What to Learn from Ancient (and modern) Saints!
The Modern Saints is a wonderful and unique book to change the way you think about saints. Gracie believes (and we agree!) that stuffy images and boring text can lead people to be uninspired by Catholic saints and lead people away from their faith.
The artist also has a website The Modern Saint, where she uses her creative skills to modernise the lives of ancient saints.
St Anastasia was born to a pagan nobleman and a Christian mother in Sirmium (an area which is now Serbia and under Roman rule at the time).
Her mother baptised her and secretly raised her as a Christian. When she was older, she married a loving husband, until he discovered that she was Christian.
He immediately changed and would chain her up, beat her and instructed servants to do the same, while he was away as ambassador to Persia. However, his boat sank and he drowned on one journey, setting Anastasia free.
In this book, Gracie paints funky images, shares their stories and also includes information on what she believes they would care about today.
You can also use the book and site to discover your most likely ‘kindred spirit’ saint, and then you know which of her affordable prayer cards to buy, with images on the front and prayers on the back, to keep with you when you need them.
- St Agnes, a wealthy beauty from Rome who after deciding she did not want to marry (but devote her life to God) was dragged through the streets and set on fire, then beheaded. Today she would likely care about domestic abuse and assault survivors.
- St Mary was a Celtic nun in Australia who got ex-communicated (only returned just before her death) because her order of nuns reported alleged sexual abuse by a priest, in the last century.
- St Basil was a Turkish priest who created soup kitchens and weeded out leaders unfit for church positions. He helped thieves and prostitutes, and built shelters, hospitals and hospices, and broke up trafficking rings. Today he would be involved in world justice.
- St Dymphna was a beautiful red-head from Ireland, whose father began to lust after her, when his wife died. When she refused to marry him, he beheaded her. She is patron saint for mental health issues.
- St Ignatius of Loyola was a Spanish saint from nobility, who found faith while recovering from a soldier’s wound, and used the rest of his life to service. He’s the saint, to use your God-given talents to help others.
- St Francis of Assisi (and his friend St Clare of Assisi) are patron saints of animal welfare. Francis was born to a wealthy family and a real party boy. He gave all his possessions away to live a simple life.
Animals stopped everything to listen to him preach. He is also patron saint of simple living and ecology. These are the saints, if you love animals more than humans (and Catholics don’t understand you!)
Gracie Morbitzer is a graduate of Columbus College of Art & Design, whose work is popular with the Catholic church, as it’s bringing back young people to the faith.
Do what really matters to you! Don’t do what you think will sell or what you think as popular. Don’t be afraid to ruffle some feathers – if everyone likes it, it is probably not honest enough to make a difference.
Being truly ourselves and working authentically (while sharing our art) is how we make a different in the world. Gracie
How Ordinary People Can Become Saints
Room for Good Things to Run Wild is an interesting and unique book. If you feel that your faith has been reduced to a boring list of ‘should’ advice from preachers who are as bored by what they preach to you listening, then this is an anti-dote.
After spending too many days feeling bored and depressed, this author was disillusioned by both his faith and the world around him. So instead of ‘giving up on faith’, he chose to explore the real life and mission of Jesus, and the ‘saints of old’.
Accompanied by original illustrations and living liturgy, this book travels the Jesus Way, from Canada to England, and from Ireland to Spain.
Rediscover the wild world that God created for you, in order for you to experience it. Not to listen to a hate-filled preacher, but to discover the beauty of the natural world, the amazing wonder of a polar bear or a purring cat or the leaves of the trees.
Awaken your soul to the real faith, whatever you believe.
Author Josh Nadeau is an artist and writer from Canada’s west coast. His art and words are invitations to imagine the holy ordinary of everyday life, under the beauty of Jesus. He has a Master’s in Theological Studies, an undergraduate in physics, and a doctorate from the ‘school of hard knocks’.
He has his Undergrad in Physics, a Master’s in Theological Studies, and a doctorate from the School of Hard Knocks. He is a husband to Aislinn and a father to Ransom. He spends his days reading, writing, bouldering, and trying to enjoy every good and perfect Gift.
This video from Josh explains why he would use addictions to cope with life, and finally wanted ‘the big sleep’ until he found a way of communing with Jesus in a more hopeful way.
There is Hope to Be a Saint!
If you think that your life up till now has been less than saintly, remember that many people in history did not start out as saints!
Perhaps the most well-known convert from sinner to saint was Blessed Bartolo Longo, who was born in southern Italy. While studying law in Naples, he joined up with ex-priests to oppose the Pope and church, eventually moving from the occult world to become a satanist (promising his soul to a demon).
His family sent a Catholic professor to convince him to see a Dominican priest, and after 3 weeks of talks, he went to confession and became a third-order Dominican himself. He built a shrine in Pompeii, founded orphanages (and a school to give children of criminals a better life).
And it was from his writings that the name ‘Luminous Mysteries’ was given to The Rosary (a prayer used by Catholics using beads). He was beatified as a saint in 1980.
Saint Francis of Assisi (the patron saint of animal welfare, ecology and simple living) was a real party boy! Born in a wealthy family in Italy, he only gave away his possessions and became a saint later on life. It was said that birds would listen to his word, and fish would leap up from the sea, to hear him preach!
St Alban (the town in Hertfordshire is named after him) was a pagan, who was so impressed by a priest that he sheltered, that he converted himself. The first-ever Christian martyr, he was killed for his faith.
