Modern Saints and Blesseds of the Catholic Church Volume 2

For 2,000 years, men and women have been following Christ. Since 1900, the Catholic Church has recognized over 650 of them as Saints and many others had been Beatified. Most of these canonizations and beatifications were done during the Pontificate of Pope St. John Paul II. Here are the stories of some of those canonized and beatified since 1900. Saints serve as role models for living the Gospel and following in the example of Christ. They come from all walks of life, time periods and nationalities since the time of Christ. With such a geographic, spatial and cultural diversity, one can see the innumerable ways in which Christ's message of faith and love can be lived under a wide diversity of circumstances. In Volume 2 of Modern Saints and Blesseds of the Catholic Church are short biographies about forty-five extraordinarily holy men and women who devoted their lives to serving the Thrice-Holy God, the Catholic Church and humanity. Forty-three of them have been declared Saints while the remaining twenty-two are still under evaluation for that honor. They represent a broad diversity of historical eras, cultures and ethnicities. Their common bond, however, is love and faith. Each has taken the Gospel message of Our Savior and put it into practice for the betterment of our world. Many of these men and women you will recognize as they have become a familiar part of the Catholic faith. These include Saint Pope Paul VI, St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, St. Frances Cabrini, St. John Henry Newman and Blessed Michael J. McGivney. Others like St. Dulce Lopes Pontes, Blessed Rupert Mayer, St. Marguerite Bays and St. Bartholomew of Braga lived no less holy lives but have not received widespread attention. Volume 2 includes Popes, Bishops, martyrs, priests, religious sisters, and lay people such as Blessed Carlo Acutis, who was just beatified in October 2020. Volume 2 even includes two Protestant martyrs (Pastor Dietrich Bonhoeffer and Pastor Karl Stellbrink) who in service to Christianity and in opposition to the evils of Nazism. Each in their own way presents an inspiring example of faith in Christ lived.