Books about male saints, Fathers & Husbands

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OhFamilyMan

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I was listening to a radio show or podcast the other day, one of the contributors suggested that as men we should study those Saints that were Fathers and Husbands. That these men would be our best examples as they each became Saints during their particular existence in History. That although we face different circumstances throughout history that these men overcame their circumstances and became Saints.

The contributor suggested that we each should study the Saints that are most similar to our own lives. i.e. Woman study saints that were Wives and Mothers. Priest study those Saints who were Priest, etc.

I so far have been unable to find any resources that would help me study the Saints in this way.

Do you have any suggestions?

PAX 🙏
 
Not off the top of my head, but I certainly think that’s a good idea.
 
The field is wide open. I think the reason most books are about married or female saints is because the guys are out working so the women can write.😁

The late Joan Carroll Cruz, OCDS, wrote “Secular Saints.” I have that, plus a book about women saints, and two different books about married saints.

There are married male saints, the first two who come to mind are Sts Ignatius the Farmer (right name?) and Louis Martin. There’s a list of celibate male saints, as well.

Blessings,
Mrs Cloisters OP
Lay Dominican
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St. Joseph. The patron saint of fathers, for one. And patron of the Universal Church. I have a missal from 1957 that has several prayers to him in it—for fatherhood, for the Church and her bishops and priests, for chastity, and a workman’s prayer to him.
 
St. Peter was a husband, according to Scripture, since he had a mother-in-law.

St. Augustine was a father who tried to look put for his son, although he did not marry his son’s mother.

Quite a few male saints turned to the monastery or priesthood after the death of their wives and children. St. John the Almoner is the one who stands out in my mind.
 
There are several books about the Martin family, including the letters Sts Louis and Zelie sent each other.

Here’s a list with a couple other saints who were fathers: Redirect Notice
 
St. Thomas More was also a husband (happily married twice, as his first wife died) and father to several children. By all accounts he was a good father and educated his daughter beyond what was customary for a young girl in her day. There are numerous books about him, or you could just watch the movie “A Man For All Seasons”.
 
All great suggestions. Thank you.

I hope the Spirit leads someone to start writing a series of books that focus on Saints that were Fathers and Husbands, Mothers and Wives, Single persons, Popes, Cardinals, Priest, Deacons, Religious Brothers, Religious Sisters, etc etc.
 
I think it would be extremely helpful to just have more saints who were ordinary lay men and women, not living in monasteries, not priests or sisters, and including married couples, or at least half the married couple, who were not living by mutual agreement in celibacy.

It seems that the main ways for an ordinary family man or woman to become a canonized saint is to be either
  • a martyr
  • the parent of a saint
  • a widow or widower who then goes on to enter religious life to some degree.
There are exceptions of course, and for hundreds of years, a lot of widows would enter religious life almost like a second career after their spouse had died and the children were grown. I don’t think orders are as friendly to taking on such candidates today as they were back in St. Teresa of Avila’s day.

I would really like to see more saints who are just ordinary lay people, but they seem quite rare, probably because the process of creating a saint is costly and takes a long time, and is much more likely to succeed if there is an order or a diocese pushing for the person’s sainthood cause.
 
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