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Religion Elementary

Saint Philip of the Joyous Heart

Author(s): 
Francis X. Connolly
Subject(s): 
Biographies
Saints
Setting: 
16th century
Grade / Age level: 
Grades 3-5
Grades 6-8
Copyright: 
1957
Review: 

The lovely story of the 16th century priest and saint of Rome whose joy brought many away from the evils of the day. He patiently bore a great deal of emotional persecution from some fellow priests, but eventually won his tormentors over to the love of Christ. Many insights into the meaning of a vocation and how to spread the joy of Christ.

Publisher: 
Ignatius Press
Series: 
Vision
Binding: 
Sewn Softcover
Perspective: 
Catholic
Number of pages: 
168 pages
Review Date: 
4-26-01
Reviewed by: 
Alicia Van Hecke
TitleSort: 
Saint Philip of the Joyous Heart

Saints of the Church

Book cover: 'Saints of the Church'
Author(s): 
Michael G. Allen
Subject(s): 
Saints
Grade / Age level: 
Grades 3-5
Grades 6-8
Resource Type: 
General Resource
Copyright: 
2000
Review: 

This book is a companion to the Vision series of saint's biographies (also published by Ignatius Press). It is a wonderful help to extending the biographies into a full-blown unit study, if you wish, or just to help enrich the reading. For each of the 17 books covered in Saints of the Church , the author includes:

  • an overview of the book
  • vocabulary lists broken out by chapter
  • quotations from the books called "Language in Context" that develop comprehension and illustrate various literary devices
  • Time Line information
  • Outline Map information
  • Numerous topics for written reports on various levels
  • Biographical sketches of other famous people in the book
  • "Turning to Scripture and Catechism" which requires looking up various verses or topics in the Bible and the Catechism; this is done to "make connections between the saint's life and the living tradition of the Catholic Church."
  • Discussion questions

This is a wonderful, well-organized, and thorough guide to really getting the most out of the Vision books...likely just the kind of thing we would do on our own if we had the time.

Publisher: 
Ignatius Press
Series: 
Vision
Binding: 
Softcover
Perspective: 
Catholic
Number of pages: 
184 pages
Review Date: 
1999
Reviewed by: 
Susan Kalis
TitleSort: 
Saints of the Church

St. Therese and the Roses

Book cover: 'St. Therese and the Roses'
Author(s): 
Helen Walker Homan
Subject(s): 
Biographies
Saints
Setting: 
19th century
Grade / Age level: 
Grades 3-5
Grades 6-8
Copyright: 
1955
Review: 

Therese Martin (1873 - 1897) was the youngest of five girls growing up in a devout Catholic family in France in the late nineteenth century. We all know how, in just over one hundred years she has become one of the most beloved Saints in the Church and has recently been named "Doctor of the Church" by Pope John Paul II. This is the delightful and moving story of a little girl who became a great saint; of five sisters who were all called to religious vocations. The story focuses on her family life and the little details that make an interesting story and when added together make sense out of who she was. Although the Vision Series was intended for ages nine to fifteen, this story is one of my six year old daughter's favorites (we've had to read it aloud twice so far). It is an excellent read-aloud book for the whole family, which allows moms (and dads too) to benefit from the story and become more acquainted with Saint Therese's Little Way.

Publisher: 
Ignatius Press
Series: 
Vision
Binding: 
Sewn Softcover
Perspective: 
Catholic
Number of pages: 
149 pages
Review Date: 
11-16-99
Sample Pages
Reviewed by: 
Alicia Van Hecke
TitleSort: 
St. Therese and the Roses

The Cure of Ars

The Priest Who Outtalked the Devil
Book cover: 'The Cure of Ars: The Priest Who Outtalked the Devil'
Author(s): 
Milton Lomask
Subject(s): 
Biographies
Saints
Setting: 
19th century
Grade / Age level: 
Grades 6-8
Elementary
Copyright: 
1958
Review: 

This is a quicker and slightly easier read than the title by Mary Fabyan Windeatt. It lacks the richness of explanations about the priesthood, but I thought that it portrayed St. John Vianney's humility and simplicity a little more clearly. It's also clearly written to be interesting even to those who are not accustomed to reading saint stories, so there is more emphasis on exciting events, such as when John Vianney, as a young boy, helped to hide a hunted priest from the authorities.

Publisher: 
Ignatius Press
Series: 
Vision
Binding: 
Sewn Softcover
Perspective: 
Catholic
Number of pages: 
190 pages
Review Date: 
3-7-01
Sample Pages
Reviewed by: 
Alicia Van Hecke
TitleSort: 
Cure of Ars