Stories of 'radical' women religious also highlight need for lay models

When we think of saints, "radical" may not be one of the first qualities that comes to mind, but they were, and are, true radicals because they go to the root — the meaning of radical — of the Gospel message. In the new book, "Radical Saints: 21 Women for the 21st Century," Melanie Rigney has chosen women who lived in the 20th century and were officially canonized in the 21st century. She features a wide variety of women, from those who are well known — such as Teresa of Kolkata and Maria Faustina Kowalska — to many that few of her readers would have ever heard of.