Book Reviews and More: Saint John Vianney A Priest for the People - Elizabeth Marie Dedomenic FSP and Ben Hatke

Saint John Vianney:

A Priest for the People

Encounter the Saints Series Book 11

Elizabeth Marie Dedomenic FSP

Ben Hatke (Illustrator)

Pauline Books and Media
ISBN 9780819871152

eISBN 9780819871527

ASIN B005F1Q7IS

I have now read all but 2 books in this series. This is a wonderful book in an amazing series! As a family we have read over 30 books in this series so far. I started reading them myself reading books on Saint Damien of Molokai and Saint Edith Stein Blessed by the Cross. Then started reading them with my three youngest children. My children and I love this series. We have read many of the books more than once. I have read about Saint John Vianney previously, but loved this simple biography.

This is a most wonderful series is! With my three children and I we have now read nearly all of the books in this series. I read them either by myself, or with one or more child. My youngest 2 children ages 13, 10, still both love these books. And they have read or reread them frequently. My son wants to have the complete set in his room, so he keeps asking to buy his own copies, he loves these books so much. We have picked up several volumes to donate to the school library. I would love to have the whole set in the school library as a resource when the students are picking confirmation saints. Each time we read a book in the series we appreciate this series more. We hope there will be more books released in the series in the future. I would love to see how this series handles Saint Josemaria Escriva, Blessed Carlo Actus, … and many more. We would also like to eventually see eBooks of all of the volumes in the series. With my dyslexia and my son’s eye tracking issues we both prefer eBooks where we can change page color, font size and font spacing. This book has an eBook listed but I cannot find it, as it is listed at currently unavailable.

Now back to this specific book on Saint John Vianney.

Part of the description of this volume is:

“John Mary Vianney was born near Lyons, France, in 1786. He loved to pray and when he was eighteen, he asked his father's permission to become a priest. John studied under Father Balley. The priest was very patient but Latin soon became a major problem for John. After much study, John was finally able to enter the seminary. Studies were hard. No matter how much he tried, he never did very well. When the final examinations came, they were spoken, not written. John had to face a board of teachers and answer their questions. Father Balley spoke up for John. He pointed out that John was a good and holy man, he was full of common sense, and he understood what the Church taught about the faith. It was agreed that these qualities made up for what John was lacking in learning and he was ordained. At first, he was appointed as Father Balley's curate, assisting him until his death in 1817. Then Father Vianney was sent to a little parish called Ars, where he would spend the rest of his life. When he first arrived, the people of Ars did not care much about their faith. They drank too much, worked all day Sunday, and never went to church. Many used terrible language. Father Vianney fasted and did penance for his people. He tried to stop them from sinning. Eventually, one tavern after another closed down because business became so slow. People began to worship regularly on Sundays and attended weekday Mass. The swearing was not so frequent. What had happened in Ars? "Our priest is a saint," the people would say, "and we must obey him." God gave John the power to see into people's minds and to know the future. Because of this gift, he converted many sinners and helped people make the right decisions.”

And the description of the series is:

“The Encounter the Saints series offers intermediate readers relatable portrayals of the saints. Each story, in a handy format, vividly recreates the saint's place of origin, family life, and corresponding historical events.”

The chapters in this volume are:

1. Life before the Revolution

2. A Secret First Communion

3. Following God’s Call

4. The Accidental Deserter

5. Don’t Give Up

6. A Good Friend

7. Does Anyone Know the Way to Ars?

8. The New Curé Begins His Work

9. Rebuilding His Church

10. House of Providence

11. A Whole New Ars

12. The Grappin Strikes Back

13. Flight and Return to Ars

14. Prophecies, Miracles, and Visions

15. Last Days of the Curé

Prayer

Glossary

The prayer in this volume is:

“Saint John Vianney, you have shown us how to live our baptismal call to holiness through your life of selfless service.

You loved Jesus in the Eucharist and trusted in the help of our mother, Mary, and the saints. You worked every day to help people grow closer to God, especially through the sacraments of the Eucharist and Reconciliation.

Pray for me so that I, too, can spend my life bringing the Good News of Jesus to everyone I meet. Help me to discover and understand the vocation God is calling me to. May all priests and seminarians realize what a special calling they have received. Help them to become like Jesus.

Let your prayer be mine: “If you really love God, you will want him to be loved by the whole world.”

The prayer in this volume is the very the same to the one as in the companion volume, The Saints Pray for Us, which has prays for the first 30 saints and blessed covered in the series. Each volume follows the same format, the chapters about the Saints life, a prayer and a glossary. My children always look to compare the prayer with the one in The Saints Pray for Us. They also love looking at the pictures. Each volume has 5 illustrations. The black and white ink sketches by Hatke are wonderful. And they enjoy these books so much they always read through the whole Glossary.

This book is a wonderful read. Learning about Saint John Vianney will bless any reader. My son has some struggles in school and has wanted to be a priest for many years. This story encouraged him greatly. With having read over 30 the books in the Encounter the Saints Series from Pauline Books and Media we are still enthralled by these volumes. Each book has been worth the read. Another excellent read in a wonderful series!

Please Note: I discovered recently that most of the eBook editions are no long available for this series. In fact I could only find a handful of the over 20 volumes that had been available electronically. I do not know why this is the case but I consider it a great loss. A loss for people with reading issues like my son and I, for others with learning disabilities, and for those in different geographic regions.

Note: This book is part of a series of reviews: 2021 Catholic Reading Plan!

Books about the North American Saints and Martyrs:

North American Martyrs Kids Activity Book - Bonnie Way

Saints of North America - Jean Olwen Maynard

…

Encounter the Saints Series from Pauline Books and Media: