No name

St. Benedict (480-543), particularly honored as the Father of Monasticism, is an essential character in understanding Christian Culture as it existed in the Middle Ages because it was heavily influenced by the Monasteries (and the rule of St. Benedict) which helped to preserve Catholicism and classical learning after the fall of the Roman empire. Fortunately, this particular book is very simple and aims at telling the STORY of St. Benedict. The author introduces us to his spirituality, the realm of his influence during his own lifetime, and in a very real and tangible way, how the devil tried to fight the good God did through this holy monk. Like all good saint stories aimed at children, the author provides us with a real, live, interesting person, actively engaging our attention and causing us to want to imitate him. (Make no mistake, even though it's aimed at children, it can have the same effect on their parents too.) The story provides excellent supplemental material to a history program as it also covers some of the major political and social events of the times through the eyes of St. Benedict. Our family found the story and the interest level suitable even for the little ones, although the reading level is harder to determine. Kolbe Academy recommends it for 7th grade (based on length) and Seton Home Study recommends it for 6th grade.

Perspective:

Catholic

Reviewed by:

Alicia Van Hecke

First reviewed:

7-8-2000

Saint Catherine of Siena

Author(s):

F.A. Forbes

Number of pages:

103 pages

1919

Publisher:

TAN Books and Publishers Inc.

Binding:

Softcover

Subject(s):

Setting:

Grade / Age level:

Review:

Catherine was born in the year 1347 of a wealthy family in Siena, Italy. These were troubled times in her native country. The pope was living in Avignon, France, and rival Italian cities and families were constantly at war with one another. The author gives presents a rather interesting story of a rather remarkable little girl who had heavenly visions and was a light of comfort and cheer to all those who came in contact with her. As Catherine grew older she live a very pious and austere life, offering great penances to Our Lord and working to help the poor and convert sinners. One of the most remarkable stories of this time in her life is how she brought a man back to the faith just before he was to be executed - even remaining with him at the time of his execution. But God had even bigger plans for Catherine. To her came the difficult task of convincing the pope to return to Rome and help and encourage him through the hardships involved after he did finally return. Catherine's devout prayer life, her obedience to the will of God and her great humility allowed her to overcome seemingly impossible tasks by the grace of God. Today she is honored as one of the greatest of saints and a Doctor of the Church. The book is suitable for upper grade school and high school, but will be beneficial to adults as well!

Perspective:

Catholic

Reviewed by:

Alicia Van Hecke

First reviewed:

3-17-2000

Saint Costumes

Subject(s):

Religion

Resource Type:

Children's Costumes

Review:

From Our Coats of Many Colors

Our Coats of Many Colors, a cottage industry run by a mom in Kansas with a team of six seamstresses, has been making beautiful and imaginative dress-up costumes for six years. They have recently added a line of religious costumes for children - priest outfits from three different orders: Jesuit, Benedictine and Franciscan. The costumes are sturdy (my children have been using these for YEARS and they've held up beautifully and wash quite easily), nicely detailed, and feature velcro to make dressing up easy for little ones. Great for All Saints' Day dress-up.

The Jesuit costume (pictured at right), comes in five sizes (XS, S, M, L, XL).

It includes a full-length black cassock and cincture (like a belt) and features a roman collar. A row of buttons hides the easy-open velcro front of the cassock. The cincture also has a velcro-closure. Some great Jesuits include:

St. Ignatius Loyola, founder
St. Francis Xavier
St. Isaac Jogues
St. Jean de Brebeuf
St. Edmund Campion
Pierre de Smet
Jaques Marquette
St. Robert Bellarmine
St. Peter Claver
St. Aloysius Gonzaga
Fr. Eusebio Kino
St. Paul Miki
St. Stanislaus Kostka
St. Claude de la Colombierre
St. Robert Southwell
Gerard Manley Hopkins

The Benedictine costume (pictured at right), and comes in five sizes (XS, S, M, L, XL).

