As a Protestant young person, my knowledge of saints amounted to a vague awareness that, depending on context, the term could apply variously to the writers of the gospels, Christians generally, certain historical individuals revered by Catholics, and some distant antecedent to Santa Claus. In recent years, through the influence of personal study and Catholic and Orthodox friends, I have come to appreciate the historical saints, the traditions associated with them, and their examples of love and devotion.
In the introduction to Stories of the Saints, Carey Wallace offers compelling reasons for reading the saints: