See the following free ebooks on lives of the Saints (and Blesseds) of the Church, as indexed on the Catholic eBooks Project.

  1. Apologia pro Vita Sua, by Blessed John Henry Newman, edited by Wilfrid Ward. Autobiography. May be read online on Newman Reader.The Autobiography of St. Anthony Mary Claret. May be downloaded in PDF format through the Saints’ Books index.
  2. Blessed Fidelis Chojnacki (1906-1942) [Pamphlet]. Translation from the article in Sulle orme dei Santi, 2000, p. 132-134. Available in PDF format at this page of Capuchin Beginnings.
  3. Blessed Maria Maddalena Martinengo (1687-1737) [Booklet]. Translation based on an article by Costanzo Cargnoni in Sulle orme dei santi, 2000, p. 161-170. Available in PDF format at this page of Capuchin Beginnings.
  4. Blessed Symforian Ducki (1888-1942) [Pamphlet]. Translation from the article in Sulle orme dei Santi, 2000, p. 135-136. Available in PDF format at this page of Capuchin Beginnings.
  5. The Book of Saints: a dictionary of servants of God canonized by the Catholic Church, extracted from the Roman & other martyrologies, compiled by the Benedictine monks of St. Augustine’s Abbey, Ramsgate (London: A. & C. Black, Ltd., 1921). With Imprimatur. Available at Internet Archive and Open Library.
  6. A Calendar of Scottish Saints, Second Edition Revised & Augmented, by Dom Michael Barrett, O.S.B. (Fort-Augustus: Abbey Press, 1919). With Imprimatur. Available in many formats at Manybooks.net.
  7. Christ and the Church, by Pope Benedict XVI (General Audiences 2006 to 2011). May be read online at the EWTN Library. This provides a collection of the teaching addresses of Pope Benedict on Christ and the Church, Apostolic Tradition, and the lives and works of Catholic teachers from the founding of the Church to modern times, including the Apostles, the Eastern and Western Fathers, and the Scholastics.
  8. The Cistercian Fathers: or, Lives and Legends of Certain Saints and Blessed of the Order of Citeaux, translated by Henry Collins, with a Preface by Rev. W.R. Brownlow (London, Dublin, Derry: Thomas Richardson and Son; New York: Henry H. Richardson and Co., 1872). Available in various formats at Internet Archive and Open Library.
  9. The Cistercian Saints of England: St. Stephen, Abbot, by Blessed John Henry Newman (London: James Toovey, 1844). Part of the series Lives of the English Saints. Available in various formats at Internet Archive and Open Library. [N.B. This work appears to have been published soon before Cardinal Newman was received into the one true Church.]
  10. The Early Church Fathers,by Pope Benedict XVI (General Audiences). May be read online through Catechesis of the Popes, and may be purchased in book form at Our Sunday Visitor and Ignatius Press.
  11. In God’s army: I. Commanders-in-Chief: St. Ignatius Loyola, St. Francis Xavier, by Cyril Charlie Martindale (London: R. & T. Washbourne, 1915). With Imprimatur. On Saints, Religious Orders, Spirituality, Evangelization, Conversion. Available at Open Library and Internet Archive (Digitizing sponsor: MSN, Book contributor: Regis College Library, University of Toronto).
  12. The Interior of Jesus and Mary, Volume I, third edition, by the Rev. J. [Jean Nicolas] Grou, S.J., edited by S.H. Frisbee, S.J. (New York, Cincinnati, Chicago: Benziger Brothers, 1893). Available in various formats at Open Library and Internet Archive.
  13. The Interior of Jesus and Mary, Volume II, by the Rev. J. [Jean Nicolas] Grou, S.J., translated by a Member of the Ursuline Community (Dublin: James Duffy, 1847). Available in various formats at Internet Archive. [N.B., The Internet Archive index page incorrectly labels the work as Notes of Spiritual Retreats and Instructions, Volume II, by Rev. John Morris. S.J]
  14. The Lepers of Molokai, by Charles Warren Stoddard (Notre Dame, Ind., “Ave Maria” Press, 1885). No Imprimatur. Available at Open Library and Internet Archive. Audiobook available at LibriVox, which states: “This is the story of the lepers of Molokai and of the Roman Catholic missionary, Father Damien, who ministered to those who languished in that desolate place… He, himself, contracted and died of this dreaded disease after caring for the physical, spiritual, and emotional needs of the people in the colony for sixteen years.”
  15. Life of Blessed Margaret Mary Alacoque of the Sacred Heart, by Albert Barry (London: Burns & Oates; New York: Catholic Publications Society; Dublin: Gill, 1889). With Imprimatur. Available at Open Library and Internet Archive (Digitizing sponsor: MSN, Book contributor: Kelly Library, University of Toronto).
  16. The Life of Saint Anthony, by St. Athanasius, newly translated and annotated by Robert T. Mayer (Westminster, Maryland: Newman Press, 1950). Ancient Christian Writers: Works of the Fathers in Translation (edited by Johannes Quasten and Joseph C. Plumpe), No. 10. With Imprimatur. Available at Internet Archive.
  17. The Life of St. Cajetan, Count of Tiene, Founder of the Theatines, translated from the Italian by Lady Herbert, with a preface by the Bishop of Salford (London: Thomas Richardson and Son, 1888). Available at Open Library and Internet Archive. [Internet Archive shows the original author to be Maria Giuseppe Zinelli, and the full name of the translator to be Baroness Mary Elisabeth À Court Herbert Herbert. A commenter on Internet Archive, Antonio Manno, stated: “This is an english translation from D. GIUSEPPE, M. ZINELLI, Memorie istoriche della vita di S. Gaetano Thiene, Venezia, presso Simone Occhi, 1753, a rare book of which only one copy exists in the italian public libraries.”]
  18. The Life of Saint Columba, Apostle of Scotland, Second Edition, by Frances Alice Forbes (London, Manchester, Birmingham, and Glasgow: R. & T. Washbourne, Ltd., 1919). With Imprimatur. Part of the series Standard-bearers of the Faith: A Series of Lives of the Saints for Young and Old. Available at Project Gutenberg, and in epub, fulltext and kindle formats at Internet Archive.
  19. The Life of Saint Elizabeth of Hungary, Duchess of Thuringia, by the Count De Montalambert, translated by Francis Deming Hoyt. (New York, London, Bombay: Longmans, Green and Co., 1904) With Imprimatur. Available in multiple formats at Internet Archive and Open Library, with a second copy at Internet Archive and Open Library.
  20. The Life of Saint Elizabeth of Hungary, Duchess of Thuringia, by the Count De Montalambert, translated by Mary Hackett, Introduction translated by Mrs. J. Sadlier (New York: P.J. Kenedy, 1901). Available in various formats at Internet Archive and Open Library, with another copy at Internet Archive and Open Library. Another edition (New York, Montreal: D.J. Sadlier & Co., 1888), from microfilm, is available at Internet Archive and Open Library, while the 1884 edition, also from microfilm, is available at Internet Archive and Open Library.
  21. Life of Saint Monica, by Frances Alice Forbes (London: Burns Oates & Washbourne Ltd., 1928). With Imprimatur. Part of the series Standard-bearers of the Faith: A Series of Lives of the Saints for Young and Old. Available in many formats at Manybooks and in fewer formats at Project Gutenberg , and in epub, fulltext and kindle formats at Internet Archive. Multiple formats of the 2nd edition (1919) are available at Internet Archive and Open Library.
  22. The Life of Saint Teresa of the Order of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, edited and with a preface by Henry Edward Manning (Dublin: James Duffy, 1867). Available at Internet Archive and Open Library.
  23. Life of St. Francis of Assisi, by St. Bonaventure. May be downloaded in PDF format through the Saints’ Books index,
  24. The Life of St. Francis Xavier, apostle of the Indies and Japan, by D. Bartoli and J.P Mafei, with a Preface by the Very Rev. Dr. [Frederick William] Faber (London: Thomas Jones, 1858). Available in various formats at Internet Archive and Open Library.
