Stories of Saints and the Beatitudes
Marie Paul Curley, FSP
Mary Lea Hill, FSP
ISBN 9780819817020
eISBN 9780819817037
ASIN B0GL4XDYLV
I picked up this volume as soon as it was available digitally, and it jumped to the top of my ‘to be read’ pile. I had picked up the companion volume, Stories of Saints and the Sacraments, a few months earlier but I have a fascination with the Beatitudes so this one jumped it. To date there are only the two related volumes that I am aware of, but I sincerely hope there will be more. I have previously read a few volumes from each of the authors, and numerous volumes form Pauline Books and Media. So these were purchased solely on the title, publisher and author. This one was excellent.
The description of this edition states:
“Be inspired to live the eight beatitudes more intentionally through dramatic retellings of sixteen radical moments of virtue and surrender in the lives of the saints. These well-researched, novelized stories show that living out the Beatitudes is not only possible but transformative. Featuring saints from around the world and supplemental materials for group study, Stories of Saints and the Beatitudes offers readers a practical, personal roadmap to holiness and is ideal for spiritual reading, book clubs, and faith formation programs.”
Another current description is:
“Be inspired to live the eight beatitudes more intentionally through dramatic retellings of sixteen radical moments of virtue and surrender in the lives of the saints. These well-researched, novelized stories will spur you to be a sign of God’s blessings for others and show that living out the Beatitudes is not only possible but transformative. Featuring saints from around the world and supplemental materials for group study, Stories of Saints and the Beatitudes offers readers a practical and deeply personal roadmap to holiness and is ideal for personal spiritual reading, book clubs, and faith formation programs. Each story includes a personal challenge for the reader, a prayer, key facts and historical context, and quotes from the saints, plus a reader’s guide and suggested Scripture and catechetical readings for further study.”
About the authors we are informed:
“As a child, the stories of the saints captured Sister Marie Paul Curley’s imagination. Her early fascination has continued throughout her religious life as a Daughter of St. Paul. She has written and produced numerous Catholic television programs on the saints for both children and adults. She currently serves as an acquisition editor for Pauline Books & Media.”
And
“Sister Mary Lea Hill, a member of the Daughters of St. Paul since 1964, has enjoyed communicating the faith through a variety of apostolic assignments. Her skills as a storyteller were honed as director of audiovisual productions when Pauline Books and Media first produced animated features in the early 80s. An editor and author for many years, Sister Mary Lea has written a number of books, including Growing in Virtue, One Vice at a Time: With a Crabby Mystic; Complaints of the Saints; Blessed Are the Stressed; and the best-selling Basic Catechism (co-authored with Sister Susan Helen Wallace).”
The chapters and sections in this volume are:
Foreword
Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Saint Francis of Assisi – Holy Fool
Saint Juan Diego – “Am I Not Your Mother?”
Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.
Saint Germaine Cousin – God’s Cinderella
Saint Monica – The Mother Who Never Gave Up
Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.
Saint Bernadette – Unlikely Visionary
Saint Gregory the Great – Servant of the Servants of God
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.
Saint Pier Giorgio Frassati – A Hunger for Holiness
Venerable Teresita Quevedo – The Champion
Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy.
Saint Frances Xavier Cabrini – “What About China?”
Saint Martin de Porres – A Man Among Men
Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.
Saint Kateri Tekakwitha – Mystic of the Wilderness
Blessed Marie-Clémentine Anuarite Nengapeta – Sister Among Sisters
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.
Saint Elizabeth of Hungary – The Princess Who Found True Love
Saint Catherine of Siena – Woman Afire
Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed Isidore Bakanja – Member of Mary’s Family
Saint Mary MacKillop – A Bit of Heaven
Reader’s Guides
Alphabetical Listing of Saints
I highlighted a fair bit while reading this books, some of them are:
“It is a beautiful trip around the world representing the universality of the Church. It is also a practical guide to living our faith. Saints are good role models and they teach us about the faith, but often it’s not easy to see how their lives are connected with specific tenets of the faith. Stories of Saints and the Beatitudes shares exciting stories of real people which show that living the Beatitudes is possible and that we, too, can be saints who proclaim our faith through our ordinary day-to-day living.”
“Mother Cabrini’s legacy to the Church is one of unstinting love, which translates itself into mercy. Through her efforts and those of her sisters, not only Italian immigrants but persons of every nationality and need found the love of Christ in search of them, ready to assist them in their struggles, giving them the hope to begin again.”
“The amount of work he continued to do was miraculous in itself. But the countless and inexplicable cures he obtained were even more miraculous.”
