
We're thrilled to announce our Fall 2025 Book Club selection: Real Moms of Real Saints by Colleen Pressprich! Plan to join our Book Club this October.
Our Fall 2025 Book Club selection is dear to our hearts! In Real Moms of Real Saints, Colleen Pressprich gets real about every mom's need for a tribe: a community of other women whose bonds of trust run deeper than simple friendship. We need that tribe here on earth, but sometimes we forget about our heavenly tribe! We can draw on the loving motherly examples of women who were moms of saints (and saints-to-be) as diverse as Saint John Bosco, Saint Pio of Pietrelcina (Padre Pio), Saint Thérèse of Lisieux, and Blessed Stanley Rother, among others.
In her endorsement of this book, Catholic Mom Book Club host Allison Gingras notes,
Colleen astutely observes that a Catholic parent’s ultimate goal is guiding their children to heaven. These remarkable mothers provide tangible evidence that this noble aspiration is indeed attainable. Their stories inspire hope, demonstrating that through God’s grace, ordinary individuals can raise children of extraordinary virtue.
You Don't Have to Be the Perfect Mom
Again and again in Real Moms of Real Saints, Colleen emphasizes that we don't have to be perfect, and neither do our kids. Sometimes the stories of the saints (and their family members) paint a pretty picture we don't feel we can live up to. But Colleen has done the research: These moms faced challenges and complicated, messy moments — just as we do. Colleen comments,
In recognizing their flaws, it is somehow easier to accept my own. In seeing where they have triumphed and held faith, I recognize that it is possible for me to do the same. These are women who give me hope, in their faithfulness and in their brokenness, in their successes as well as in their failures.
When Does the Book Club Meet?
Join us at 1:30 PM Eastern on Thursdays in October beginning October 16! Our own Allison Gingras will host the three Book Club sessions on both Facebook and YouTube. You can choose to watch the sessions live — or view them later, at your leisure. We'll post these the following week on CatholicMom.com and also share audio versions of these discussions on future episodes of the Catholic Momcast.
Mark your calendar with these Book Club dates:
- Thursday, October 16
- Thursday, October 23
- Thursday, October 30
All Book Club sessions begin at 1:30 PM Eastern.
Each week, we'll email our Book Club members a recap of the weekly session, including a link to the video. Sign up below to stay connected and get all our Book Club news:
Where Can I Order a Copy of This Book?
Our friends at Pauline Books & Media are offering Catholic Mom readers a special discount on Real Moms of Real Saints! Use coupon code realmoms15 at checkout to save 15% off the cover price of this book. This coupon is good through November 20, 2025.
Where Can I Get Resources to Host my Own Book Club?
Share your thoughts with the Catholic Mom community! You'll find the comment box below the author's bio and list of recommended articles.
Copyright 2025 Barb Szyszkiewicz
Images courtesy of Pauline Books & Media, all rights reserved.
About the Author

Barb Szyszkiewicz
Barb Szyszkiewicz, senior editor at CatholicMom.com, is a wife, mom of 3 young adults, and a Secular Franciscan. Barb enjoys writing, cooking, and reading, and is a music minister at her parish. Find her blog at FranciscanMom and her family’s favorite recipes with nutrition information at Cook and Count. Barb is the author of The Handy Little Guide to Prayer and The Handy Little Guide to the Liturgy of the Hours, available from Our Sunday Visitor.
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