Blessed Among Us: Day by Day with Saintly Witnesses

Since the early centuries, Christians have held up the saints as models of living the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  While the church officially recognizes a relatively small number of saints, the actual roster is infinitely wider. Blessed Among Us explores this eclectic “cloud of witnesses”—lay and religious, single and married, canonized and not, and even non-Christians whose faith and wisdom may illuminate our path. Brought to life in the evocative storytelling of Robert Ellsberg, they inspire the moral imagination and give witness to the myriad ways of holiness.   In two stories per day for a full calendar year, Ellsberg sketches figures from biblical times to the present age and from all corners of this world—ordinary figures whose extraordinary lives point to the new age in the world to come.    Blessed Among Us is drawn from Ellsberg’s acclaimed column of the same name in Give Us This Day, a monthly resource for daily prayer published by Liturgical Press.   

Table of Contents:
          Introduction xviii JANUARY 1 Mary, Mother of Jesus • St. Zdislava Berka 2 2 St. Basil the Great • Blessed Marie Anne Blondin 4 3 St. Genevieve • Lanza del Vasto 6 4 St. Syncletica • St. Elizabeth Ann Seton 8 5 St. John Neumann • St. Genevieve Torres Morales 10 6 St. Gertrude of Delft • St. André Bessette 12 7 St. Angela of Foligno • St. Raphaela Mary 14 8 Giotto • Galileo Galilei 16 9 Blessed Alix le Clercq • Pauline Jaricot 18 10 St. Leonie Aviat • Blessed Maria Dolores Rodriguez Sopena 20 11 Lambert Beauduin • Mev Puleo 22 12 St. Aelred of Rievaulx • St. Marguerite Bourgeoys 24 13 Blessed Jutta of Huy • George Fox 26 14 Blessed Odoric of Pordenone • Anthony Brouwers 28 15 St. Ita • St. Arnold Janssen 30 16 St. Joseph Vaz • Blessed Juana Maria Lluch 32 17 St. Antony of Egypt • Roberto de Nobili 34 18 St. Prisca • St. Margaret of Hungary 36 19 St. Paula • Mother Joseph of the Sacred Heart 38 20 Alessandro Valignano • Blessed Cyprian Michael Iwene Tansi 40 21 St. Agnes • Mary Angeline McCrory 42 22 Blessed William Joseph Chaminade • Satoko Kitahara 44 23 Blessed James the Almsgiver • St. Marianne Cope 46 24 St. Francis de Sales • Blessed Nikolaus Gross 48 25 Dorothy Hennessey • Samuel Ruiz 50 26 Saints Timothy and Titus • Blessed Michael Kozal 52 27 St. Angela Merici • Mahalia Jackson 54 28 St. Thomas Aquinas • Fyodor Dostoevsky 56 29 St. Andrei Rublev • Maisie Ward 58 30 Mary Ward • Mohandas Gandhi 60 31 St. Marcella • St. John Bosco 62 FEBRUARY 1 St. Brigid of Ireland • Alfred Delp 66 2 St. Cornelius the Centurion • Blessed Mary Catherine Kasper 68 3 St. Claudine Thévenet • Mary Elizabeth Lange 70 4 St. Joan of Valois • St. John de Britto 72 5 St. Agatha • Pedro Arrupe 74 6 St. Paul Miki and Companions • Thecla Merlo 76 7 Blessed Rosalie Rendu •  Blessed Mary of Providence (Eugénie Smet) 78 8 Blessed Jacoba of Settesoli • St. Josephine Bakhita 80 9 St. Apollonia • Blessed Marianus Scotus 82 10 St. Scholastica • Daniel Egan 84 11 St. Evagrius Ponticus • Muriel Lester 86 