“Martin not only took care of his confreres, but he also cared for sick people of the city. Martin sometimes even gave them his own bed. Once he found a man outside the monastery who was bleeding and terribly dirty, and Martin brought him in for care.”
“So much charity, so many signs and wonders. Martin had labored hard and long, with never a complaint or a moment of respite. He was a man among men, big enough to overcome prejudice and humble enough to hide the special powers he wielded. He was a man who lived solely for God, as the instrument of his mercy.
Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.”
“The young man himself was not the objection. Tekakwitha simply did not want to get married even though it was unheard-of for a young maiden to remain single. She had gone along with some of the customs for young women only to please her aunts and uncle. She had obeyed them in everything except their urging her to marry. Even in the face of ridicule and cruelty, she stubbornly refused.”
“Tekakwitha had just two desires: the first was to continue to serve her family as she always had. The second she dared not share with anyone. She desperately wanted to become a Christian as her mother had been.”
“She was not like other girls her age: she kept apart and silent, and she didn’t like to go to dances or village gatherings. He didn’t know if this was due to her inability to see clearly in sunlight, her pockmarked face, her natural shyness, or the suffering she had undergone as a child.”
“She impressed everyone with her deep prayer, unceasing kindness, and great desire to do penance and offer sacrifices for the enlightenment of her people.”
“In 1985, at Sister Anuarite’s beatification, her murderer asked the Pope to forgive him, and Pope Saint John Paul II publicly assured him of the Church’s forgiveness.
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.
Highlight(pink) - Saint Catherine of Siena – Woman Afire > Page 144 · Location 1700
She discovered a special joy in serving those who were least fortunate or despised by others—criminals, those who suffered from leprosy or in hospitals, and those who were troubled in mind and spirit.”
“Suffering from ill health and aware that her time on earth was coming to an end, Catherine returned to Siena and dictated her great spiritual work, The Dialogue.
Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”
“What is one way that I, like Blessed Isidore Bakanja, can be truer to the person God calls me to be as a baptized Catholic, even when it calls for great heroism?”
“She always had an excuse ready for those who offended her and a loving motivation for those who exhibited personal failures. It wasn’t that Sister Mary was blind or unobservant of those around her, but she preferred to always show the love of God.”
““See how God has protected his work and brought good out of all our crosses. Thus he will ever do if we but put our trust in him and humbly distrust ourselves.””
The volume profiles 2 saints, blessed or venerables for each of the beatitudes. Though most profiled are saints. Each section follows the same format:
A black and white image of the person.
Name
Nick name
Biographical information:
Born
Died:
Feast Day:
Canonization Date:
Patronage:
Main section about them and their example of the specific Beatitude
Personal Challenge
Prayer
Facts About Their Life
And then at the end of the volume is a reader’s guide to go deeper. A built in study guide that can be used personally or in a group. I hope the quotes above give you a feel for the work. It was a wonderful volume to work through. Most days I did 1 sections. A couple of times I circled back and did one again a second time.
This is a wonderful volume. It is one a reader could easily return to again and again. It is engaging, and written in an easily applied manner. It would be an excellent volume for graduates as a gift, or for anyone open to growing in living out their faith. It is a great book and I highly recommend it, and look forward to the companion volume.
Note: This book is part of a series of reviews: 2026 Catholic Reading Plan!
Books by Sister Marie Paul Curley:
Bread Of Life: Prayers For Eucharistic Adoration
Christ Lives in Me: The Eucharistic Spirituality of Blessed James Alberione, SSP
Life for the World: A Way of Eucharistic Adoration for Today
Saints Alive Faith Proclaim
Saints Alive Gospel Witness
See Yourself through God's Eyes: 52 Meditations to Grow in Self-Esteem
Soul of Christ: Meditations on a Timeless Prayer
Stories of Saints and the Sacraments
…
Books by Sister Mary Lea Hill:
Basic Catechism
Blessed Are the Stressed: Secrets to a Happy Heart from a Crabby Mystic
Christ in Our Midst Wisdom from Caryll Houselander
Complaints of the Saints: Stumbling Upon Holiness with a Crabby Mystic
Growing in Virtue, One Vice at a Time: With a Crabby Mystic
Life's Purpose: Wisdom From John Henry Newman
Path of Holiness: Wisdom from Catherine of Siena
Peace in Prayer: Wisdom from Teresa of Avila
Prayer and You: Wit and Wisdom from a Crabby Mystic
Saints Alive Faith Proclaim
Saints Alive Gospel Witness
Solace in Suffering: Wisdom from Thomas á Kempis
Stories of Saints and the Sacraments
The Church Rocks: A History of the Catholic Church for Kids
…
