Here's a terrific book I discovered at the library, called
Women Saints: Lives of Faith and Courage by Kathleen Jones (Orbis Books, 1999, paperback, 310 pages, ISBN 1-57075-291-5).
The book is divided into eight chapters:
1. Visionaries
2. Martyrs
3. Collaborators
4. Wives and Mothers
5. Penitents
6. Outcasts
7. Innovators
8. Missionaries
I just finished reading a selection from the Wives and Mothers, about St. Anna Maria Taigi (1769-1837), who lived a very arduous and difficult life. She lived in the poor quarters of Rome, and her husband was far from a reasonable and happy man. He was prone to many tantrums. Yet, while raising six children (she gave birth to them over a span of twenty years), she kept her eyes on Heaven and sought out Jesus' refuge. She offered her husband unending patience and guidance. In time, queens, clergy, and nobles sought her out, in her austere and humble home. One queen even offered her gold, which she readily refused, acknowledging the extraordinary gift of her faith. Her canonization was a long yet amazing process, during which her husband personally vouched for her strength in Christ. Since she was never a religious, documents were not available regarding her spiritual development, thus every detail was carefully scrutinized.
Author Kathleen Jones is Emeritus Professor of Social Policy at the University of York and an Honorary Fellow of the Royal College of Pyschiatrists. She has translated
The Poems of St. John of the Cross and revised two volumes of the new edition of
Butler's Lives of the Saints.
Women Saints includes only a few modern women: Katherine Drexel, Edith Stein, and Anuarite Nengapeta. I would like to see more included, but just the same, the book is beautifully written and well researched.
You can purchase
Women Saints by just clicking on the book above, or by visiting Kathleen's Catholic Book Shop. It is wonderful, edifying reading. Perhaps it would make a nice gift for a mom in your life.
God bless!