12 Brother Lawrence of the Resurrection • Dorothy Stang 88 13 St. Catherine dei Ricci • Georges Rouault 90 14 Saints Cyril and Methodius • Brother James Miller 92 15 St. Claude de la Colombière • Ben Salmon 94 16 St. Verdiana • Walter Burghardt 96 17 Martyrs of China • Janani Luwum 98 18 Blessed Fra Angelico • Michelangelo 100 19 St. Conrad of Piacenza • St. Philothea of Athens 102 20 Francis X. Ford • Dorothy Gauchat 104 21 St. Robert Southwell • Blessed Maria Enrica Dominici 106 22 St. Margaret of Cortona • Hans and Sophie Scholl 108 23 St. Polycarp • Blessed Rafaela Ybarra de Vilallonga 110 24 Blessed Margaret Ebner • Blessed Josefa Naval Girbés 112 25 St. Walburga • Felix Varela 114 26 Blessed Isabel of France • Antonio Valdivieso 116 27 St. Gregory of Narek • St. Gabriel Possenti 118 28 Martyrs of the Plague of Alexandria • St. John Cassian 120 MARCH 1 George Herbert • Engelmar Unzeitig 124 2 St. Agnes of Bohemia • John Wesley 126 3 Concepción Cabrera de Armida • St. Katharine Drexel 128 4 Blessed Placide Viel • Martin Niemoeller 130 5 St. Gerasimus • St. Kieran of Saighir 132 6 St. Colette • Jean-Pierre de Caussade 134 7 Saints Perpetua and Felicity • St. Catherine of Bologna 136 8 St. John of God • St. Marie-Eugenie Milleret 138 9 St. Gregory of Nyssa • St. Frances of Rome 140 10 The Forty Martyrs of Sebastea • Harriet Tubman 142 11 St. Teresa Margaret Redi • James Reeb 144 12 Blessed Angela Salawa • Rutilio Grande 146 13 St. Matilda • Blessed Dulce Pontes 148 14 Fannie Lou Hamer • Chiara Lubich 150 15 St. Louise de Marillac • Mother Benedicta Riepp 152 16 St. John de Brebeuf • Eusebio Kino 154 17 St. Patrick • St. Gertrude of Nivelles 156 18 St. Cyril of Jerusalem • Antonio de Andrade 158 19 St. Joseph • Blessed Marcel Callo 160 20 Mother Catherine Spalding • St. Maria Josefa de Guerra 162 21 St. Benedetta Frassinello • Viola Liuzzo 164 22 Blessed Clemens August van Galen • Luis Espinal Camps 166 23 Blessed Sibyllina of Pavia • St. Rebecca Ar-Rayès 168 24 St. Catherine of Vadstena • Blessed Oscar Romero 170 25 St. Dismas • Ida B. Wells 172 26 Anne Frank • Raoul Wallenberg 174 27 St. John of Egypt • The Cloud of Unknowing Author 176 28 Moses • Marc Chagall 178 29 Micah • Karl Rahner 180 30 St. John Climacus • Thea Bowman 182 31 John Donne • St. Maria Skobtsova 184 APRIL 1 Blessed Giuseppe Girotti • Ignatia Gavin 188 2 St. Francis of Paola • Carla Ronci 190 3 C. F. Andrews • Jean Goss 192 4 St. Benedict the Black • Martin Luther King Jr. 194 5 St. Juliana of Liège • Pandita Ramabai 196 6 St. Mary Crescentia • Blessed Michael Rua 198 7 St. John Baptist de la Salle • Blessed Maria Assunta Pallotta 200 8 St. Julie Billiart • Martyrs of the Rwandan Genocide 202 9 Mother Mary Demetrias Cunningham • Dietrich Bonhoeffer 204 10 Pierre Teilhard de Chardin • Howard Thurman 206 11 St. Guthlac • St. Stanislaus 208 12 Peter Waldo • St. Teresa of Los Andes 210 13 St. Martin I • Blessed Margaret of Citta-di-Castello 212 14 St. Lydwina of Schiedam • Bishop James A. Walsh 214 15 Mother Lurana White • Corrie ten Boom 216 16 St. Benedict Joseph