With the canonization of Pope John Paul II and Pope John XXIII upon us, the Roman Catholic tradition of sainthood is in the news again. But in our increasingly secular, science-focused times, doesn't the very notion of someone being a saint, residing in heaven with God and capable of securing miracles, seem more than a little quaint -- even to many Catholics? Or can saints still teach all of us how to lead loving, meaningful lives? Journalist Leslie Scrivener explores these and other questions in her new Star Dispatches ebook, Marching In: John Paul II and the Nature of Sainthood. And she introduces readers to some of the smartest, strangest, most self-abnegating or kindest people among the 10,000-strong ranks of the super-holy.
Star Dispatches is a weekly series of quality journalism in ebook form from the newsroom of the Toronto Star, Canada's largest newspaper.