  25. The Life of St. Thomas of Villanova, Archbishop of Valentia and Augustinian Monk, with an Introductory Sketch of the Men, the Manner, and the Morals of the Sixteenth Century, first American edition, by Claude Maimbou (Philadelphia: Peter F. Cunningham & Son, 1874). With the permission of superiors. Available in various formats at Internet Archive and Open Library.
  26. Life of St. Vincent de Paul, by Frances Alice Forbes (London: R. & T. Washbourne, Limited, 1919). With Imprimatur. Part of the series Standard-bearers of the Faith: A Series of Lives of the Saints for Young and Old. Available in many formats at Manybooks, in fewer formats at Project Gutenberg, and in epub, fulltext and kindle formats at Internet Archive.
  27. A Lily of the Snow, Scenes from the Life of St. Eulalia of Merida, by Frances Alice Forbes (New York, The Encyclopedia Press. 1916). A play. Available at Internet Archive and Open Library  (Digitizing sponsor: Sloan Foundation, Book contributor: The Library of Congress).
  28. The Lives of the Fathers, Martyrs, and Principal Saints [or, Butler’s Lives of the Saints], by Alban Butler (1895). With Imprimatur. Available in many formats at Manybooks. Another edition (Dublin: James Duffy, 1866) may be read online at Bartleby.com (New York: Bartleby.com, 2010).
  29. The Lives of the Saints: Catechesis on the great Christian writers of both East and West, by Pope Benedict XVI (General Audiences 2007-2011). May be read online through Catechesis of the Popes. This provides a collection of the teaching addresses of Pope Benedict on the Early Church Fathers (Ante-Nicene and Nicene, Post-Nicene), the Medieval Church Fathers, the Great Women of the Middle Ages, and the Modern Doctors of the Church. Some of the addresses on the Early Church Fathers may also be found at Position Papers.ie.
  30. The Martyrdom of St. Peter and St. Paul, by Arthur Stapylton Barnes, with a Foreword by William Henry Cardinal O’Connell (London: Oxford University Press, Humphrey Milford, 1933). Available in various formats at Internet Archive.
  31. Mary, Help of Christians: And the Fourteen Saints Invoked as Holy Helpers: Instructions, Legends, Novenas and Prayers with Thoughts of the Saints for Every Day in the Year, compiled by Bonaventure Hammer (New York, Cincinnati, Chicago: Benziger Brothers, 1909). With Imprimatur. Available in many formats at Manybooks.net.
  32. The Mother of Christ: or, The Blessed Virgin Mary in Catholic Tradition, Theology, and Devotion, by Oliver Rodie Vassall-Phillips (London: Burns, Oates & Washbourne, 1922). With Imprimatur. Available at Open Library and Internet Archive (Digitizing sponsor: Boston Library Consortium Member Libraries, Book contributor: Wellesley College Library).
  33. Orations of Henry Austin Adams, with an introduction by James Cardinal Gibbons (St. Paul, Minn.: Adams-Cannon, 1903). With orations on Pope Leo XIII, Saint Thomas More, Blessed John Henry Newman, and Ludwig Windthorst, and on the destiny of Ireland. Available at Internet Archive and Open Library.
  34. The Passion of Edith Stein—Revisited [article], by Sr. Prudence Allen, RSM, PhD. Available in PDF format at Philonoeses. (This 22-page essay provides a summary of the development of the Saint’s theological and philosophical thought in relation to her spiritual life, which was centered on the love of Christ).
  35. Patrology; the lives and works of the fathers of the church, by Otto Bardenhewer, Thomas Joseph Shahan (Freiburg im Breisgau, St. Louis, Mo., B. Herder1908). With Imprimatur and comments of approbation from various bishops. Available in multiple formats at Open Library and Internet Archive.