Labre • St. Bernadette Soubirous 218 17 Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz • Anna Dengel 220 18 Cornelia Connelly • Blessed Savina Petrilli 222 19 St. Alphege • Blessed Bernard the Penitent 224 20 St. Hildegund of Schonau • St. Agnes of Montepulciano 226 21 St. Apollonius • St. Anselm 228 22 Käthe Kollwitz • Engelbert Mveng 230 23 Blessed Maria Gabriella Sagheddu • Cesar Chavez 232 24 St. Mary Euphrasia Pelletier • Blessed Mary Elizabeth Hesselblad 234 25 St. Mark • St. Pedro de San José Betancur 236 26 Nano Nagle • Juan Gerardi 238 27 St. Zita • Niall O’Brien 240 28 Blessed Luchesio and Buonadonna • Jacques Maritain 242 29 Blessed Pauline von Mallinckrodt • St. Catherine of Siena 244 30 St. Marie of the Incarnation • Daniel Berrigan 246 MAY 1 Thomas à Kempis • Ade Bethune 250 2 St. Athanasius • Takashi Nagai 252 3 Saints Philip and James • Elisabeth Leseur 254 4 Anna • Mother Mary Ignatius Hayes 256 5 St. Jutta • Henry David Thoreau 258 6 Blessed Mary Catherine of Cairo • Blessed Anna Rosa Gattorno 260 7 St. Rosa Venerini • Demetrius Gallitzin 262 8 Blessed Mary Catherine of St. Augustine •  Blessed Miriam Teresa Demjanovich 264 9 St. Pachomius • Blessed Theresa of Jesus Gerhardinger 266 10 St. Damien of Molokai • Walker Percy 268 11 St. Magdalene of Canossa • Horace McKenna 270 12 Edel Quinn • Vincent Donovan 272 13 St. Mary Mazzarello • René Voillaume 274 14 St. Matthias • The Syrophoenician Mother 276 15 St. Isidore • Peter Maurin 278 16 St. Brendan • Julian of Norwich 280 17 Jeremiah • Emily Dickinson 282 18 St. Dymphna • Larry Rosebaugh 284 19 St. Alcuin • St. Celestine V 286 20 Blessed Columba of Rieti • St. Toribio Romo González 288 21 Blessed Franz Jägerstätter •  Christian de Chergé and Companions 290 22 The Baal Shem Tov • St. Joachima de Vedruna 292 23 Girolamo Savonarola • Emil Kapaun 294 24 St. Joanna the Myrrhbearer • Maria of Jesus of Agreda 296 25 St. Mary Magdalene de’ Pazzi • St. Madeleine Sophie Barat 298 26 St. Bede the Venerable • St. Philip Neri 300 27 St. Augustine of Canterbury • St. Melangell of Wales 302 28 St. Mariana of Quito • Marc Sangnier 304 29 Noah • St. Ursula Ledóchowska 306 30 St. Joan of Arc • Cardinal Emmanuel Suhard 308 31 Saints Mary and Elizabeth • St. Baptista Varano 310 JUNE 1 St. Justin • Thomas Berry 314 2 Marguerite Porete • Anthony de Mello 316 3 St. Kevin • St. Charles Lwanga and Companions 318 4 Margaret Anna Cusack • Maurice Blondel 320 5 St. Boniface • André Trocmé 322 6 St. Philip the Deacon • Ann Manganaro 324 7 Blessed Anne of St. Bartholomew • Chief Seattle 326 8 Anne de Xainctonge • Gerard Manley Hopkins 328 9 St. Columba • Blessed Anne Mary Taigi 330 10 Antoni Gaudi • Gabrielle Bossis 332 11 St. Barnabas • St. Paula Frassinetti 334 12 Sigrid Undset • Medgar Evers 336 13 St. Anthony of Padua • Martin Buber 338 14 St. Elisha • G. K. Chesterton 340 15 Hagar the Egyptian • St. Germaine Cousin 342 16 St. Lutgardis • Evelyn Underhill 344 17 St. Emily de Vialar • Martyrs of “Mother Emanuel” 346 18 St. Elizabeth of Schonau • Blessed Osanna of Mantua 348 19 St. Juliana