Book Reviews and More: The Saints Pray for Us - Christina Miriam Wegendt FSP (Editor)

Saints Pray for Us

Encounter the Saints Series
Christina Miriam Wegendt FSP (Editor)
Pauline Books and Media
ISBN 9780819872173

eISBN 9781306806367
ASIN B007ZENMA4

The Encounter the Saints series currently has 34 books about specific Saints, 2 books about Blesseds, 1 Book about Mary and this prayer book. I have currently read about a sixth of the series and truly love them all. But this book is to date my favourite. It takes the first thirty books in the series and has a special prayer for each of the saints, blessed or Mary. Each of the thirty prayers are accompanied by Brief biographical information and a wonderful color print.

I believe that the prints are modified versions of the original covers of the thirty books. But a part of the picture has been enlarges and superimposed over the rest. Also these pictures are in full vibrant colors. (Check out the two examples below.)

I have already been through this book twice, once praying my way through it myself, and once with my three children. I currently have the eBook edition but plan on buying a copy for each of my children to have their own. This is an incredible little prayer book. You not only have the thirty specific prayers there is also a wonderful Litany of the Saints at the end of the book.

The Saints and Blesseds you pray with are:

Mary, the Mother of Jesus
Blesseds Jacinta and Francisco Marto
Blessed John Paul II
Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati
Blessed Teresa of Calcutta
Saint André Bessette
Saint Anthony of Padua
Saint Bakhita of Sudan
Saint Bernadette Soubirous
Saint Catherine Labouré
Saint Clare of Assisi
Saint Damien of Molokai
Saint Edith Stein
Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton
Saint Faustina Kowalska
Saint Frances Xavier Cabrini
Saint Francis of Assisi
Saint Gianna Beretta Molla
Saint Ignatius of Loyola
Saint Isaac Jogues
Saint Joan of Arc
Saint John Vianney
Saint Juan Diego
Saint Katharine Drexel
Saint Martin de Porres
Saint Maximilian Kolbe
Saint Paul
Saint Pio of Pietrelcina
Saint Teresa of Avila
Saint Thérèse of Lisieux
Litany of the Saints

In the introduction to this book Sister Patricia Edward Jablonski states:

"I have some favorite saintly friends. Besides the Blessed Mother, they include St. Paul, St. Thérèse of Lisieux, St. Bernadette, St. Faustina, and St. John Vianney. These saints show me many ways to come closer to Jesus. They teach me how to pray and how to trust in God. Best of all, they're always ready to pray for me to God. Since they are very pleasing to the Lord, he's happy to give them the graces they ask for. In this book you will find prayers to thirty different saints. I hope that you and they will become very good friends. I hope that they will keep you always close to Jesus. I know that they will pray for you. May God bless you!"

This book does in fact do that. My children have already gravitated to specific saints. I have written out prayers and put them on their wall so they can work on memorizing them. Or just pick one to pray.

This is an amazing book. My youngest is 6 and I am nearing 50 and we both love using this book to pray. The prayers in this book offer encouragement, motivation, inspiration, and examples of faith; a faith that was lived in a variety of situations in life, and from around the world. But that is one of the incredible things about this book and this series they should us the saints from all walks of life and inspire us to work towards becoming the best versions of ourselves.

Now I should point out that some of the prayers are the exact same as in the Encounter the Saints books, and some are variations and some are very different.

Again drawing from the introduction to this book:

"Friends are special. They understand us. They share our happy and sad times. They help us to become the best persons we can be."

And I am sure that this book and these prayers will help us along that part by these thirty examples. A wonderful book that I wish I could put in the hands of every child on my children's school and at our Church. One of the best books of prayers I have seen for children, and some of us that are not so young also.

Note: This book is part of a series of reviews: 2017 Catholic Reading Plan!