It includes a full-length black cassock, hooded scapular and cincture (belt). All pieces have a velcro-closure. Some great Benedictines include:

St. Benedict, founder
St. Gregory the Great
St. Augustine of Canterbury
St. Boniface
St. Thomas Becket
St. Bede
St. Hermannus Contractus

The Franciscan costume (pictured at right), comes in five sizes (XS, S, M, L, XL).

It includes a full-length brown hooded cassock and rope belt. Some great Franciscans include:

St. Francis, founder
St. Anthony of Padua
St. Bonaventure
St. Francis Solanus
St. Joseph of Cupertino
Blessed Junipero Serra
St. Padre Pio
St. Maximilian Kolbe

Their line has significantly grown over the years and includes many female saints as well.

Additional notes:

This review was updated in 2008 to reflect additional costume offerings.

Reviewed by:

Alicia Van Hecke

First reviewed:

10-19-05

Saint Francis

Author(s):

Nikos Kazantzakis

1962

Publisher:

Loyola Press

Subject(s):

Saint Stories

Grade / Age level:

Adults

Review:

Additional notes:

Introduction by John Michael Talbot

Reviewed by:

Nancy Carpentier Brown

First reviewed:

12-5-05

Saint Francis of Assisi

Author(s):

G.K. Chesterton

Binding:

Softcover

Subject(s):

Setting:

Grade / Age level:

Review:

Perspective:

Catholic

Additional notes:

This book is available in numerous editions - including one from Ignatius Press which also includes Chesterton's book on St. Thomas Aquinas.

Reviewed by:

Alicia Van Hecke

First reviewed:

3-1-2007

Saint Joseph First Communion Catechism

Author(s):

Bennet Kelley

Number of pages:

64 pages

1963

ISBN:

9780899422404

Publisher:

Catholic Book Publishing Company

Binding:

Stapled Softcover

Subject(s):

First Communion

Catechisms

Review:

This beautifully illustrated (in full-color) gem is designed to prepare a child for First Communion and would be appropriate for Kindergarten through second grade. The text follows the Baltimore Catechism, but also includes basic prayers, parts of the Mass and Holy Days of Obligation. In a few places, the explanations given to expand upon the Baltimore Catechism are not as well-written as I'd like them to be, but for the most part they are quite good. For some reason, the text has taken some of the Catechism questions out of order, so that the child learns about sin and its consequences before studying about Our Lord coming to earth to save us. I prefer the original order (which can be done by following the questions in numerical order) so that young children learn about God's love for us before going too deep into the evils of sin and the devil. Many homeschoolers use this as a supplement to other texts (such as the Faith and Life series - partly because the wording of the questions in this text is more succint than the wording in the Faith and Life series) for the purpose of memorizing the Catechism questions and enjoying the pictures.

Reviewed by:

Alicia Van Hecke

First reviewed:

5-13-2000

Saint Paul the Apostle

Author(s):

Mary Fabyan Windeatt

Number of pages:

231 pages

1949

Publisher:

TAN Books and Publishers

Binding:

Softcover

Subject(s):

Setting:

Grade / Age level:

Review:

Saul was a devout Jew so zealous about the Law that he persecuted the followers of the Nazarene with a vengeance. Through God's miraculous intervention Saul discovers that Jesus Christ is the Messiah and longs to proclaim and exhort that which he has formerly persecuted and abhored. There are many obstacles to overcome. The Christians have a difficult time trusting him and are focused on differences with the Jews, whereas Paul is eager to proclaim the Gospel to everyone. As he travels all over the Mediterranean, he is impeded by shipwreck and many who hate him. He fled communities in secret and on at least once occasion barely escaped with his life.

The short chapters are nice for beginning readers and for busy moms trying to read the story aloud a little at a time.

Perspective:

Catholic

Reviewed by:

Alicia Van Hecke

First reviewed:

5-13-2000