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It is the late twelfth century and Christendom is threatened from within by the Albigensian heresy - a belief that the world is so evil that it must have been created by the devil. The consequences of this are more serious than one might at first think. Although they believe the man's soul was created by God (and therefore good), the Albigensians (who presumably "started out" as Catholics) reject the doctrine of the Real Presence because they believed the bread and wine were made by the devil, they didn't believe in marriage and having children and even went so far as justifying murder and suicide.

Enter Dominic de Guzman. Dominic decided to be a priest when he was very young. He understood the importance of all of his studies as preparation for his vocation. "A priest, or in fact any well-educated person, must learn all that he possibly can about all subjects He must learn not only those that are especially necessary for his chosen work." The story contains an excellent explanation of a good education and its purpose. "You must perfect yourself in arithmetic, algebra, geometry - the exact sciences, which will teach you to think clearly. You must learn to read with understanding...And, of course, logic. That will teach you to reason in a sound and exact way."

The story follows the life of St. Dominic as becomes a great preacher, continually arguing against the Albigensian heresy. He has limited success, however, until Our Lady appears to him and entrusts him with one of the greatest heavenly gifts - the Rosary.

This is an excellent story, well written and understandable, and filled with many important insights for us today.

Perspective:

Catholic

Reviewed by:

Alicia Van Hecke

First reviewed:

11-16-99

Saint Ignatius and the Company of Jesus

Author(s):

August Derleth

Illustrator(s):

John Lawn

Number of pages:

167 pages

1956

ISBN:

9780898707229

Publisher:

Ignatius Press

Binding:

Sewn Softcover

Subject(s):

Setting:

Grade / Age level:

Review:

Saint Ignatius of Loyola, the well-known saint/scholar, founder of the Jesuits and author of the Spiritual Exercises, was a surprisingly simple and humble man. Although he was rather arrogant and adventurous as a young soldier, a serious battle wound forced him into an extended bed rest. Restless and bored, he finally gave in to reading the only two books available to him – The Life of Our Saviour and The Lives of the Saints. Reading and studying these stories placed Ignatius onto a new and completely unexpected path – one of serious devotion to God and profound humility. The story follows his life as he seeks God's will, returns to school as a 33 year old man, gains folllowers while in the University and finally puts together his dream of "the Company of Jesus."

We are reminded in the story of what effect the stories of the lives of the Saints can have. The story of Ignatius is of particular value, not only because of his great effect on the world, but also because of the glimpse we are given of the spiritual development that takes place within him as he seeks to do God's will. Despite the depth of content, the story is told in a simple enough manner to be understood and appreciated by the whole family.

Perspective:

Catholic

Reviewed by:

Alicia Van Hecke

First reviewed:

11-16-99

Saint John Bosco and Saint Dominic Savio

Author(s):

Catherine Beebe

Number of pages:

157 pages

1955

Publisher:

Ignatius Press

Binding:

Sewn Softcover

Subject(s):

Setting:

Grade / Age level:

Review:

This was the book that got our family "hooked" on the Vision Series. I happened to find it at a Used Book store (Ignatius Press books are fairly easy to spot because of the contrasting color around the author's name on the spine of the book). I didn't expect my children to be interested in full-length books at such a young age (my oldest had just turned five). Somehow we got started and they loved it. This is a particularly good Saint story to start with because St. John Bosco is a special patron of children and especially boys. Any child will delight in the stories of how he taught himself juggling and other tricks in order to teach catechism and morals to the troublesome boys in town. We also enjoyed the stories of the dog who followed Don Bosco through the streets of the city late at night and protected him from danger.

Perspective:

Catholic

Reviewed by:

Alicia Van Hecke

First reviewed:

1998-99

Saint Margaret Mary, Apostle of the Sacred Heart

Author(s):

Ruth Fox Home

Number of pages:

187 pages

1960

Publisher:

Farrar Straus and Cudahy

Binding:

Sewn Hardcover

Subject(s):

Setting:

Grade / Age level:

Review:

This is such a beautiful story of a simple, humble nun who was chosen by Jesus to spread devotion to his most Sacred Heart. I especially like how the author presents God's plan and how He had specially prepared Sr. Alocoque and Father de la Columbiere for this important mission. As Ignatius Press is reprinting many books from the Vision series, I hope this will be back in print sometime soon.

Perspective:

Catholic

Reviewed by:

Alicia Van Hecke

First reviewed:

1998-99

Saint Philip of the Joyous Heart

Author(s):

Francis X. Connolly

Number of pages:

168 pages

1957

Publisher:

Ignatius Press

Binding:

Sewn Softcover

Subject(s):

Setting:

Grade / Age level:

Review:

The lovely story of the 16th century priest and saint of Rome whose joy brought many away from the evils of the day. He patiently bore a great deal of emotional persecution from some fellow priests, but eventually won his tormentors over to the love of Christ. Many insights into the meaning of a vocation and how to spread the joy of Christ.

Perspective:

Catholic

Reviewed by:

Alicia Van Hecke

First reviewed:

4-26-01

Saint Thomas More of London

Author(s):

Elizabeth Ince

Number of pages:

188 pages

1957

ISBN:

9780898709322

Publisher:

Ignatius Press

Binding:

Softcover

Subject(s):

Setting:

Grade / Age level:

Review:

An interesting and readable life of Thomas More (1477-1535): the great saint, scholar, father, lawyer, statesman, author, patriot and lover of the Church. The author, a descendant of Thomas More, has included many interesting details and anecdotes that bring this great man to life and help us better understand who he was. Even as an adult who became interested in St. Thomas More from the movie A Man for All Seasons, I found many tidbits that helped fill in the details not present in the movie – particularly regarding More's life before he became Chancellor of England. We also get more of a sense of his holiness and spirituality. Highly Recommended.

