Saints Behaving Badly

June 12, 2006
The stories Catholics often hear about the saints can give the impression these people emerged from the womb with halos. Craughwell, a well-respected Catholic diocesan newspaper columnist, provides the rest of the story. His semi-irreverent collection assembles 29 sinners-cum-saints from Christian history in an enjoyable and riveting account of their lives and times. The table of contents reads like a most-wanted list: thieves, embezzlers, murderers, cardsharps, and even a warmonger. Some, such as the apostle Matthew, a former tax collector, will be familiar to readers. The brief biographies of the more obscure saints, however, are often the most fascinating to read. Craughwell introduces us to intriguing figures like St. Moses the Ethiopian, a violent gang leader who embraced a life of fasting and prayer after seeking shelter with monks in the Egyptian desert in the fourth century. St. Alipius, a student of another notorious sinner, St. Augustine, was "obsessed with blood sports." Craughwell does not dilute his belief that it is only through divine grace that these women and men were able to overcome their self-centeredness and redirect their lives for a greater purpose. His tone is occasionally patronizing, but the take-home point is vital: while we are all sinners, there is always hope.

July 1, 2006
With witty prose and in a respectful manner, Craughwell ("Saints for Every Occasion") presents a masterful and entertaining review of 32 less-than-perfect saints, among them St. Olga, St. Mary of Egypt, and Thomas à Becket. Relying on a wide range of sources -including his own expertise -he writes concise and informative profiles of these holy people that chronicle their respective rises to sainthood and end with what inspired them to abandon their wicked ways. Caricatures illustrate each profile. Craughwell does not gloss over the sinful behavior of these eventual saints; rather, he presents a provocative and easily accessible account of each. In doing so, he succeeds in relaying a redemptive message to those who adhere to the Christian faith: great sinners can become great saints! Highly recommended for all libraries with an interest in this topic." - Brad S. Matthies, Butler Univ. Libs., Indianapolis"

Copyright 2006 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

September 1, 2006
Saints aren't born they're made; out of, as Craughwell's sketches of 28 of them demonstrate, oh-so-imperfect human beings, some well-known--St. Augustine, St. Patrick, St. Columba, St. Thomas Becket, St. Francis of Assisi--many others not. They include all manner of thieves (St. Dismas), bigamists (St. Fabiola), egotists (St. Ignatius of Loyola), and even the occasional Viking conqueror (St. Olaf). Craughwell provides biographical detail and, of greater interest, discussion of how particular saints have appealed to a collective sense of right and wrong and notice of how some saints have entered pop culture in modern guise (such as the St. Dismas-like hero of the movie " The Hoodlum Priest" ). The saint among these 28 whose story is the most moving is probably the Venerable Matt Talbot (1856-1925), a chronic alcoholic from Dublin who quit drinking cold turkey to pursue a truly saintly, humble life thereafter. (Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2006, American Library Association.)