Ordinary People, Heroic Faith

Why We Need Modern Examples of Holiness

We all have our favorite saints. Many of them are probably depicted in stained glass, serene and unbothered, hands folded in prayer, eyes cast toward heaven. Their stories are beautiful, and their holiness is inspiring.

But sometimes, when you’re standing in the middle of a kitchen covered in school projects, laundry piles, and the "ping" of a hundred work emails, those stories can feel a bit... distant.

I don’t know about you, but I definitely live in the "messy middle"—that space where vocation, family life, and career collide. And I needed some role models who’d been exactly where I was. Or close to it, anyway… 

I recently sat down to record a video about why I felt the absolute necessity to write Important Catholic Women of the 20th Century. It’s a journey that started as a personal search for sanity, but it turned into a project I hope will serve as a bridge for all of us.

Sainthood in the Everyday

It’s very tempting to think of saints as finished products: people who had it all together and who didn't struggle, who didn't have bad days, and who certainly didn't deal with the anxieties of modern technology or the complexities of the 20th-century workforce.

But that isn't the reality of their lives. Saints weren’t born perfect; they were ordinary people, much like us, who had moments of heroic virtue amidst their very real struggles, anxieties, and complexities.

Holiness isn't a museum piece. Holiness is grit.

And the women I researched for this book weren't living in quiet cloisters in the 12th century. They were navigating the same world we are:

• They dealt with the politics that come from dealing with people. 

• They navigated the emotional toll of mental health struggles.

• They faced the challenge of being single moms or working professionals.

• They found God in the noise, not just the silence.

Finding Companions, Not Perfection

When I started this project, I wasn't looking for perfection. I was looking for companions. I wanted to see how a woman living in a fast-paced century could keep her eyes on the Lord while spinning all the plates of modern life.

Finding these stories changed how I approach my own day. When I hit that mid-afternoon slump, or when the "logistics" of family life feel overwhelming, I try to remember that I’m accompanied by women who walked this path a generation ago and paved the way for us, for me.