Saints of the Roman Calendar

Since the choice of heroes, models and leaders can have a lasting effect on the development of one's personality and life, the Church has always placed before the eyes of the faithful the example of holiness set by the saints. In the first Preface of the Mass for Holy Men and Women we read: "In their lives on earth you give us an example. In our communion with them you give us their friendship. In their prayer for the Church you give us strength and protection." Moreover, as the Second Vatican Council put it, "every act of love offered by us to those who are in heaven tends to and terminates in Christ, 'the crown of all the saints,' and through him in God who is wonderful in his saints and is glorified in them." This book, then, should be a welcome addition to the ever increasing number of volumes that treat of the lives of the saints. With the addition of feast days proper to the United States, it is offered to the English-speaking public in the hope that is will foster greater devotion to the saintly men and women who are not only historical figures worthy of our veneration but models worthy of our imitation.