Part of the Vision series from Ignatius Press, this book is best for upper grade school and high school.

Reviewed by:

Alicia Van Hecke

First reviewed:

9-29-03

Saints of the Church

Author(s):

Michael G. Allen

Number of pages:

184 pages

2000

Publisher:

Ignatius Press

Binding:

Softcover

Subject(s):

Grade / Age level:

Resource Type:

Review:

This book is a companion to the Vision series of saint's biographies (also published by Ignatius Press). It is a wonderful help to extending the biographies into a full-blown unit study, if you wish, or just to help enrich the reading. For each of the 17 books covered in Saints of the Church , the author includes:

an overview of the book
vocabulary lists broken out by chapter
quotations from the books called "Language in Context" that develop comprehension and illustrate various literary devices
Time Line information
Outline Map information
Numerous topics for written reports on various levels
Biographical sketches of other famous people in the book
"Turning to Scripture and Catechism" which requires looking up various verses or topics in the Bible and the Catechism; this is done to "make connections between the saint's life and the living tradition of the Catholic Church."
Discussion questions

This is a wonderful, well-organized, and thorough guide to really getting the most out of the Vision books...likely just the kind of thing we would do on our own if we had the time.

Perspective:

Catholic

Reviewed by:

Susan Kalis

First reviewed:

1998-99

St. Therese and the Roses

Author(s):

Helen Walker Homan

Number of pages:

149 pages

1955

Publisher:

Ignatius Press

Binding:

Sewn Softcover

Sample Pages

Subject(s):

Setting:

Grade / Age level:

Review:

Therese Martin (1873 - 1897) was the youngest of five girls growing up in a devout Catholic family in France in the late nineteenth century. We all know how, in just over one hundred years she has become one of the most beloved Saints in the Church and has recently been named "Doctor of the Church" by Pope John Paul II. This is the delightful and moving story of a little girl who became a great saint; of five sisters who were all called to religious vocations. The story focuses on her family life and the little details that make an interesting story and when added together make sense out of who she was. Although the Vision Series was intended for ages nine to fifteen, this story is one of my six year old daughter's favorites (we've had to read it aloud twice so far). It is an excellent read-aloud book for the whole family, which allows moms (and dads too) to benefit from the story and become more acquainted with Saint Therese's Little Way.

Perspective:

Catholic

Reviewed by:

Alicia Van Hecke

First reviewed:

11-16-99

The Cure of Ars

The Priest Who Outtalked the Devil

Author(s):

Milton Lomask

Number of pages:

190 pages

1958

Publisher:

Ignatius Press

Binding:

Sewn Softcover

Sample Pages

Subject(s):

Setting:

Grade / Age level:

Review:

This is a quicker and slightly easier read than the title by Mary Fabyan Windeatt. It lacks the richness of explanations about the priesthood, but I thought that it portrayed St. John Vianney's humility and simplicity a little more clearly. It's also clearly written to be interesting even to those who are not accustomed to reading saint stories, so there is more emphasis on exciting events, such as when John Vianney, as a young boy, helped to hide a hunted priest from the authorities.

Perspective:

Catholic

Reviewed by:

Alicia Van Hecke

First reviewed:

3-7-01

Hope's Revolutionary War Diary

Author(s):

Kristiana Gregory

Number of pages:

107 pages

2003

ISBN:

9780439369053

Publisher:

Scholastic

Binding:

Softcover

Subject(s):

Historical Fiction

Setting:

American Revolution Era

United States

Grade / Age level:

Grades 1-4

Review:

For young readers, this is an extremely well written account of the American Revolution. Written as a diary of a young girl, the book opens with Hope's family living with her relatives in Valley Forge. This quickly changes, however, when her family moves back to Philadelphia.

I like this book because it weaves interesting information about this period of time throughout the story, making it an educational read. Gregory not only portrays the drama and suspense of that period, but also accurately depicts the everyday occurrences and unusual habits in daily life. In the beginning, both Hope's father and brother are gone. When they return, she finds out the hardships they have gone through. Even though this is an educational book, it is easy to read and follows more than one interesting story line. In the beginning, for example, her brother has run away to join the army and no one knows how he is. She is also concerned about her father when he is gone. Will he return home? Then to make matters worse, her best friend is not allowed to talk to her, because her friend's family sympathizes with the other side. The family also has the unpleasant task of feeding and boarding some British soldiers. Will she accidentally reveal her sympathies?

The My America Series is shorter than the Dear Diary series also published by Scholastic. The complete story arc consists of three titles:

Five Smooth Stones,
We are Patriots, and
When Freedom Comes

Reviewed by:

Elizabeth Yank

First reviewed:

9-3-02

Love 2 Learn.net

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Saint Dominic and the Rosary

Saint Ignatius and the Company of Jesus

Saint John Bosco and Saint Dominic Savio

Saint Margaret Mary, Apostle of the Sacred Heart

Saint Philip of the Joyous Heart

Saint Thomas More of London

Saints of the Church

St. Therese and the Roses

The Cure of Ars

Hope's Revolutionary War Diary

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