Falconieri • Lord John Acton 350 20 Blessed Michelina of Pesaro • Cardinal Yves Congar 352 21 St. Aloysius Gonzaga • James Chaney and Companions 354 22 St. Alban • St. Thomas More 356 23 St. Etheldreda • Blessed Mary of Oignies 358 24 Ruth and Naomi • Vincent Lebbe 360 25 The Hemorrhaging Woman • St. Febronia 362 26 Martyrs Under Nero • Hans Urs von Balthasar 364 27 Blessed Madeleine Fontaine and Companions • Hannah 366 28 St. Irenaeus • St. John Southworth 368 29 Saints Peter and Paul • St. Emma 370 30 Blessed Ramón Lull • Pierre Toussaint 372 JULY 1 St. Junipero Serra • Blessed Antonio Rosmini 376 2 St. Monegundis • Hrotsvitha of Gandersheim 378 3 St. Thomas • Bernard Haring 380 4 St. Elizabeth of Portugal • Blessed Catherine Jarrige 382 5 St. Anthony Zaccaria • Georges Bernanos 384 6 St. Maria Goretti • Blessed Mary Theresa Ledóchowska 386 7 Blessed Maria Romero Meneses • Peace Pilgrim 388 8 Jan Hus • Angelus Silesius 390 9 Rose Hawthorne • St. Pauline of the Agonizing Heart of Jesus 392 10 Augustus Tolton • Eve Lavalliere 394 11 St. Benedict • Desiderius Erasmus 396 12 St. Veronica • Saints Zélie and Louis Martin 398 13 Blessed Angelina of Marsciano • St. Clelia Barbieri 400 14 St. Kateri Tekakwitha • Cicely Saunders 402 15 St. Bonaventure • Blessed Anne-Marie Javouhey 404 16 St. Mary-Magdalen Postel • St. Elizabeth Feodorovna 406 17 St. Hedwig of Poland • Carmelite Martyrs of Compiègne 408 18 Bartolomé de Las Casas • St. Camillus de Lellis 410 19 St. Macrina the Younger • Rebecca Nurse 412 20 Elijah • Pope Leo XIII 414 21 St. Margaret • Lawrence Jenco 416 22 St. Mary Magdalene • Albert Luthuli 418 23 St. Bridget of Sweden • Anne Hutchinson 420 24 Saints Boris and Gleb • St. Christina the Astonishing 422 25 St. James the Great • St. Christopher 424 26 Saints Anne and Joachim • Blessed Andrew of Phu Yen 426 27 The Seven Sleepers of Ephesus • Blessed Titus Brandsma 428 28 William Wilberforce • Stanley Rother 430 29 St. Martha of Bethany • Blessed Beatrice of Nazareth 432 30 Blessed Zdenka Cecilia Schelingova • Bishop James E. Walsh 434 31 St. Ignatius Loyola • Solanus Casey 436 AUGUST 1 St. Alphonsus Liguori • The Martyrs of Nowogrodek 440 2 St. Basil the Blessed • St. Peter Faber 442 3 St. Lydia • Flannery O’Connor 444 4 St. John Vianney • Enrique Angelelli 446 5 St. Nonna • Metropolitan Anthony of Sourozh 448 6 St. Afra • Antonio Margil 450 7 St. Victricius • St. Bonifacia Rodríguez y Castro 452 8 St. Dominic • St. Mary MacKillop 454 9 St. Candida Maria of Jesus •  St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross (Edith Stein) 456 10 St. Lawrence • St. Susanna 458 11 St. Clare • Eunice Shriver 460 12 St. Jeanne de Chantal • William Blake 462 13 Florence Nightingale • Blessed Otto Neururer and Jakob Gapp 464 14 Michael McGivney • St. Maximilian Kolbe 466 15 Jonathan Daniels • John Courtney Murray 468 16 St. Roch • Brother Roger Schutz 470 17 St. Jeanne Delanoue • Black Elk 472 18 St. Helena • Jessica Powers 474 19 Blaise Pascal • Mary Magdalen Bentivoglio 476 20 St. Bernard • St. Maria de Mattias 478 21 Geert Groote • Blessed