5 Minutes with the Saints ― More Spiritual Nourishment for Busy Teachers

Building on the popularity of 5 Minutes with Christ (2011), this unique book of meditations draws on insights and anecdotes from great Catholic saints on the subject of education to encourage and inspire teachers and others on the front lines of Catholic education.

Drawing its inspiration from the great saints and founders of religious orders dedicated to teaching, 5 Minutes with the Saints offers today's educators the bite-sized moments of spiritual motivation and affirmation they need to continue their challenging and often thankless work. Each reflection features a short excerpt on the spirituality of Catholic education by saints such as André Bessette, Ignatius Loyola, and Elizabeth Ann Seton, followed by a personal reflection and a short prayer. Like 5 Minutes with Christ, this book was crafted from the writings of members of the University of Notre Dame's Alliance for Catholic Education (ACE), the most prestigious Catholic educator–training program in America.

The University of Notre Dame's Alliance for Catholic Education (ACE), sustains and strengthens under-resourced Catholic schools through leadership formation, research, and professional service to ensure that all children, especially those from low-income families, have the opportunity to experience the gift of an excellent Catholic education. The ACE website can be visited online at http//ace.nd.edu.

Rev. Louis A. DelFra, C.S.C., is a priest in the Congregation of Holy Cross at the University of Notre Dame's Alliance for Catholic Education, where he serves as director of pastoral life and a faculty member. Fr. DelFra has also served as a middle school and high school teacher at Malvern Preparatory School in Philadelphia, as well as associate pastor and middle school religion teacher at Holy Redeemer Parish in Portland, Oregon. He received his undergraduate and master's degrees from the University of Notre Dame.

Ann Primus Berends is associate director for the Education, Schooling, and Society program in the Institute for Educational Initiatives at the University of Notre Dame. Berends obtained her bachelor's degree from Calvin College. She has served as an associate director in the Alliance for Catholic Education, church director of in-house ministries in Nashville, program manager for education research at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, and coordinator of a literacy program at Highland View Elementary School in Silver Spring, Maryland. Additionally, she has worked for more than twenty-five years as a freelance writer and editor in both the public and the private sectors.