Booklet: Saints of North America

Saints of North America, by Jean Olwen Maynard, CTS Publications.

St Therese of Lisieux who is one of the great lights of our modern world would be thrilled with this 'North American ' story. The people described here are living examples of her 'little way'. Or to put it another way, her spirituality was a reality in their lives. For them as for Therese, God was not a set of rules or definitions but Infinite Love present at every moment of their existence. A response of love is what mattered.

Those of us who grew up during or after 1939 remember austerity and one of our ways of escape was the cinema. If we had three pence of four pence it would get us in and we would encounter John Wane and the US cavalry or the Canadian Royal Police (The Mounties) as we called them. We took our saints from Europe as was to be expected for the time. We had lots of cowboys and Indians but we never knew of ' St Kateri Tekakwitha ' better know as 'Lily of the Mohawks'. What faith. What love. What a story.

I suppose my favourite among all the favourites of this this work is the 'Venerable Henriette Delille' .

That is simply because of my own interest in Evangelisation and Catechetical instruction. Much needed in our world today since there is such an ignorance of Christ. Henriette gave up everything - wealth, privilege, comfort, in order to make Christ know and loved. On of her works was to instruct for Baptism slaves on a nearby plantation. In 1863 she wrote a wish, a desire for God in the flypage of her prayer book.." I believe in God. I hope in God. I love. I want to live and die for God ." She died at the age of 49 and it is said she was worn out through her work for the poorest of the people. What a life..What a story.