Victoria Rasoamanarivo 480 22 Luis de Leon • Benigno “Ninoy” Aquino, Jr. 482 23 St. Rose of Lima • St. Joan Antide-Thouret 484 24 St. Bartholomew • Simone Weil 486 25 St. Genesius the Actor • St. Joseph Calasanz 488 26 St. Elizabeth Bichier des Ages •  St. Mary of Jesus Crucified (Mariam Baouardy) 490 27 St. Monica • Dom Helder Camara 492 28 St. Augustine • Blessed Edmund Rice 494 29 Martyrdom of St. John the Baptist • Blessed Santia Szymkowiak 496 30 St. Margaret Ward • St. Jeanne Jugan 498 31 Saints Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus • John Leary 500 SEPTEMBER 1 St. Drithelm • François Mauriac 504 2 Blessed Margaret of Louvain • French Martyrs of September 506 3 St. Phoebe • St. Gregory the Great 508 4 St. Rose of Viterbo • Blessed Catherine of Racconigi 510 5 Blessed Jean-Joseph Lataste • St. Teresa of Calcutta 512 6 Albert Schweitzer • E. F. Schumacher 514 7 St. Kassiani • Alexander Men 516 8 Saints Natalia and Adrian • Blessed Frederic Ozanam 518 9 St. Peter Claver • John Howard Griffin 520 10 St. Pulcheria • Blessed Louisa of Savoy 522 11 St. Notburga • Mychal Judge 524 12 Amos • Stephen Biko 526 13 St. John Chrysostom • Dante Alighieri 528 14 Marie-Therese de Lamourous • Blessed Pino Puglisi 530 15 St. Catherine of Genoa • Martyrs of Birmingham 532 16 St. Cyprian • St. Edith of Wilton 534 17 St. Hildegard of Bingen • Adrienne von Speyr 536 18 Dag Hammarskjöld • Corita Kent 538 19 St. Emily de Rodat • Sadhu Sundar Singh 540 20 St. Andrew Kim and the Korean Martyrs • Mercy Hirschboeck 542 21 St. Matthew • Henri Nouwen 544 22 St. Maurice and Companions • Daria Donnelly 546 23 St. Thecla • St. Pio of Pietrelcina (Padre Pio) 548 24 Blessed Robert of Knaresborough • Blessed Emily Tavernier 550 25 Mechthild of Magdeburg • St. Sergius of Radonezh 552 26 St. Therese Couderc • Blessed Paul VI 554 27 Margery Kempe • St. Vincent de Paul 556 28 St. Eustochium • St. Lioba 558 29 Saints Michael, Gabriel, Raphael • Blessed Richard Rolle 560 30 St. Jerome • Shusaku Endo 562 OCTOBER 1 St. Thérèse of Lisieux • Romano Guardini 566 2 Agneta Chang • Carlo Carretto 568 3 St. Theodore Guerin • Blessed Columba Marmion 570 4 St. Francis of Assisi • Blessed Bartholomew Longo 572 5 Blessed Francis Xavier Seelos • St. Mary Faustina Kowalska 574 6 St. Bruno • Blessed Mary Rose Durocher 576 7 John Woolman • Eileen Egan 578 8 St. Pelagia the Penitent • Penny Lernoux 580 9 Blessed John Henry Newman • Mollie Rogers 582 10 Blessed Angela Truszkowska • Oskar Schindler 584 11 St. John XXIII • João Bosco Bournier 586 12 Elizabeth Fry • Caryll Houselander 588 13 Rabbi Nachman of Breslau • Madeleine Delbrêl 590 14 St. Callistus • Julius Nyerere 592 15 St. Teresa of Avila • Jules Monchanin 594 16 St. Hedwig • St. Margaret Mary Alacoque 596 17 St. Ignatius of Antioch • Ursuline Martyrs of France 598 18 St. Luke • Mother Antonia Brenner 600 19 St. Isaac Jogues • Blessed Jerzy Popieluszko 602 20 Blessed Mary Teresa de Soubiran • St. Mary Bertilla Boscardin 604 21 St. Ursula and Companions • St. Margaret Clitherow 606 22 Mother Janet Erskine Stuart • St. John Paul II 608 23 Maura O’Halloran • Adorers of the Blood of Christ 610 24 St. Anthony Mary Claret • Rosa Parks 612 25 Saints Daria and Chrysanthus •  The Forty Martyrs of England and Wales 614 26 Blessed Contardo Ferrini • Sarah and Angelina Grimké 616 27 St. Severinus Boethius • Henri Perrin 618 28 St. Simon and St. Jude • Clarence Jordan 620 29 St. Marcellus • Blessed Restituta Kafka 622 30 Hadewijch of Brabant • St. Dorothy of Montau 624 31 St. Alphonsus Rodriguez • Louis Massignon 626 NOVEMBER 1 Feast of All Saints 630 2 Léon Bloy • Mother Mary Walsh 632 3 St. Malachy • St. Martin de Porres 634 4 St. Charles Borromeo • Raissa Maritain 636 5 Saints Zechariah and Elizabeth • Blessed Bernard Lichtenberg 638 6 Blessed Joan Mary de Maille • Little Sister Magdeleine of Jesus 640 7 Alexander de Rhodes • John Kavanaugh 642 8 Blessed John Duns Scotus • Søren Kierkegaard 644 9 Blessed Elizabeth of the Trinity • Kristallnacht Martyrs 646 10 St. Leo the Great • The Lübeck Martyrs 648 11 St. Martin of Tours • Catherine McAuley 650 12 St. Josaphat • Lucretia Mott 652 13 St. Agnes of Assisi • St. Frances Xavier Cabrini 654 14 St. Gregory Palamas • Joseph Cardinal Bernardin 656 15 St. Gertrude the Great • Blessed Mary of the Passion 658 16 St. Margaret of Scotland • Ignacio Ellacuría and Companions 660 17 St. Hilda of Whitby • St. Elizabeth of Hungary 662 18 St. Roque Gonzalez • St. Rose Philippine Duchesne 664 19 St. Mechtild of Hackeborn • Henriette DeLille 666 20 Henri Dominique Lacordaire • Frank Sheed 668 21 Blessed Mary Frances Siedliska • C. S. Lewis 670 22 St. Cecilia • Jeanne Fontbonne 672 23 St. Columbanus • Blessed Miguel Pro 674 24 St. Andrew Dung-Lac and Companions • St. Joseph Pignatelli 676 25 St. Catherine of Alexandria • Margaret Sinclair 678 26 Sojourner Truth • Blessed James Alberione 680 27 Saints Barlaam and Josaphat • Dom Virgil Michel 682 28 Isaiah • St. Catherine Labouré 684 29 Mother Jones • Dorothy Day 686 30 St. Andrew • Etty Hillesum 688 DECEMBER 1 St. Edmund Campion • Blessed Charles de Foucauld 692 2 Blessed Liduina Meneguzzi • Maura Clarke and Companions 694 3 St. Francis Xavier • St. Anuarite Nengapeta 696 4 Clement of Alexandria • St. John Damascene 698 5 St. Crispina • St. Christina of Markyate 700 6 St. Nicholas • Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart 702 7 St. Ambrose • St. Maria Josepha Rossello 704 8 Swami Abhishiktananda (Henri Le Saux) • Walter Ciszek 706 9 Bernard of Quintavalle • Fulton J. Sheen 708 10 Karl Barth • Thomas Merton 710 11 Martyrs of El Mozote • Walter F. Sullivan 712 12 Our Lady of Guadalupe • Cardinal Avery Dulles 714 13 St. Lucy • St. Odilia 716 14 St. John of the Cross • Catherine de Hueck Doherty 718 15 St. Virginia Centurione Bracelli • St. Mary di Rosa 720 16 Blessed Frances Schervier • Maude Dominica Petre 722 17 St. Lazarus • St. Olympias 724 18 The Samaritan Woman • Alicia Domon 726 19 Rahab • Meister Eckhart 728 20 The Anointer of Bethany • Origen 730 21 St. Peter Canisius • Mothers of the Disappeared 732 22 Isaac Hecker • Martyrs of Acteal 734 23 St. Marguerite d’Youville • Rabbi Abraham Heschel 736 24 John Muir • Chico Mendes 738 25 Holy Shepherds • Blessed Jacopone of Todi 740 26 St. Stephen • The Pilgrim 742 27 St. John • St. Fabiola 744 28 Holy Innocents • Blessed Sara Salkahazi 746 29 St. Thomas Becket • Sebastian Castellio 748 30 Blessed Eugenia Ravasco • John Main 750 31 St. Melania the Younger • St. John Francis Regis 752           Index 755  

