Thursday, 26 December 2024

Saint Kevin of Glendalough Hermit, Abbot, and Miracle Worker - Fr. Kevin McKenzie - A Vision Book

Saint Kevin of Glendalough: 
Hermit, Abbot, and Miracle Worker
Christopher J. Pelicano (Illustrator)
ISBN ‎9781621646099
eISBN 9781642292619

Saint Kevin of Glendalough Hermit, Abbot, and Miracle Worker - Fr. Kevin McKenzie - A Vision Book

I am always excited when I see a new title is releasing in the Vision Book Series, now from Ignatius Press. This was the second I have read by Father Kevin, and I hope he will write many more!

I love the Vision Books for Young Readers, and I have a personal devotion to many of the Irish saints. I was eagerly anticipating this book, since I first encountered news of it on social media. 

The description of this book states:

“In sixth-century Ireland, the memory of the great missionary Saint Patrick was strong, but so was the influence of the old pagan religion. There was still much work to be done to spread the Christian faith.

This book tells the story of one of the greatest saints of the Emerald Isle after Patrick, Saint Kevin, whose monastery at Glendalough was a beacon of light for eight hundred years. Saint Kevin worked miracles, communed with animals, and inspired thousands to leave everything to follow Christ. His love of God and neighbor helped root the Christian faith deep into the hearts of the Irish people.

Author Kevin McKenzie spent seven years researching the life of Saint Kevin, visiting the places where he lived and translating the thousand-year-old Latin biography of the saint into English. Using his research and travels, McKenzie has produced a lively portrait of Saint Kevin that will inspire and delight readers ages nine and up.”

The chapters and sections in this book are:

1. On the Hurling Field 
2. Kingless 
3. A Visitor In The Night 
4. The Shepherd 
5. The Monastery of Kilnamanagh 
6. Glendalough 
7. Back at Kilnamanagh 
8. Gavin the Hermit 
9. The Isle of Inisheer 
10. Glendalough for Good 
11. The Blackbird 
12. Unlikely Visitors 
13. To Rome and Back 
14. Uisneach Hill 
15. One Hundred Twenty Summers 
Author's Note
A Walk through Glendalough

This was an excellent read. I had not encountered the story of Saint Kevin even having read several volumes about Irish saints. So this story was completely new to me. It is a stunning read. It reads much like an adventure novel, but it is the life of an amazing saint. So many amazing events in his life, and most importantly his pilgrimage to Rome on foot to gain a special indulgence for the Irish people. This story is wonderfully written. I could not put the book down. 

I love this book and series! My two youngest both teenagers enjoy the Vision Books, I am in my fifties and I love them, those Ignatius brought back in print, the new expansions of the series, and the originals I can lay my hands on that Ignatius has not licensed. This is a wonderful book in an excellent series. They would be great additions to any home, school, or church library. An excellent book I can easily recommend this volume on Saint Kevin!

Note: This book is part of a series of reviews: 2024 Catholic Reading Plan!   

Books in the Vision Books Saints Biographies:
Bernadette, Our Lady's Little Servant 
The Cure of Ars 
Edmund Campion 
Florence Nightingale's Nuns 
Fr. Marquette and the Great Rivers 
Francis and Clare, Saints of Assisi 
Kateri Tekakwitha 
Mother Cabrini, Missionary to the World 
Mother Seton and the Sisters of Charity 
Saint Anthony and the Christ Child 
Saint Catherine Laboure and the Miraculous Medal 
Saint Dominic and the Rosary 
Saint Elizabeth's Three Crowns 
Saint Francis of the Seven Seas 
Saint Helena and the True Cross 
Saint Ignatius and the Company of Jesus 
Saint Isaac and the Indians 
Saint John Bosco 
Saint Katherine Drexel 
Saint Louis and the Last Crusade 
Saint Philip of the Joyous Heart 
Saint Therese and the Roses 
Saint Thomas Aquinas and the Preaching Beggars 
Saint Thomas More of London 
Vincent De Paul: Saint of Charity 

Out of Print books in the Series:
Catholic Campuses, Stories of American Catholic Colleges 
Champions in Sports and Spirit 
Children Welcome: Villages for Boys and Girls 
Christmas and the Saints 
Columbus and the New World 
Dear Philippine: Mission of Mother Duchesne 
Edel Quinn: Beneath the Southern Cross 
Frances Warde and the First Sisters of Mercy 
Good Pope John b
Governor Al Smith 
In American Vineyards, Religious Orders in the United States 
Irish Saints 
John Carroll Bishop and Patriot
John Neumann, The Children's Bishop 
Kit Carson of the Old West 
Lydia Longley, the First American Nun 
Marguerite Bourgeoys, Pioneer Teacher 
Martin de Porres, Saint of the New World 
Modern Crusaders 
More Champions in Sports and Spirit 
Mother Barat's Vineyard 
My Eskimos: A Priest in the Artic 
Peter and Paul: The Rock and the Sword 
Peter Claver, Saint Among Slaves
Pope Pius XII, the World's Shepherd 
Rose Hawthorne: The Pilgramage of Nathaniel's Daughter 
Saints of the Byzantine World 
Sarah Peter: The Dream and the Harvest 
St. Augustine and His Search for Faith 
St. Francis de Sales 
St. Gregory the Great, Consul of God 
St. Jerome and the Bible 
St. Margaret Mary, Apostle of the Sacred Heart 
The Bible Story, The Promised Lord and His Coming 
The Cross in the West 
The Ursulines, Nuns of Adventure 
When Saints Were Young 
...


Vision Books Ignatius Press 2024

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