No other religion on earth has such an ancient and continuous tradition of selecting so many regular human beings for veneration and glorification. That is because Christianity is unique: we have the Incarnate Word, God made Man, as our King and Redeemer, and in following Him to the full, we not only become like Him, we also participate in His Nature. To be a saint, then, is to partake of things Divine, to become one with God, in a certain sense. That is why we venerate the relics and pray to the saints. It has often been remarked that, although He is the great Teacher, to emphasize only this about Christ is to neglect His Divinity. In a similar way, the Saints teach us the way to heaven and are our teachers. But they are not just that; rather, they are our intercessors, our helpers, our friends—our brothers and sisters.

In Little Lives of the Great Saints, you will find short passages detailing the lives of 33 of the greatest saints in the history of the Church—Mary, St. Peter, St. Agnes, St. Basil, St. Bridget, St. Teresa, and more—all the way from the Birth of Christ through the 18th century. Let these holy men and women, a small selection of the true champions of Christ's religion, inspire and guide you, as well as intercede and help you.

John O'Kane Murray was an Irish-born layman of the 19th century. After studying at Fordham University and becoming a doctor, he became an author, writing on Church history, hagiography, English and Irish letters, and other topics. His books include a Popular History of the Catholic Church in the United States, Prose and Poetry of Ireland, and Lessons in English Literature. He died in 1885 at age 37.