About the Author :
Robert Ellsberg is the publisher and editor-in-chief of Orbis Books and the author of several award-winning books, including All Saints: Daily Reflections on Saints, Prophets, and Witnesses for Our Time; Blessed Among All Women; and The Saints’ Guide to Happiness.  

Review :
“Every single day I read Robert Ellsberg's concise, fascinating, and inspiring lives of the saints in my copy of Give Us This Day.  And every single day I am amazed by the astounding lives that have been lived out of love for Christ.  Happily, many of these wonderful stories are now gathered together in this marvelous new book, which will guide you through the year with the help of these patrons and companions." James Martin, SJ, author of Jesus: A Pilgrimage   "This delightful book reminds us how blessed we are, in every age, to have people of good faith who are called to love and serve people in need. They call us all to a greater purpose." Kathleen Norris, author of The Cloister Walk and Acedia and Me   "The diversity of these holy men and women calls out my own gifts, and their total dedication alerts me to put my “yes” into motion for the day.  Thank you for being a companion and inspiration for my faith journey!" Carolyn Y. Woo, President and CEO of Catholic Relief Services, and author of Working for a Better World   "This is not only a classic collection of lives of the saints but also an introduction to many un-canonized holy lives, producing such delightful juxtapositions as St. Nicholas and Mozart, St. Mary Magdalene and Albert Luthuli, St. Monica and Helder Camara. As a reader of Give Us This Day, from which these are drawn, I’ve enjoyed meeting new holy men and women and am now delighted to have them alongside traditional saints of the day.  Thank you for this literary treat." Christopher Jamison, OSB, Director of the National Office of Vocation, London, and author of Finding Sanctuary   "Saints are the living Word of God, the Word made flesh, but their biographies are often too encrusted within sentimentality and piety to serve as an inspiration for us. Ellsberg gives us their essence in this treasure of a book! Nobody writes better about the lives of the saints than Robert Ellsberg." Ronald Rolheiser OMI, President of the Oblate School of Theology, and author of The Holy Longing and Sacred Fire   "It is a challenge to provide inspiration in a brief and daily format.  Robert Ellsberg’s writing does so, exposing us to numerous little-known saints, with a generous sprinkling of contemporary saintly lives, his signature contribution. This book is a keeper." Pat Farrell, OSF, Past President of the Leadership Conference of Women Religious