My Life With the Saints

By: James Martin SJ

Narrated by: James Martin SJ

Be inspired by saints like never before in My Life with the Saints by James Martin, SJ. This best-selling memoir of spiritual self-discovery is an homage to the saints who have accompanied Fr. Martin throughout his life. From a lukewarm childhood Catholicism, to the Wharton School of Business, to the executive fast track at General Electric, to the Jesuits, to a media career in Manhattan, Martin has relied on the saints to intervene in and guide his life.

As Martin shares with us his many surprising encounters and journeys with the saints, he convincingly explains how we, too, can be close friends with the saints.

©2006 James Martin, SJ (P)2009 St. Anthony Messenger Press

Critic reviews

"Martin, a Jesuit priest and associate editor of America magazine, takes a splendid idea and develops it masterfully by weaving stories from his life into those of his favorite saints." ( Publishers Weekly)

"It is one thing to read the lives of the saints, quite another to hear about somebody who lives with the saints, who thinks about, researches, and calls upon certain saints regularly. Such a person is, today, a rarity. Such a person is GE-exec-turned-Jesuit Martin, associate editor of the national Catholic weekly America, who details his introduction to and relationship with more than a dozen of his favorite haloed heroes in this book." ( Booklist)

I really like this author, and am a fan of saints.

What made the experience of listening to My Life With the Saints the most enjoyable?

There's a certain charm in the blending of personal narrative and saintly biography that I find delightful. I enjoy people who are comfortable talking about themselves--not in the narcissistic way, but in the "I've done some reflecting on my life and would like to share it with you" way. Father Martin has that quality, and this is a good example of how he mixes himself with this subject.

What did you like best about this story?

The stories of the saints themselves, particularly those I didn't know much about, including the African martyrs.

easy listening hagiography

I was so excited to see St Anthony Messenger Press titles added to Audible that I quickly used up all my accumulated credits on several. In fact, I misread the title of this and thought it was a memoir of contemporary life in the Jesuits.

After my inital disappointment, it turned out to be easy listening stories of Saints, mostly from a fresh perspective -- a vehicle for Martin's tale of his spiritual pilgrmage ---which of course did eventually involve Jesuits, but much more also.

An inspiring approach to the life of the saints

While telling the life of the saints James Martins inspires us to ask for our own sanctuality.

One of my Favorites

My Life With the Saints is a special audiobook for me. I was first given the book by a friend at Church and was really hoping to find it in audio format and when I did I was very happy. I listen to parts of this audiobook almost every night.

James Martin is a Jesuit Priest and a wonderful storyteller. I especially like that he narrated his own book. That makes it all the more better. This has been a helpful audiobook for me at all times and I would definitely recommend the audio version for those who haven't heard or read his books before.

A real joy in my life.

Will expand your reading list

An excellent overview of the life of various saints and why they matter. Written as a personal memoir, but also highly relatable. I find myself adding several full biographies to my reading list based on these intriguing overviews

Life changing!

A moving book wonderfully narrated by Father Martin. Fantastic in every sense. Thank you Father Martin for sharing your experiences!

Great detail. Good summation

Loved hearing the good, bad and ugly sides of the daints. Fr Martin humanized then while still upholding their faith and determination to live in God's love. I could actually imagine the scen3s he described and his emotions of anger, hope, humor, humility and serenity.

For those of you thinking of quitting a few chapters in... please don't. Fr Martin's ministry in jail was hysterical.... "Hail mary, hail Mary, hail Mary." I almost spit out my coffee. Thanks Fr Martin you have done a great job.

A Truly Thought Provoking Book

Father Martin does a wonderful job of putting the reader in the journey of the Saint. It was easy to picture each Saint as he described their journey. In addition, I appreciated the way Father Martin incorporated his own story as he was learning about the Saints.

A great book for anyone of faith who tries to love more and be the person God made them to be.

I recently used this book on my retreat. It is a great book for both lay and religious alike. Fr. Martin is also very honest with his own struggles and the human condition. It gives one hope for one’s own life and helps one to seek a path forward, walking more closely with God. This book is so accessible and filled with everyday language. I used the audiobook and it was a phenomenal way to walk and pray. This is definitely a five star plus book.

Personable and Informative

I loved this book because not only do you learn a lot about many saints, the author weaves them into his own autobiographical sketch. He highlights the saints meaning to him during a partcular time in his life. His story is also a testament to the energetic and interesting life a Jesuit leads. This book would be great for everyone, but especially good for someone considering the priesthood or religious life.