These celebrated opening lines of Francis Thompson’s “Hound of Heaven” eloquently bespeak the tenor of the lives of the nine saints included in Saints For Sinners. Each saint attained spirituality and human perfection via thorny roads: - St. John of the Cross – sensitive and poetie, frequently suffered complete spiritual aridity; St. Francis Xavier – missionary and visionary, often was given to abject discouragement; ST. Camillus de Lellis – ill-tempered, lazy professional soldier, was addicted to inveterate gambling; St. Joseph of Cupertino – awkward, backward youth, was painfully stupid and incompetent; St. Margaret of Cortona – extremely beautiful courtesan, brought shame and disgrace to her family; St. Augustine of Hippo – reckless and pleasure-seeking, la bored to sanctity after years of agonizing, search; St. John of God – homeless at the age of eight, developed an inordinate hardness of body and soul; St. Benedict Joseph Labre – deeply meditative and instrospective, was strongly inclined to melancholia.