The Franciscan Saints

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.

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.