Pray for Us: 75 Saints Who Sinned, Suffered, and Struggled on their Way to Holiness

by Meg Hunter Kilmer, Ave Maria Press

Review by Maureen Schafer

I love saints, but sometimes reading the typical “saint of the day” story leaves something to be desired. Most of the stories begin with “Saint So-and-so was born to a noble family”, or “Saint So-and-so was born to a pious family.” It leaves me wondering if any saints were born to any other type of family. What about a simple family like mine, or a broken family or a family that has dealt with addiction? Is there room in the community of saints for people from families like that?

Meg Hunter-Kilmer’s book, Pray for Us, answered that question for me. The subtitle, 75 Saints Who Sinned, Suffered, and Struggled on Their Way to Holiness, drew me in right away. I began reading with the goal of covering one saint per day, but it did not take long for me to be drawn into each saint’s story and to find myself reading about saint after saint before putting the book down.

Meg shares with the reader, saints from all over the world who were tenacious, or who came from broken families, or who suffered well, or who were generous, or who had sinful pasts. I could relate to each story in some way and as I read, I felt a great sense of joy, peace, and gratitude for the witness of the saints.

If you long to find a saint with a story like yours, I highly recommend Pray for Us. You might just find a new spiritual friend to help you on your journey with Jesus Christ.