Book Notes: Radical Saints, 21 Women for the 21st Century

Looking for feminine role models who embody our faith? Pam Spano recommends Melanie Rigney's new book about saints.

When we think of “radical” women, we might conjure up images of screaming women with pink hats waving signs with political slogans. Or female talk show hosts, angry at a guest they don’t agree with.

The use of the word radical has changed over the years and so has its meaning. After you read Melanie Rigney’s new book, Radical Saints: 21 Women for the 21st Century, you’ll never associate the word radical with the pink-hatted, angry women again.

Melanie Rigney has gathered together 21 radical women who through their Catholic faith changed the world around them (and in my opinion, still do through their intercession).

Each chapter starts with “The Basics.” Where and when the saint was born and died, their radical gift, their world, their radical path to holiness and their wisdom.

The next section discusses “Living Radically Today,” which conveys an example of how we can emulate that saint.

“Radical Thoughts” provides Bible verses and journaling questions to consider with a section of resources to follow up on. There’s also a short prayer to ask the intercession of that particular saint.

Some of the saints, such as Gianna Beretta Molla, Katherine Drexel, Josephine Bakhita, and Maria Faustina Kowlaska, I was familiar with. The others were a pleasant surprise, as I had never heard of them. And that’s what I love about Melanie’s writing. There are always surprises as in the newly canonized list in the appendix!

Radical Saints

This is the book you gift to the young Catholic woman, looking for role models who embody our faith. This is the book you give to the life-long Catholic woman, because as I said, there will be surprises. This is the book you give to the newly converted Catholic woman to open up the possibilities of her new found faith.

Finally, this is the book you give to yourself because this is the book you will reach for when our world seems to have gone mad and you wonder what you can actually do about it.

I have to admit a bit of a bias toward Melanie and her work. We met several years ago and she gifted me a copy of her Sisterhood of the Saints, a book I cherish to this day. She is a supportive, wonderful long-distance friend as well as a talented author.