Blessed Among Us - by Robert Ellsberg (Hardcover)

Book Synopsis

This companion volume to Robert Ellsberg's bestselling resource Blessed Among Us offers even more reflections on the inspiring, if also eclectic, "cloud of witnesses."

Since the early centuries, Christians have held up saintly people as models of living the Gospel of Jesus Christ. While the Church o-fficially recognizes a relatively small number of saints, the actual roster is infinitely wider. Blessed Among Us explores this eclectic "Cloud of Witnesses"--lay and religious, single and married, canonized and not, and even non-Christians whose faith and wisdom may illuminate our path. Brought to life in the evocative storytelling of Robert Ellsberg, they inspire the moral imagination and give witness to the myriad ways of holiness.

In two stories per day for over a full calendar year, Ellsberg sketches figures from biblical times to the present age and from all corners of the world--ordinary figures whose extraordinary lives point to the new age in the world to come. Blessed Among Us is drawn from Ellsberg's acclaimed column of the same name in Give Us -This Day, a monthly resource for daily prayer published by Liturgical Press.

Review Quotes

"In the new second volume of his acclaimed Blessed Among Us collection, Robert Ellsberg continues to show how truly vast the 'cloud of witnesses' that surrounds us is. With two reflections each day on the lives of holy people from the world over, Blessed Among Us offers a truly limitless source of inspiration that will continue to be relevant year in and year out. Featuring figures ranging from St. Mary of Egypt to John Lewis, from Thich Nhat Hanh to the Martyrs of the Plague of Alexandria, this collection digs into seemingly every corner of our diverse global traditions to unearth models of good will that resonate across ecumenical lines. This is a book you'll want to keep by your bed for the rest of your life."
Nathaniel Hunter, associate editor, U.S. Catholic

-- (12/16/2025 12:00:00 AM)

"Having all these stories woven together and presented in a single volume to accompany us throughout the year is spiritually nourishing. From Hagar to Mother Mary Lange, from St. Valentine to Mister Rogers, this collection finds holiness across time and space. The synposes are short and punchy, offering us a sketch of a holy life into which we may breathe our own particularities."
Eric Clayton, National Catholic Reporter

-- (11/3/2025 12:00:00 AM)

"Robert Ellsberg is way up there in my pantheon of spiritual writers. He's especially good at connecting us with the divine spark in practitioners of every spiritual tradition. These very human stories of the holy ones among us have a special knack of enlivening my spirit."
Helen Prejean, CSJ, author of Dead Man Walking

-- (5/14/2025 12:00:00 AM)

"Saints are the living Word of God, the Word made flesh, but their biographies are often too encrusted within sentimentality and piety to serve as an inspiration for us. Ellsberg gives us their essence in this treasure of a book. Nobody writes better about the lives of the saints than Robert Ellsberg!"
Ronald Rolheiser, OMI, author of The Holy Longing and Sacred Fire

-- (5/14/2025 12:00:00 AM)

"A surprising, profoundly inspiring book. Ellsberg has an eye for the telling detail; each vignette, able to be read in a minute, witnesses to a unique life 'among us.' The attractive cast of characters is vast, ranging across centuries and geography, nationality, and work, from the usual good bishops, martyrs, and religious order founders to poets, artists, TV personalities, advocates for justice and freedom, lovers of the Earth, those who risked political danger, or saw new opportunities to help. The creative expression of goodness wonderfully expands one's own imagination about the possibilities for a holy life."

Elizabeth Johnson, distinguished professor emerita of theology, Fordham University

-- (5/19/2025 12:00:00 AM)

"Every single day I read Robert Ellsberg's concise, fascinating, and inspiring lives of the saints in my copy of Give Us This Day. And every single day I am amazed by the astounding lives that have been lived out of love for Christ. Happily, many of these wonderful stories are now gathered together in this marvelous new book, which will guide you through the year with the help of these patrons and companions."
James Martin, SJ, author of Jesus: A Pilgrimage and Learning to Pray-- (5/14/2025 12:00:00 AM)

"The diversity of these holy men and women calls out my own gifts, and their total dedication alerts me to put my 'yes' into motion for the day. Thank you for being a companion and inspiration for my faith journey!"
Carolyn Woo, former president and CEO of Catholic Relief Services-- (5/14/2025 12:00:00 AM)

"This delightful book reminds us how blessed we are, in every age, to have people of good faith who are called to love and serve people in need. They call us all to a greater purpose."
Kathleen Norris, author of The Cloister Walk and Acedia and Me
-- (5/14/2025 12:00:00 AM)

About the Author

Robert Ellsberg is the Publisher and editor-in-chief of Orbis Books, and the author of several award-winning books, including All Saints: Daily Reflections on Saints, Prophets, and Witnesses for Our Time; Blessed Among All Women; The Saints' Guide to Happiness; and A Living Gospel: Reading God's Story in Holy Lives. From 1975 to 1980 he was part of the Catholic Worker community in New York City, where he served as managing editor of The Catholic Worker and worked closely with Dorothy Day. He has edited six volumes of her writings, including Dorothy Day: Selected Writings; The Duty of Delight: The Diaries of Dorothy Day; All the Way to Heaven: The Selected Letters of Dorothy Day; and Dorothy Day: Spiritual Writings. He has written and edited many other volumes, including (with Sister Wendy Beckett) Dearest Sister Wendy . . . A Surprising Story of Faith and Friendship. Since the first issue in 2011, he has contributed the "Blessed Among Us" feature for every issue of Give Us This Day. A previous collection of these entries, Blessed Among Us, is also available from Liturgical Press.