A Note from the Author

I never did love the saints.

Because I never knew them.

Oh, I could tell you the patron saint of athletes or musicians. But the saints I knew were dull outlines of immaculate lives, saccharine plaster images gazing vapidly heavenward.

And I tried to be holy like that; I really did.

But God made me passionate and intense, and the more I tried to become sweet and mild, the more I felt I would never be anything but wrong. Eventually I heard about St. Teresa of Avila, contented myself that there was at least one fiery female saint, and moved on.

But then I stumbled across a book that told the stories of the saints—not just the dates, accomplishments, and implausible encounters with mythical beasts but also the sorrow, struggle, and idiosyncrasies.

Suddenly I realized that these were real people, broken people made whole by grace, and that far from being the impossible standard I’d thought they represented, they offered nothing but hope.

This is a book of stories, not an encyclopedia. Feel free to start at page 1 and keep reading to the end, skim the table of contents for stories that jump out at you, or turn to the back, where you’ll find the indices. Then again, maybe just say a little prayer and flip and point to see if the Holy Spirit has a new saintly friend to offer you.

–Meg Hunter-Kilmer

 

“The Saint book for the rest of us who have failed more times than we care to admit.” --Fr. Agustino Torres, C.F.R., founder of Corazon Puro

“What a diverse collection of captivating stories, so well told and so invigorating! These are not dull, saccharine accounts, stringing together bare facts and dates as most saint collections do. This book is like fiery magma, lively and flowing with verve. Meg Hunter-Kilmer’s stories of relatively unknown saints will make your heart come alive, beating with new possibilities. Get this book for any person who thinks saints are boring and irrelevant.” --Brandon Vogt, senior content director at Word on Fire Catholic Ministries

“Pray for Us is a fresh take on holiness. Meg Hunter-Kilmer’s vignettes reveal the humorous and relatable aspects of holy Catholics from all over the globe—lay people as well as clergy and religious.” --Gloria Purvis, Catholic speaker, podcaster, and radio host

“With passion, captivating storytelling, and compelling insights, Hunter-Kilmer has provided a force of a resource to help tell the stories of the saints, the ones we know well and the ones we should take the time to meet.” --Katie Prejean McGrady, SiriusXM Radio host and host of the Ave Explores Podcast

Meg Hunter-Kilmer is a Catholic speaker, author, retreat leader, and itinerant missionary whose work appears regularly on Aleteia and on her blog, Held by His Pierced Hands.

Hunter-Kilmer is the author of Saints Around the World. She has written for Magnificat, Our Sunday Visitor, The Catechetical Review, and Take Up and Read. She has appeared on a variety of Catholic media, including CatholicTV, SiriusXM’s The Catholic Channel, Relevant Radio, and Ave Maria Radio.

Hunter-Kilmer earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees at the University of Notre Dame. She previously served as a teacher, youth minister, and campus minister.