The Franciscan Saints - Softcover

Ellsberg, Robert

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1632531941 ISBN 13: 9781632531940

Publisher: Franciscan Media, 2017

Synopsis

Reading Robert Ellsberg’s profiles of holy men and women is like throwing open a window in a stuffy old church and taking in great gulps of fresh air. Henri Nouwen has described his writing as “evocative without being pious.” He broadens the traditional vision of sanctity and calls modern readers of all stripes to claim their potential for moral and spiritual growth, courage and action. By choosing relevant models and contemporary heroes, he makes holiness accessible and attractive to ordinary people. 

These 101 spiritual trailblazers span the centuries from Francis and Clare to Solanus Casey and Mychal Judge, with representatives from every walk of life and corner of the world. 

Each entry features the essential biographical facts and adds the insight and depth only Ellsberg can provide. The author’s sharp eye for signs and stories of holiness in the gritty, messy real world informs his selections, making his work unique. Obscure lay peasants, married activists, and controversial social reformers take pride of place alongside better-known theologians, founders, and canonized saints.

The audio edition of this book can be downloaded via Audible.

About this title

About the Author:

Robert Ellsberg is the publisher and editor-in-chief of Orbis Books. He has written numerous books on saints, including All Saints: Daily Reflections on Saints, Prophets, and Witnesses for Our Times, Blessed Among All Women, The Saints’ Guide to Happiness, Modern Spiritual Masters, and Blessed Among Us: Day by Day with Saintly Witnesses, which is based on his daily entries for Give Us This Day. A former managing editor of The Catholic Worker, he has written extensively about the life and legacy of Dorothy Day, and has also edited anthologies of writings by Gandhi, Flannery O’Connor, Thich Nhat Hanh, Charles de Foucauld, and Carlo Carretto, among others.

Review:

"I read from at least one of Robert Ellsberg’s saint books every morning after my quiet sit. Now I get to read more about my own Franciscan family of saints! He is offering the world many unknown wonderful lives, inspiration from so many angles, and models of holiness in an age which no longer believes such goodness is even possible. They all tell us that it is!" —Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM., Center for Action and Contemplation, Albuquerque, New Mexico

"Finally the stories of the well-known and the unknown holy women and men of the Franciscan family are gathered together in one place! Robert Ellsberg does an excellent job narrating the inspiring, compelling and, at times, challenging legacies of these saints for a new generation." —Daniel P. Horan, OFM, author, Dating God: Live and Love in the Way of St. Francis

"Robert Ellsberg provides us with the stories of that great cloud of witnesses who, inspired by Saint Francis, have followed the crucified and risen Lord. This volume, highly recommended, both informs the mind and nourishes the spirit." —Lawrence S. Cunningham, The University of Notre Dame

"Pope Francis has spotlighted the poor man of Assisi just as the world careens in a direction desperately in need of a Franciscan influence.  The holy witnesses highlighted in this collection contextualize the charism in other troubled times and incarnate the spirit of Clare and Francis in concrete human form. Once again, Robert Ellsberg inspires, giving a few well-worn saints a fresh coat of paint, and bringing lesser-known figures out of the shadows." —Pat Farrell, OSF; Sister of St. Francis of Dubuque, Iowa; former LCWR president, currently serving in Honduras

"Robert Ellsberg has made a great contribution to the Franciscan family, as well as Church and world, by telling the stories of outstanding men and women who followed in the footsteps of Francis of Assisi. In his clear crisp style, Ellsberg translates the lives of men and women into real life struggles of darkness, perserverance and commitment. His collation of Franciscan saints confirms that holiness is not like starched linen but emerges amidst the chaos and darkness of life when God is the center of one’s life.  Saints are not born by nature but by grace and Ellsberg’s pithy lives shows that responding to God’s invitation to love is the first step toward holiness. This is a wonderful book for those interested in the demands of Gospel life.  Francis and his followers continue to show us that where the heart lies so too lives the treasure."  —Ilia Delio, OSF, Josephine C. Connelly Endowed Chair in Theology, Villanova University

"In a very readable, popularized style Robert Ellsberg has created insightful and inspirational interpretations of a host of holy Franciscans. They reveal a consistent thread throughout: how the commitment to personal poverty of these women and men was invariably linked to solidarity with their contemporaries who were poor." — Michael Crosby, OFM, speaker and award-winning author of Finding Francis: Following Christ

About this edition

• Publisher: Franciscan Media
• Publication date: 2017
• ISBN 10: 1632531941
• ISBN 13: 9781632531940
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 256