BIS Reads // Saints Around the World

I have a dear friend who is a master when it comes to liturgical living. She is creative and intentional and I'm convinced that crafting is her charism. I am so thankful for her because, not only is it a joy to witness someone using their God-given gifts for His Kingdom, I also get to steal her wonderful ideas.

Because, as it stands, crafting is not my charism, but I love celebrating the liturgical year. It is especially important to me to weave the life and calendar of the Church into our family culture. I want my children to grow up with the church's rhythm as their constant, and I think that part of that is celebrating the liturgical year. My personal favorite way to do this is to live liturgically through the lives of the Saints. Their diverse histories, customs, and abiding devotion to Jesus and the Church all drew me in. Their witness inspires my desire to be like them in holiness, ever loving the Lord more and more.

A Massive Family

One of my favorite things about the Communion of Saints is how different everyone is. The Catholic Church is truly universal in all her ways. The Church is for everyone and every place, for every background and every experience. We are blessed, as Catholics, to have such a large family who loves us and prays for us. No matter our particular life circumstances, there is a Saint in the family who has been through similar and come out holier for it. What a gift.

Saints Around the World

Wanting to pass on this love of the Saints to my children, I've gathered various resources on the lives of the Saints over the years, but none have I loved so much as the new book from Meg Hunter-Kilmer, Saints Around the World. This gorgeous hardcover book holds over 200 pages of stories about Saints.

The books highlights some Saints that are already beloved by many Catholics and many Saints who will be introduced to many of us for the first time.

We have been using this book as a part of our homeschool mornings and, truly, it has been so much fun. We have learned so much about our brothers and sisters in Christ, and I cannot wait to continue using this book throughout the years to not only teach my children but myself.

What I Love

There is a lot to be loved in this book. Here are some of my favorite aspects:

• The illustrations: I am a big fan of Lindsey's work with Almond Rod Toys, so I was thrilled when I saw that she was the illustrator. The illustrations are warm and engaging. Under each illustration of each saint, you will find a description of the various elements, why they're included, and what it tells us about the Saint.
• The format // For each Saint, you will find their feast day, when they lived, and how to pronounce their name.
• The maps: You will also see a map of the world with a star located where that Saint lived. This has sparked many conversations with my kids about culture and geography and it has been a blast.
• Finally, the stories of the Saints found in this book showcase their extraordinary holiness in the midst of their ordinary lives. The Saints are presented in their authentic imperfections and their inspiring perseverance in love and service of God.

A Book for Children and Adults

As much as I love having this book for my children, I equally have loved having it for myself. It's been a blessing to our days, and if you have not yet gotten a copy for yourself, please do so!

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About Olivia Spears

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Olivia Spears lives in Kentucky, where sweet tea and bourbon flow like milk and honey. She holds degrees in Theology and Catechetics from the Franciscan University of Steubenville and works from home while enjoying her children and husband. She curates relevant and inspiring content for Catholic women as Blog Manager. She is the narrator of Set a Fire, And Hay Became Holy, and All She Had as well as a contributing author for Rise Up. Find out more about her here.