Catholic Legends

A lot of ink has been spilled covering the lives of history's most influential figures, but how much of the forest is lost for the trees? In Charles River Editors' Catholic Legends series, readers can get caught up to speed on the lives of the Church's most important men and women in the time it takes to finish a commute, while learning interesting facts long forgotten or never known. For the last few decades of the 20th century, the Catholic Church was blessed to have two of its most influential leaders guiding the Church and spreading its faith and message at the same time. Pope John Paul II made history by becoming the first non-Italian pope in several centuries, guiding the church for over 25 years. But while he led the Church, a remarkable woman born Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu (1910-1997) became one of the Church's greatest missionaries and humanitarians. She would come to be known to the world as Mother Teresa. It would be nearly impossible to overstate the impact Mother Teresa had on the Catholic Church and the world during her life. In addition to founding the Missionaries of Charity, a sisterhood of Roman Catholics that now operates in over 125 countries and has over 4,500 sisters, Mother Teresa spent nearly half a century spreading her religious congregation across the world, while using it to help the sick and poor. Through her direct participation and planning, she opened hundreds of missions, providing essential services that ranged from hospices to schools, and from orphanages to soup kitchens. Her work won her a Nobel Peace Prize in 1979, and Mother Teresa was consistently ranked among the world's most admired people for the last 20 years of her life. Shortly after her death in 1997, the beatification process for Mother Teresa was begun, and in 2003 she was beatified as Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcultta. While her work, life and legacy has become the stuff of legends, behind it all was a complex woman who occasionally questioned her own faith and was a target for several critics. Catholic Legends: The Life and Legacy of Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta looks at Mother Teresa's life and legacy, but it also humanizes this woman of the world, who gave everything she could to help as many people as possible. Along with pictures of other important people, places and events in her life, you will learn about Mother Teresa like you never have before, in no time at all.

"Pray, hope, and don't worry. Worry is useless. God is merciful and will hear your prayer." - Padre Pio A lot of ink has been spilled covering the lives of history's most influential figures, but how much of the forest is lost for the trees? In Charles River Editors' Catholic Legends series, readers can get caught up to speed on the lives of the Church's most important men and women in the time it takes to finish a commute, while learning interesting facts long forgotten or never known. Francesco Forgione might be a name lost to history, but over the course of his life, he became one of Catholicism's most well known figures during the 20th century as Padre Pio. It was a remarkable path for a man who was legendarily afflicted by a series of illnesses and most famously bore the stigmata, very noticeably bearing what appeared to be the crucifixion wounds Jesus's hands suffered. Padre Pio was also known for his eccentricities, including unique forms of deep meditation and experiencing visions. Not surprisingly, despite all the spiritual work Padre Pio did, he was the subject of substantial controversy during his own life. And though he has been venerated as Saint Pio of Pietrelcina by the Catholic Church, critics have all but called him a fraud. Catholic Legends: The Life and Legacy of Padre Pio details the remarkable life Padre Pio lived while covering the controversies that continue to resonate today. Along with pictures of Pio and other important people, places and events in his life, you will learn about Padre Pio like you never have before, in no time at all.