St. Phillip Neri said, “The best preparation for prayer is to read the lives of the saints … quietly and with recollection a little at a time. And to pause whenever you feel your heart touched with devotion.” Word on Fire’s new collection of sermons, commentaries, biographies, and other writings in Voices of the Saints enables such preparation.

Arranged historically rather than chronologically by liturgical feast day (saints are listed by both feast day and name in the indices), this book is a journey through the Church’s story, told through the lives of Christians from the apostolic age with the Blessed Mother to such modern heroes as Mother Teresa, Pope John Paul II, and Carlo Acutis.

As often as possible, the author allows the holy man or woman to speak in his or her own words, giving immediate and intimate access to a primary resource for personal reflection. As St. Phillip Neri advised us to read “a little at a time,” the selections are usually about two pages long, making them digestible with your morning coffee.

Traditional favorites mingle with lesser-known saints. While most people are familiar with the life of St. Vincent de Paul, new to many readers is his companion, Louise de Marillac, who wrote, “Walk simply and confidently along the path of his holy love without too much introspection.”

In this time of Eucharistic revival, we naturally admire Carlo Acutis’ internet evangelization of Eucharistic miracles, but Peter Julian Eymard’s witness is equally powerful. St. Eymard was so moved by carrying Our Lord in a Eucharistic procession that he founded the Servants of the Blessed Sacrament in the mid-19th century, testifying, “I laid the Church at the Lord’s feet. My eyes were filled with tears. My heart seemed under the wine press.”

This volume also includes a topical index for spiritual challenges (“Raising Christian Youth,” “Difficult Marriages”) and inspiration (“Feisty Saints,” “Joy,” “Social Justice”). Those considering different vocations might turn to the topical index entry “Married Saints,” which includes the familiar heroic sacrifice of St. Gianna Molla, as well as St. Clotilda, the strong-willed, sixth-century Catholic princess whose courageous and faithful words converted not only her husband but an entire kingdom.

Under the topic of “perseverance,” you’ll find St. Josephine Bakhita’s inspiring story of surviving slavery and mercifully forgiving her abusers. And you will be enriched when reading about French St. Joan Antide-Thouret, who founded the Sisters of Charity, an international religious order devoted to serving the poor. Read her encouraging letter to her spiritual daughters after the French dispersed their order: “Let us not tire of fighting during this exile. Let’s despise the world and its false gods. Let’s despise its honors. In vain would we seek our happiness in them.”

This beautiful volume is perfect for personal devotion and for Catholic educators seeking to bring faith lessons to life with engaging stories of real Catholic heroes and heroines. Each meditation is a fruitful way to begin your day or for a spiritual break at any time.

Kathleen Frank is a Catholic educator at Bishop O’Connell High School and parishioner at Saint Rita’s Catholic Church in northern Virginia.

This article appeared in the May 2025 edition of The Catholic Telegraph Magazine. For your complimentary subscription, click here.