5 Scandalous sinners who became great saints

These holy men and women give us hope, proving that even we could become a saint!

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Saints were not perfect. They made mistakes during their lifetime and often led public lives of depravity before their hearts were converted.

This is good news.

It gives us hope that even our cold hearts that are so distant from God can be turned towards him and given new life.

Saints often seem “too holy” for us to imitate, but really they were more like us than we realize. They struggled with the same addictions, pet sins and bad habits that we feel weighed down by today.

So let us take heart that these holy men and women were not always holy and through the grace of God overcame great obstacles to become shining examples of virtue. (For more great stories of saints who were sinners, check out Thomas Craughwell’s book, Saints Behaving Badly: The Cutthroats, Crooks, Trollops, Con Men, and Devil-Worshippers Who Became Saints.)

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