Holy Men and Women of the Order of Malta: The Canonized and Beatified from the Twelfth to the Twenty-First Century

Frá Richard J. Wolff is a professed knight of justice in the Order of Malta. He studied history and theology at Georgetown University and earned a PhD in history from Columbia University, with a focus on church-state relations in modern Europe. He has published on a wide variety of topics related to Catholicism, including books on the life and writings of Dorothy Day, on the interactions between Catholics and Fascists between the two world wars, and on Catholic students in Fascist Italy. He has published many articles and lectured widely on the popes of the twentieth century—particularly on the papacy of St. Paul VI—and on the relationship between the Jews and Catholicism during the interwar period. Although a career business executive, Dr. Wolff was a former dean and professor at St. John’s University and a member of the Columbia University seminar on modern Italy.

"From the eleventh century, when Frá Gerard, founder of the Order of Malta, tended to the sick and struggling pilgrims in the streets of Jerusalem to the present, the Order of Malta is filled with many holy men and women who imitated Christ throughout history. This beautifully written and meticulously researched history is a treat to read. Richard J. Wolff, KJ, an eminent historian, handles the challenging hagiography of these various eccentric, holy, ascetic men and women with erudite scholarship and humor. He revives for our present time Vatican II and Lumen Gentium’s much-needed call to holiness. Devotional in tone, confident in research, and replete with examples of heroism and faith, this book prompts the reader to beg for the intercession of these extraordinary saints of God."

—Rev. Timothy Brown, SJ, Associate Professor of Law and Social Responsibility, Loyola University (Baltimore) 
"Anyone who is curious about the biographical details of the saints of the Order of Malta should definitely read Frá Richard Wolff’s agile and concise book. The saints and blessed, stretching from the eleventh century to our days, are brought to life by a scholarly, readable approach that often presents them in a different light but preserves their status as the most precious treasure that the order possesses. Because of the author’s employment of historical analysis, these holy men and women may well be more widely appreciated as renewed examples of the many ways to sanctification that can still be practiced by those who share Christian ideals. This book offers concrete examples of Christian testimony, from the "red" martyrdom involving the actual shedding of blood in defense of the Faith, to the "white" martyrdom, bloodless but still risky, in service to the poor and sick, to the daily martyrdom of cloistered life. After reading this book, readers may discover not only a newfound appreciation for the various paths to holiness but also a welcomed reminder that we are all called to a life of holiness."

—Luigi Michele de Palma, Professor, Lateran University (Vatican City) 
"When you think about it, the Order of Malta itself is saintly, as it calls its members to sanctity and virtue, and exercises charity and service to the poor and sick in the name of Jesus. What enhances its saintliness is the litany of literal saints who have been active in the order. Read all about it in this informative and inspirational work."

+Timothy Michael Cardinal Dolan Archbishop of New York
Principal Chaplain
American Association Order of Malta