bad person though and while he loved the luxuries of life he soon found they didn't bring happiness or contentment of the soul. God lead him in another direction, that of teaching the poor and illiterate about God and he set about preaching throughout the countryside to the poor and prisoners; teaching other priests to preach to the common man and organising ladies into first the Daughters of Charity, then the religious order the Sisters of Charity. Here he found his happiness that luxury couldn't fulfil. A delightful, simple picture book story in a palm-sized format with plenty of text that manages to bring a detailed outline of Vincent's life from birth to death and the legacy he left behind. Beautiful watercolour illustrations. Another fine entry in this excellent series of titles on various saints for the approximate 7-12 year range.
Along the Paths of the Gospel
Rating: (5/5)
(US) - Out of print
1999, Pauline Books and Media, 72 pgs
Age: 7+
"Have you ever heard of Saint Anthony of Padua? He is known as "the saint of miracles" because of the amazing things God did through him. Anthony came from a rich and noble family. But he gave up everything to follow Jesus more closely. He dedicated his entire life to spreading Jesus' Good News. Anthony was always ready to do whatever God asked and to help those who were poor or suffering or confused. He had many exciting adventures along the way"
Purchased a new copy from an online Catholic bookstore.
Most Catholics have a close relationship with St. Anthony as he is the one we pray to for lost items. Anything missing around the house and I can be heard calling upon St. Anthony to help me find it but what is the story behind this and who exactly was St. Anthony many of us may not be so sure. From the early 1200s Anthony (born Fernando) was a godly child and asked his parents to let him become a priest at age 15. His wealthy family was not exactly pleased as they had thought he would follow in the father's footsteps and be a knight to the King but being a religious family they finally relented and gave Fernando to the Augustinian monks to serve the "King of the World". Fernando loved being a priest and devoted himself to the poor and tried to live as Jesus did but he saw that some priests had a love for money, wealth and material items making him feel angry inside. Until one day he met some men who belonged to "The Little Brothers", who followed Francis. They had given up their earthly items, lived as Jesus did and helped the poor. After he heard of the martyrdom of these certain brothers he begged his order to let him join them and eventually he was given permission. He traded his white robes for the brown habit of the Franciscan monks, changed his name to Anthony, and devoted his life to helping the poor, evangelizing and preaching the Good News. Miracles are associated with Anthony ever afterward as he continued on and the small story of one of his books being stolen from him, which he prayed for its return only to have it shortly show up is how he became the patron saint of lost items. Like all the books in this series, a small palm-sized picture book with a lot of text and gorgeous watercolour illustrations, it ends with a specific prayer to the Saint and makes for interesting and detailed reading even in this brief format.
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