Romana

In May 2022, in the final weeks of the Amoris Laetitia Year of the Family, the Dicastery for Laity, Family and Life published the book Holiness in Families around the World (Libreria Editrice Vaticana). It is available free of charge in Italian, Spanish, English, French and Portuguese, and can be downloaded in pdf format.

The volume presents the story of eight married couples: Saints Louis and Zélie Martin, parents of St. Therese of Lisieux; Blessed Luigi and Maria Beltrame Quattrocchi, the first couple to be raised to the altars; the Venerable Sergio Bernardini and Domenica Bedonni, farmers, who raised their ten children in the faith; the Servants of God Tomás Alvira and Paquita Domínguez Susín, Spanish supernumeraries of Opus Dei; Ulisse Amendolagine and Lelia Cossidente, who lived in Rome and are buried in the same Discalced Carmelite church in Rome where they were married; Eduardo Ortiz de Landázuri and Laura Busca, also supernumeraries of Opus Dei; Takashi Paolo and Midori Marina Nagai, Japanese; and Cyprien Rugamba and Daphrose Mukasanga, Rwandans, killed with six of their seven children during the Tutsi genocide.

The book is easy to read and offers an inspiring guide for married couples. With many photographs and quotes from the protagonists themselves or from testimonies about them, each chapter recounts the most important events in their lives and offers points for reflection and suggestions for personal prayer.

The prayer for each couple’s intercession is provided, and some favors obtained are recounted. Each chapter ends with a list of recommended bibliography and web pages and links for each couple.