Seven Saints for Seven Virtues
I have written before about my current method of morning prayer. I ask several saints for their intercession throughout the day, ending with the Blessed Virgin Mary. My list of saintly friends has grown over the years, including the patron saints and guardian angels of everyone in our family, the Carmelite saints, and others to whom I have a devotion.
Lately, I have added three new saints to my list. I pray to Blessed Teresa of Calcutta to help me grow in charity, St. Agnes to make me pure in body, word, and thought, and Pope St. John Paul II for diligence. Why these three saints and these three virtues? I have fellow blogger and author Jean Heimann to thank.
Jean has just published a book called Seven Saints for Seven Virtues (Servant Books). She asked if I would participate in her book blog tour, which goes all week.
Inspiring and practical
My readers know I love practical spirituality. Jean tells the story of seven saints in brief, and then gives a modern example of someone who exemplifies the virtue each saint is known for. Best of all, she gives several detailed suggestions on how readers can grow in that virtue. She encourages readers to pray for the saints’ intercession, including prayers from their canonizations when available.
Besides the three saints I already mentioned, Jean suggests these saints for specific virtues:
- St. Joseph – humility
- St. Catherine of Siena – kindness
- St. Monica – patience
- St. Augustine – temperance
All of these except Monica were already friends of mine.
As I help my boys to grow in virtue, I am looking for saints to be role models for each of them. While I will not be handing Jean’s book to them any time soon (it discusses several adult topics), it has given me more ideas of saints to research with them.
The beauty of Seven Saints for Seven Virtues is its value for everyone, no matter where we are on our walk with God. Who couldn’t use more intercessors and role models? Jean gives us seven, and at least one of them is sure to speak to a weakness that we need to overcome.
Would you like to win a copy of this book? Jean has offered two copies for readers of Contemplative Homeschool. Enter below.
Connie Rossini
Please note: Contemplative Homeschool is now a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com.
St. Bakhita is one of my favorites. She had a beautiful spirit of joy and remembering her helps me to be cheerful whether my circumstances are easy/pleasing or difficult/challenging.
My favorite saint is Blessed Alexandrina . I love the way she accepted God’s will and always worked in whatever her circumstances to please God.
I have ‘found’ Edith Stein and she has been my focus this year as well as the Holy Spirit. 🙂
My favorite saint is St. Therese of Liseuix. I love her “Little Way of Spiritual Childhood” and her example of trusting God in all the circumstances of her life.
Nice to hear that I have good company with morning prayers! I’m a member of the Apostleship of Prayer so I make a morning offering as soon as I wake each day. And each morning I also ask for the intercession of several saints: St. Therese (my Confirmation saint), St. John the Evangelist, St. John of the Cross (my birthday saint), St. Catherine (my name saint), Our Lady of the Rosary (my patron saint for 2013) and St. Louis de Montfort (my parish priest’s patron saint for 2013). I love the association mentioned in this post of other saints to virtues that I could use help with. Will add them to by morning offering too!
One of my favorites is St. Thomas More. He was a good family man, husband, father and lay person who defended the sacrament of marriage. We need his intercession and example today.
My confirmation Saint is St. Therese Lisiuex. My grandmother introduced me to the Little Flower and her novena as a young girl and I have admired and looked up to her ever since. Her vocation to love has inspired me to live a vocation of love as well. Seven years later I ended up opening my own flower shop. (The Little Flower in honor of St. therese. She is now the patron Saint of myself and my little business) How convenient that St. Therese is the patron Saint for florists! St. Francis de Sales has been a favorite of mine as I am very fond of his positive spirituality. Blessed Pope John Paull II, St. Augustine and St. Thomas Aquinas are also some of my favorites!
Connie,
Thank you for your wonderful review of Seven Saints for Seven Virtues and for your graciousness in hosting the blog tour today! God bless you!
You’re welcome, Jean! Happy to help you spread the Gospel.
Blessed Francis Xavier Seelos. He was known as the “Cheerful Ascetic,” and I like saints who smiled!
It is sooo hard to name just one heavenly intercessor! St. Therese of Lisieux is always a favorite because her Little Way is such an inspiration. I like my patron saint, St. Catherine of Alexandria, because of her fortitude and intelligence. Blessed Josefa Naval Girbés is a wonderful example of how to live the Carmelite life as a laywoman, and I have become fond of Blessed Miriam Teresa Demjanovich because of how she crossed boundaries between Eastern and Western Christian spirituality in a distinctly American key.
Katheryn, I’ve never heard of those last two. I’ll have to look them up.
I have the hardest time with prayer throughout the day, and I love the idea of walking with our intercessors! I’ll admit, I am still seeking my intercessor… although St. Monica has been on my heart for years.
St. Gemma Galgani has become a new friend of mine. I injured my lower back recently and she has quickly been such a friend walking with me through all of this. And, continually popping up in places I never thought she would. The saints are such a gift! And, love the idea of this book it sounds wonderful! Thanks for the chance to win it!
I am the caregiver for my husband who has Parkinson’s and dementia. I recently found out St. John is the patron of caregivers. St. John comforted the Blessed Virgin Mary at the foot of the cross. I am adding him to my intercessions with my morning prayer.
St. Anthony is one of my favorite saints. Even I was lost. Of course, that is not all that he is good for.
And through the intercession of St. Bridget, and my father’s prayers to her for his children, I was once given a great supernatural grace. But, I must always mention the graces and friendship of The Little Flower. Heaven has showered more roses on me than I can count.
I am trying to practice the opposing virtue of the ones I find most difficult in others via Edith Stein’s advice. This book might be really helpful.
[…] Seven Saints for Seven Virtues I have written before about my current method of morning prayer. I ask several saints for their intercession throughout the day, ending with the Blessed Virgin Mary. […]
[…] Rossini shares her own personal litany to the saints in her article “Are you making a daily morning offering?” and then follows up with “Making friends with the saints” where she also […]