Wednesday 22 December 2021

Saint Therese of Lisieux The Way of Love - Mary Kathleen Glavich and Virginia Esquinaldo - Encounter the Saints Series Book 16

Saint Therese of Lisieux: 
The Way of Love
Encounter the Saints Series Book 16
Virginia Esquinaldo (Illustrator)
Pauline Books and Media
ISBN 9780819870742


I first read this book 5 years ago. Back when I first encountered the Encounter the Saints Series. I believe I have now read all of the books in this series. Even if it took longer than the year or two I had planned. This one is another excellent read! As a family we have read all books in this series many of them multiple times. I started reading them myself reading books on Saint Damien of Molokai and Saint Edith Stein Blessed by the Cross, both of whom I have a devotion to. Then my children saw me reading them and it became a family affair. I then began reading them with my three youngest children. My children and I love this series. We have read many of the books more than once. I have read much by and about Saint Therese of Lisieux over the years. I enjoyed reading this book, ever rereading it after 5 years. 

I have said it before and I say it again, this is an excellent series is! With my three children and I we have now read all of the books in this series. I have read them either by myself, or with one or more child. My youngest 2 children current ages 14, 11, still both love these books. And they have read or reread them frequently. My son wants to have the complete set in his room, so he keeps asking to buy his own copies, he loves these books so much. We have picked up several volumes to donate to the school library. I would love to have the whole set in the school library as a resource when the students are picking confirmation saints. With each reading of a book in this series we appreciate this series more. And though only one book has been released since we started reading them a few years ago, we hope there will be more books released in the series in the future. I would love to see how this series handles Saint Josemaria Escriva, Blessed Carlo Actus, … and many more. We would also like to eventually see eBooks of all of the volumes in the series. With my dyslexia and my son’s eye tracking issues we both prefer eBooks where we can change page color, font size and font spacing. This book has an no eBook ever listed. 

Now back to this specific book on Saint Therese of Lisieux. 

The description of this volume is:

“Mary Kathleen Glavich, SND Encounter the Saints Series Experience the adventures and challenges, heroism and holiness of some of the greatest friends of God! Offers intermediate readers a down-to-earth portrayal of the saints. Each distinct story vividly recreates for the intermediate reader the saint's place of origin, family life, and corresponding historical events. Every volume also features a prayer to the saint, as well as a brief glossary. This collection gives children new friends and role models.”

And the description of the Encounter the Saints series is:

“The Encounter the Saints series offers intermediate readers relatable portrayals of the saints. Each story, in a handy format, vividly recreates the saint's place of origin, family life, and corresponding historical events.”

The chapters in this volume are:

1. The Little Queen 
2. Difficult Changes 
3. School Days
4. A Strange Sickness 
5. Christmas Conversion 
6. Winning a Heart 
7. Revealing the Call 
8. Resistance 
9. To the Pope 
10. Victory! 
11. A Dream Come True 
12. Early Testing 
13. Sister Thérèse of the Child Jesus 
14. Small Things 
15. Vow Day 
16. Goodbyes 
17. Gifts and Talents 
18. A Little Way 
19. Writings 
20. Signs of Trouble 
21. A Happy Sufferer 
22. Final Days
23. A Shower of Roses 
Prayer
Glossary

The prayer in this volume is:

“Saint Thérèse, your love for Jesus led you to try to do every little thing well. By being hidden, small, and totally open to what God wanted, you became a powerful saint. 

Teach me to live your way of love too. Help me to treat everyone kindly, to be patient, to pray for people who are away from God, and to accept things that are hard or make me suffer. Let me follow this way with determination and cheerfulness. Then someday I will be with you in our Father’s home. Amen.”

The prayer in this volume is not the same as the one in the companion volume, The Saints Pray for Us, which has prays for the first 30 saints and blessed covered in the series. The first things my children checked when we read one of these books, is the prayer, and the illustrations. Each volume in the series has 5 illustrations. This is one of three volumes illustrated by Virginia Esquinaldo, and they are wonderful full page illustrations. I feel they make Thérèse look a little too young and childish, especially compared to some photos of her I have seen. But the children, especially my youngest loved them. This is one of three books in the series written by Mary Kathleen Glavich, SND, but one has been taken out of print, sort of an unofficial canon. My children enjoy these books so much they always read through the whole Glossary. And the prayer and glossary is at the end of each volume.

This book is very moving read. Learning more about Thérèse will bless any reader. I have now read all of the books in the Encounter the Saints Series from Pauline Books and Media we are still enthralled by these volumes. This book and all in the series are excellent reads and would be wonderful additions to a home, school, or church library. Each book has been worth the read. It is an excellent read in a wonderful series! And now we wait to see if more volumes are released or if we just keep rereading these ones.

Please Note: I discovered recently that most of the eBook editions are no long available for this series. In fact I could only find a handful of the over 20 volumes that had been available electronically. I do not know why this is the case but I consider it a great loss. A loss for people with reading issues like my son and I, for others with learning disabilities, and for those in different geographic regions.

Note: This book is part of a series of reviews: 2021 Catholic Reading Plan!

Books about the North American Saints and Martyrs:

Encounter the Saints Series from Pauline Books and Media:
Blessed James Alberione Media Apostle
Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati Journey to the Summit
Journeys with Mary Apparitions of Our Lady
Saint André Bessette Miracles in Montreal
Saint Anthony of Padua Fire and Light
Saint Bakhita of Sudan Forever Free
Saint Bernadette Soubirous And Our Lady of Lourdes
Saint Catherine Labouré And Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal
Saint Clare of Assisi A Light for the World
Saint Damien of Molokai Hero of Hawaii
Saint Edith Stein Blessed by the Cross

Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton Daughter of America
Saint Faustina Kowalska Messenger of Mercy
Saint Frances Xavier Cabrini Cecchina's Dream
Saint Francis of Assisi Gentle Revolutionary
Saint Gianna Beretta Molla The Gift of Life
Saint Ignatius of Loyola For the Greater Glory of God
Saint Isaac Jogues With Burning Heart
Saint Joan of Arc God's Soldier
Saint John Bosco Champion for the Young
Saint John Neumann Missionary to Immigrants
Saint John Paul II Be Not Afraid
Saint John Vianney A Priest for All People
Saint Juan Diego And Our Lady of Guadalupe
Saint Kateri Tekakwitha: Courageous Faith
Saint Katharine Drexel The Total Gift
Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque And the Sacred Heart of Jesus
Saint Martin de Porres Humble Healer
Saint Maximilian Kolbe Mary's Knight
Saint Paul The Thirteenth Apostle
Saint Pio of Pietrelcina Rich in Love
Saint Teresa of Avila Joyful in the Lord
Saint Teresa of Calcutta Missionary of Charity
Saint Teresa of Kalkota Missionary of Charity
Saint Thérèse of Lisieux The Way of Love
Saint Thomas Aquinas Missionary of Truth
Saint Thomas More Courage, Conscience, and the King
Saints Jacinta and Francisco Marto: Shepherds of Fatima
The Saints Pray for Us
...






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