  36. Pictures of Christian Heroism. With preface by Henry Edward Manning (1855). Available at Open Library.
  37. Pius IX and His Time, by Æneas MacDonell Dawson (London: Thos. Coffey, Catholic Record Printing House, 1880). Available in multiple formats at Textual.net and Manybooks.net, in Fulltext, PDF and Epub formats at Internet Archive, and may be read online at Freefictionbooks.org. Also available in PDF, Djvu, and Fulltext at Internet Archive.
  38. Pope Pius the Tenth [or Pius X], by Frances Alice Forbes (London: Burns Oates & Washbourne Ltd.,1918). With Imprimatur. Available in many formats at Manybooks and Internet Archive, in fewer formats at Project Gutenberg, and in epub, fulltext and kindle formats at  Internet Archive.
  39. Popes through the Ages, by Joseph Brusher S.J. May be read online at Internet Archive, which is the 7 June 2011 snapshot of Christ’s Faithful People (possibly defunct as of 15 October 2012).
  40. The Protoevangelium of James: The Birth of Mary the Holy Mother of God, and Very Glorious Mother of Jesus Christ (ca. A.D. 125). May be read online at New Adventand Fish Eaters. Its role as historic evidence of early Christian teaching on the perpetual virginity of the Blessed Mother is discussed on Catholic Answers. [N.B., While it has many other useful materials, certain texts on the Fish Eaters site have an extremely negative view of the Second Vatican Council, which may require correction with the hermeneutic of continuity. Please approach materials at the website with caution.]
  41. S. Peter, Bishop of Rome, or, The Roman Episcopate of the Prince of the Apostles: proved from the Fathers, history, and archaeology, and illustrated by arguments from other sources, by Rev. T. Livius, C.Ss.R. (London: Burns & Oates; New York: Catholic Publication Society, 1888). With Imprimatur. Available in various formats at Open Library and Internet Archive, which states the co-author to be Thomas Stiverd Livius.
  42. Saint Athanasius: The Father of Orthodoxy, by Frances Alice Forbes (London: R. & T. Washbourne, Limited, 1919). With Imprimatur. Part of the series Standard-bearers of the Faith: A Series of Lives of the Saints for Young and Old. Available in many formats at Manybooks , in fewer formats at Project Gutenberg , and in epub, fulltext and kindle formats at Internet Archive.
  43. Saint Benedict, by Frances Alice Forbes (New York, P.J. Kenedy and Sons, 1921). With Imprimatur. Part of the series Standard-bearers of the Faith: A Series of Lives of the Saints for Young and Old.  (1921). Available at Internet Archive and Open Library.
  44. Saint Camillus de Lellis: Founder of the Clerics Regular, Ministers of the Sick [Booklet]. With Imprimatur. Available in PDF format on this page of Catholic Pamphlets.net.The Saints of the Canon of the Mass, by Rev. Nicholas Gihr. From The Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, 1918; Reprinted from The Catholic Voice. Available in PDF format on this page of Sancta Missa.
  45. St. Camillus of Lellis, by Father Sanzio Ciccatelli, translated by F.W. Faber and M. Mueller (Milwaukee, Wis.: Servants of the Sick, 1926). With Imprimatur. Available in PDF, Full Text, and DJVU formats at Internet Archive. [This is a biography of the Saint by a witness to his life, first written in 1615.]
  46. Saint Dominic, by Jean Guiraud, translated by Katharine De Mattos (London, Manchester, Birmingham, Glasgow: R & T Washbourne; London, Cincinnati, Chicago, 1913). With Imprimatur. Available at Internet Archive and Open Library, with a second copy at Internet Archive and Open Library.
  47. Saint Dominique, par Jean Guiraud (Paris: Libraire Victor Lecoffre, 1899). Disponible à Internet Archive et Open Library. [Publié dans le respect de la fête de saint Dominique dans la forme extraordinaire du rite romain.]
