In the time of the coronavirus, people of virtue and morality — particularly Christians and post-Christians — search for meaning and a proper response: for the saints of the plagues to emerge. Tara and I often find that the best way forward is backwards. That is, to give the democracy of the dead a vote in how we respond: plagues are not new and far worse plagues have hit humanity. And in those times, saints of the plagues emerged.

How did the virtuous respond? How did the good and beautiful and true folk of God respond?

Unlock the ebook on saints who responded well to the plagues.

In that spirit, she and I have compiled resources from several encyclopedias and dictionaries around the internet so that you can have easy access to the saints and martyrs of the plagues.

The list ends with one fictional saint from a novel that everyone should read in this time: A Canticle for Leibowitz by Miller. That entry contains spoilers, so I’d recommend only reading that last entry long enough to get interest and then reading the novel for yourself in this time. It’s essentially a novel about the world ending three different times and how that changes our response — specifically how we rebuild society in the wake of world-ending, society-ending disasters. You’ll find it encouraging, I think — indeed I included it on our list of Hopeful Apocalypses a few days back.

Courage, dear hearts. Move closer to the least of these and not further away in this time. All our love until The End:

~ Lancelot + Tara Schaubert, Brooklyn, NY 2020