Vision Books - Saint's lives
Father Willie Doyle, S.J., Hero of the First World War
by Fiorella De Maria
This historical novel for young people is about the heroic life of Father Willie Doyle, S.J., an Irish Jesuit priest who sacrificed his life serving wounded soldiers in World War I.
Father Doyle enjoyed a happy, privileged Victorian childhood in Ireland. Growing up in a loving, faithful Catholic family, he heard the call to serve God as a priest from a very young age. Shortly after his ordination, the First World War broke out, and Father Willie volunteered to serve as a chaplain to the thousands of Irish soldiers fighting in France.
This joyful, holy, brave, and compassionate priest left the country he loved and ministered to soldiers in the hell of the trenches, dodging bullets and bombs to ensure that dying soldiers could receive the sacraments. By the time he was killed trying to help a wounded soldier, Father Willie had become greatly loved and esteemed by both Catholics and Protestants fighting in the war.
The cause for the canonization of Father Willie Doyle has recently been opened in Rome.
Paperback, size 8" x 5.25", 185 pages
Saint of Charity
by Margaret Ann Hubbard
An exciting and inspirational story of the great French saint of charity, St. Vincent de Paul. From his days of youth as a shepherd boy to his slavery in North Africa, his escape to France, his priestly service to the poor and to abandoned children, his founding of both the Vincentian Order and the Daughters of Charity, clashes with the Jansenists and his political adventures at court, this dramatic story of Vincent de Paul is sure to inspire all readers.
Ages: 10 +
Paperback, 165 pages, Illustrated
Our Lady Came to Fatima
by Ruth Fox Hume
Who would have thought that the Blessed Mother would choose to come to Fatima, that remote farming village on a rocky slope in Portugal? No one was more surprised than Lucia, Jacinta, and Francisco, the little shepherds to whom she appeared in 1917.
In this 27th volume of the acclaimed Vision Books series for youth, readers will be enthralled by the story of the village and its people, of the scornful neighbours and the puzzled parents. Above all, it is a warm story of three little ones who insisted that Our Lady had indeed come to Fatima, and from whose faith grew one of the greatest spiritual movements of our time. Illustrated.
Paperback, 190 pages
The Priest Who Out-Talked the Devil
by Milton Lomask
This story of the greatly beloved Cure of Ars, Jean-Marie Vianney, a farm boy born during the French Revolution, longed to become a priest. But he could not learn Latin, and it seemed as if the humble, lovable, slow-thinking Jean-Marie would never be ordained. He did at last become a priest, and such a holy one that St. Jean-Marie Vianney is invoked as the patron saint and model of parish priests everywhere. To many he is known, not by name, but simply as "the Cure of Ars," the parish priest who devoted his life to the little village of Ars and so successfully led his people to sanctity that he became a prime target of the devil.
Ages 9-15
Paperback, size 8" x 5.25", 148 pages
The Farm Boy who Became Pope
by Fr. Walter Diethelm, O.S.B.
This is a true story of St. Pius X. Young readers will be inspired by the life of this holy man--from his youthful days of hard work and prayer to receive the eduction he needed to his years as country priest, encouraging his people to holiness.
Age: 9-12
Paperback, size 8" x 5.2", 163 pages
by Helen Walker Homan
A beautiful story about the most popular saint of modern times, St. Therese of Lisieux, the "Little Flower." Growing up in Lisieux, France was occasionally painful but usually delightful for Therese and her four sisters. For practical Marie, studious Pauline, hot-tempered Leonie, mischievous Celine, and beautiful, lovable Therese, growing up meant growing closer to God. The Little Flower found her pathway to holiness right in her own back yard.
With their disagreements, secrets, visits to the convent, school adventures, and romances, these five girls are an enjoyable handful for their kindly, widowed father. But Therese, because she loves her family, discovers that one of her sisters might unwittingly prevent her dearest wish from coming true.
Ages: 9-15
Paperback, 149 pages
by Fiorella De Maria
Monsignor Hugh O'Flaherty was working in the Vatican when dictator Benito Mussolini fell from power and Germany invaded Italy in 1943. This courageous Irish priest who resisted the Nazi occupation was made famous by the movie, The Scarlet and the Black, starring Gregory Peck. The Monsignor O'Flaherty brought to life in this story is as intriguing and exciting as the film version.Witty, brilliant, and fearless, Monsignor O'Flaherty helped escaped Allied prisoners of war and persecuted Jews to elude capture by the Germans. At great risk to themselves, Monsignor O'Flaherty and his equally brave friends—priests, nuns, and lay men and women, including a few aristocrats—saved thousands of lives. They constantly needed to stay one step ahead of the ever-persistent Nazis until their surrender to the Allies in 1945.
Not just a thrilling adventure story, this book offers a portal into a real-life battle between good and evil. It also tells of the need after a war for forgiveness and redemption.
Paperback, size 8" x 5.25", 196 pages
by Catherine Beebe
St. Dominic led a life of excitement and adventure. As a boy he sold his books to feed the poor and offered himself as ransom for a prisoner. His greatest adventures came when he walked from town to town and stood fearlessly in the market to preach.
Ages: 9-15
Paperback, 161 pages
Missionary to the World
by Frances Parkinson Keyes
In 1946, Francesca Cabrine was canonized as the first saint of the United States. This Vision Book tells the exciting story of this missionary from Italy who came to America to spread the Faith and to found the Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart.
Ages: 10+
Paperback, 165 pages
St. Thomas Aquinas and the Preaching Beggars
by Fr Brendan Larnen, OP & Milton Lomask
The story of St. Thomas Aquinas is one full of moving and dramatic scenes: the flaming destruction of Monte Cassino Abbey, the reception into the Dominican order of the quiet, determined young Thomas, the breath-taking escape from the donjon tower, and the striking instances of the saint's eloquence and brilliance.
Children will enjoy the exciting story of the man who wrote the masterful Summa Theologica, the advisor to popes who refused ecclesiastical honour, the simple friar who shook the medieval world with his intellect.
Ages: 9-15
Paperback, 160 pages