  48. Saint Francis of Assisi, by Léopold, de Chérancé, 1838-1926; translated by R.F. O’Connor. (London : Burns and Oates ; New York : Catholic Publication Society). Available at Internet Archive and Open Library (Digitizing sponsor: MSN; Book contributor: Kelly – University of Toronto).
  49. St. Francis, by G.K. Chesterton. Biography, Saints. Available at G.K. Chesterton’s Works on the Web.
  50. Saint Ignatius Loyola, by Francis Thompson, 1859-1907, John Hungerford Pollen, 1858-1925 (London: Burns & Oates; New York, Chicago [etc.] Benziger Bros., 1910). Available on Internet Archive and Open Library (Digitizing sponsor: MSN, Book contributor: Cornell University Library).
  51. Saint John Capistran, by Vincent Fitzgerald, O.F.M. (New York, London, Bombay, Calcutta: Longmans, Green and Co, 1911). With Imprimatur. Available at Internet Archive and Open Library.
  52. Saint Lorenzo da Brindisi (1559-1619) [Booklet]. Translation based on an article by Costanzo Cargnoni in Sulle orme dei santi, 2000, p.153-160. Available in PDF format at this page of Capuchin Beginnings.
  53. Saint Veronica Giuliani (1660-1727) [Booklet]. Translation based on an article by Mariano D’Alatri in Sulle orme dei Santi, 2000, p.145-152. Available in PDF format at this page of Capuchin Beginnings.
  54. Santa Isabel de Aragón, Reina de Portugal, Espejo de Doncellas, Casadas y Viudas, 2a edicion, por el Padre Fray Damián Cornejo (Madrid: San Francisco de Sales 1896). Disponible en Open Library y Internet Archive.
  55. Santa Teresa de Jesús y la Orden de Predicadores, Estudios Historicos, por Felipe Martin, O.P. (Avila: Sucesores de A. Jiménez, 1909). Con Imprimatur. Disponible en Internet Archive y Open Library.
  56. A Scottish Knight-Errant: A Sketch of the Life And Times of John Ogilvie, Jesuit, by Frances Alice Forbes and M. Cahill (London, Manchester, Birmingham, and Glasgow: Burns Oates & Washbourne). Available at Internet Archive and Open Library.
  57. Ss. Augustine Zhao Rong & Companions: Martyrs of China (Booklet), compiled and edited by George G. Christian, O.P. (August 2005). Available in PDF format at the Dominican Province of St. Joseph.
  58. St. Dominic, Founder of the Order of Preachers (A.D. 1221). A 6-page excerpt from Fr. Alban Butler’s Lives of the Saints. Available at the University of Arizona.
  59. St. Francis, by G.K. Chesterton. Biography, Saints. Available at ManyBooks.net and at G.K. Chesterton’s Works on the Web.
  60. St. Lawrence of Brindisi (1559-1619) [Booklet], by Deacon Bob Boharic of St. Mary, Riverside. Available in PDF format through this page of the St. Cletus Parish website.
  61. St. Peter at Rome: being an historical dissertation; with an appendix, containing reference to the discussion held in Rome, February 9th and 10th, 1872, in the Hall of the Pontificia Academia Tiberina, between three Catholic priests and three evangelical ministers, concerning the coming of St. Peter to Rome, by John Stewart M’Corry (London: Burns and Oates,1874). Available at Internet Archive and Open Library.
  62. St. Peter, his name and his office: as set forth in holy scripture, by T. W. Allies (1852). Available at Internet Archive.
  63. St. Thomas Aquinas, by Jacques Maritain. May be read online at the online on this page of the Jacques Maritain Center (“Copyright by the Jacques Maritain Center, University of Notre Dame. All rights reserved”).
  64. St. Thomas Aquinas and Medieval Philosophy, by D.J. Kennedy, O.P. (New York: The Encyclopedia Press, Inc., 1919). Available at the Jacques Maritain Center.
