Stuck in Traffic in Chicago???

Keep an eye out for banners promoting one of my favorite books for 2006, Fr. James Martin's My Life With the Saints

Here's the press release with the full scoop:

Expressway Banner Campaign Urges Chicago Drivers to “Use Their Common Saints”

As the summer travel season heats up, motorists on Chicago’s Kennedy Expressway can look to the saints for help handling their daily commutes, thanks to a new banner campaign by Loyola Press. “Use Your Common Saints” will feature messages from St. Jude, St. Anthony, Joan of Arc and St. Joseph, reminding drivers of the virtues of patience—and good humor.

Beginning on June 26, the Catholic publisher’s banners will greet eastbound drivers (toward the Loop), from the back of St. Stanislaus Kostka Church, which abuts the Kennedy at Evergreen Street (about 1300 North, between Division and North Ave.).

First up: “St. Jude knows an alternate route”; followed by

• “St. Joseph says construction takes patience” on July 10;

• “Joan of Arc says keep your cool” on July 24; and

• “St. Anthony offers roadside assistance” on August 7;

• “St. Ignatius encourages Mass transit” on August 21.

“People feel like they need a little help in life, so they call upon the saints,” says James Martin, S.J., a Jesuit priest and author of the Loyola Press book My Life with the Saints, a surprise bestseller that has sold 12,000 copies in three months. The tongue-in-cheek approach is in keeping with saintliness, he says: “The lives of the saints show that joy and laughter are sure signs of God’s presence. They encourage us to laugh at life.” Besides, he adds, “Nobody would pay attention to them if they were boring.”

The banners will feature the Internet address LoyolaBooks.com. Visitors to the site will be able to read an excerpt about one of the four saints from Fr. Martin’s book.

Fr. Martin is a popular author and media commentator on religion and spirituality.

The banners are just one way that the 94-year-old Chicago-based publisher fulfills its mission to build bridges between the two-thousand-year-old Catholic faith and today’s spiritual seekers. “Our goal is to nurture faith-filled lives,” says Joseph Durepos, Loyola Press Acquisitions Director. “Proclaiming these messages on the Kennedy drives home the idea that God is with us in all that we do, even when we are stuck in traffic.”

You can take a peek at the banners by clicking here. I'll be in Chicago for a visit in late July, so I'll get to see St. Joan of Arc's banner in person. What a great tool this is for spreading the word about our faith, our saints, and an awesome book! Let's just hope people don't try to check the site while they're driving!