Peter Augustine of Hippo Francis of Assisi Catherine of Siena Teresa of Avila Aloysius Gonzaga Martin de Porres Elizabeth Ann Seton Katharine Drexel Thérèse of Lisieux "None of the saints were born on the pedestal to which we have relegated them. They struggled to find and persevere in their path just like the rest of us do. They faced internal weaknesses and external challenges just like we do. And at the end of the day they came through their ordeal, just like we can, just like we must."¥From the Introduction Many of us, when we think of the saints, think of people who lived lives of extreme piety, their days filled with prayer and holy acts, and at times even visions of the divine. Whoever they were, these saints can often seem beyond our grasp of understanding and appreciation. We tend to forget or remain unaware of the struggles of faith and everyday life that these people endured, struggles that we "ordinary" people can relate to. No saint lived a life of perfection, but all were able to persevere in faith, becoming our spiritual guides and models of Christian living. In Saints Off the Pedestal Amanda Roberts takes an in-depth look at the lives of ten well-known saints of the Catholic church. She makes their stories accessible so that we can find inspiration to follow their examples of holiness. She includes interesting facts about the life and times of each saint as well as questions for individual or group reflection.