Saintly Succor

Saint biographies often emphasize ecclesiastical achievements or fanciful details, reducing them to caricature. Saintly Succor lays bare the heart of these exemplary Christians by making connections with the lives of modern readers. Unique details from saints' lives inspire readers to imitate their holiness and seek their intercession.

Most patron saint lists feature outdated agricultural themes and impracticalities (patron of mule skinners?). Saintly Succor includes an index cross referencing current issues with saints who experienced these situations in their lifetimes. The traditional patronages are updated to include modern saints and concerns for which people seek intercession. One can search for a topic (troubled marriage, addictions, specific diseases, humility, lapsed Catholic, etc) and quickly find several saints that can help. Readers will discover the lives of Bl. Lucien Botovasoa of Madagascar, Bl. Isidore Bakanja of the Congo, and Bl. Sára Salkaházi of Slovakia—absolutely inspiring examples of holiness and yet, rarely invoked for intercession.

Saintly Succor includes:

• 853 brief saint biographies for each day of the liturgical calendar
• Intercessory prayers for each Saint, Blessed, or Venerable
• Summaries of 54 miracle stories that led to a beatification or canonization
• 75 "Top 10" lists to stimulate interest in particular saints
• Hundreds of curated quotes from saints for reflection
• Patron saint topic index for intercession with practical daily needs
• Many little-known martyrs from the Mexican Cristero War, the Spanish Civil War, the
French Revolution, and the persecutions in Vietnam, Korea, China, Japan, and Uganda.