Book Reviews and More: Blessed James Alberione Media Apostle - Anne Eileen Heffernan and Charlie Craig

Tuesday 10 July 2018

Blessed James Alberione Media Apostle - Anne Eileen Heffernan and Charlie Craig - Encounter the Saints Series Book 32

Blessed James Alberione:
Media Apostle
Encounter the Saints Series Book 32
Anne Eileen Heffernan, FSP
Charlie Craig (Illustrator)
Pauline Books and Media
ISBN 9780819812131
eISBN 9780819812148
ASIN B00H3S1B5K

This book is an excellent edition to the Encounter the Saints Series from Pauline Books and Media, and in fact is about the founder of the Daughters of Saint Paul. My children and I have been working our way through this complete series. And many of them have been read more than once. Sometimes I read ahead and then reread the books with one or more child. Currently I am rereading this one with my son. After reading almost 30 books in this series, I am impressed with the staying power. And even after reading some of them upwards of 4 times. This is an incredible book about an amazing saint, that in al reality is the reason we have such an excellent series and so many incredible books from Pauline Books and Media.

The chapters in this book are:
1. Farm Boy
2. "That's Who I Want to Be!"
3. "Mary Will Help Me"
4. Surprises
5. Slippery Slope
6. What Next?
7. A Mysterious Invitation
8. The Hand at the Plow
9. "This Must Be a Mistake!"
10. God Is the Light
11. Beginning from Bethlehem
12. The Second Step
13. Slowly but Steadily
14. A Grain of Wheat
15. Challenges
16. Riding Out the Storm
17. "Where Am I Leading Them?"
18. A Dream
19. Branching Out
20. More Steps
21. To the Ends of the Earth
22. It Was the Right Road
Prayer
Glossary

This book follows the format of others in the series. We have the biography of Blessed James Alberione, followed by a prayer and a glossary. There are also five illustrations in the book by Charlie Craig, whom I believe illustrated the volume, Saint John Paul II Be Not Afraid, as Charles Craig.

James Alberione knew from a very young age that he wanted to be a priest. In fact, he was only 6 when he first said he wanted to be a priest. But he had a hard road ahead of his as a farm boy. He had to work to overcome early opposition in his own family. And even had to learn to conquer himself. His road was not a straight path to the priesthood. He was asked to leave the first seminary he attended because he had slacked off his studies so much. But once he knew where his passion truly laid he stopped at nothing from pursuing that, which he believed was God's will.

The prayer in this book is:

"Blessed James, like St. Paul, you had one Love-Jesus Christ-and one burning desire: to bring him to everyone. Help me to love the Lord Jesus as you loved him. Teach me how to show my love for him by the way I live. I do not yet know what my vocation in life will be, but pray for me, that I may be open to using my gifts so that others may know Jesus better. Help me to always trust God and his plan for me. I look forward to someday meeting you and all the saints in the joy of the Blessed Trinity. Amen."

This is an incredible story. And I pray I live to see the canonization of James Alberione. James worked as a teacher, spiritual director, editor, and he did it all with vigor. He pushed himself so hard that more than once he was ordered to take a break and ended up coming back and taking on even more than before. Reading this book helped me understand why as a family we love the books from pauline so much. My children love this series. This volume is in my opinion a pivotal book in the Encounter the Saints Series; from Pauline Books and Media. As a family we can recommend this book and the whole series for readers of all ages.

Note: This book is part of a series of reviews: 2018 Catholic Reading Plan!