  65. St. Thomas, the Apostle, in India: an investigation based on the latest researches in connection with the time-honoured tradition regarding the martyrdom of St. Thomas in southern India, by F.A. D’Cruz, K.S.G. (Madras: Hoe and Co., 1922). With an Introduction by A.M. Teixeira, Vicar-General and Administrator of the Diocese of Mylapore. Available in various formats at Open Library and Internet Archive.
  66. The Story of Hildebrand, St. Gregory VII, by Ethel Mary Wilmot-Buxton (London, Manchester, Birmingham, and Glasgow: Burns, Oates & Washbourne, 1920). From the series Heroes of the Church. Available at Internet Archive and Open Library (Digitizing sponsor: MSN, Book contributor: Kelly Library, University of Toronto).
  67. A Tale of Two Wonderworkers: St. Nicholas of Myra in the Writings and Life of St. Thomas Aquinas, by Peter A. Kwasniewski, International Theological Institute for Studies on Marriage and the Family, Gaming, Austria [Footnote 1 states: “This article was developed from a lecture given at the International Theological Institute on December 6, 2002.”]. Available in PDF format at DeSales University.
  68. Ten Personal Studies, by Wilfrid Philip Ward (London; New York: Longmans, Green, 1908). Available at Internet Archive and Open Library. [N.B. The subjects of the book include A. J. Balfour, Father Ignatius Ryder, Pope Leo XIII, Cardinal Wiseman, Cardinal Newman and Cardinal Manning.]
  69. Three Catholic Reformers of the Fifteenth Century, by Mary H. Allies (London: Burns & Oates, 1878). Available in various formats at Internet Archive, Open Library, and Open Library (2nd copy). [The work concerns Saint Vincent Ferrer (1350-1419), Saint Bernardino da Siena (1380-1444), and Saint John of Capistrano (1386-1456).]
  70. To the English Martyrs, by Francis Thompson (London, Burns and Oates). Or, Ode to the English Martyrs. A Poem. Available in various formats at Internet Archive and Open Library.
  71. Upon God’s holy hills, I. The Guides: Saint Anthony of Egypt, Saint Bruno of Cologne, Saint John of the Cross, by Cyril Charlie Martindale (London: R. & T. Washbourne, 1919). With Imprimatur. Monasticism, Saints, Spirituality, Prayer. Available at Open Library and Internet Archive (Digitizing sponsor: MSN, Book contributor: Kelly – University of Toronto).
  72. Victories of the Martyrs, by St. Alphonsus Maria de Liguori. May be downloaded in PDF format through the Saints’ Books index,
  73. Vie de Saint Dominique, par le Reverend Père Frere Henri-Dominique Lacordaire (Paris: Debécourt 1841). Disponible à Internet Archive et Open Library, avec un second (moins clair) copie à Internet Archive et Open Library.
  74. Vie de Saint Dominique: Précédée du Mémoire pour le Rétablissement en France de l’ordre des Frères Prêcheurs; et Suivie de la Lettre sur le Saint-Siège, par le Reverend Père Frere Henri-Dominique Lacordaire (Paris: Sagnier et Bray, 1844). Disponible à Internet Archive et Open Library.
  75. Witnesses of the Faith in the Orient: Dominican Martyrs of Japan, China, and Vietnam, 2nd edition, by a team of Dominican Fathers under the direction of Ceferino Puebla Pedrosa, O.P., translated by Sister Maria Maez, O.P., revised and updated by George G. Christian, O.P. (Hong Kong: Provincial Secretariat of Missions, Dominican Province of Our Lady of the Rosary, 1989, 2006). Available in PDF format on this page of the Dominican Province of St. Joseph, USA.
  76. The Wonder-Worker of Padua, by Charles Warren Stoddard. Audiobook available at LibriVox, which states: “This is the inspiring story of Saint Anthony of Padua (1195-1231). The son of a wealthy Portuguese family… he took up the habit of a poor Franciscan friar and devoted his life to fervently preaching the Word of God… To confirm the efficacy of his words, God gave him the gifts of prophecy and of performing miracles…”

*Updated on 3 February 2013