FAQS
We have carefully collected this list to answer the questions we receive on a regular basis. If you still have questions after reviewing our frequently asked questions below, please contact us. Navigate FAQs using the following links:
Essential Reading: Key Information about The Saintmaker
COVID-19-Related Shipping Delays
Purchasing, Subscriptions, and Refunds
Information for International Customers
Pre-Orders: Everything You Need to Know
Essential Reading: Key Information about The Saintmaker
does the saintmaker follow the traditional (1962) or current liturgical calendar?
Through our Saintmaker Liturgical Guide™️ you can adapt The Saintmaker for use with BOTH the liturgical books of 1962 which Pope Benedict XVI authorized for use in the Universal Church as well as the present ordinary form of the Church’s calendar. We wanted to include both forms for several reasons:
The planner is designed to be (lowercase) catholic—that is, universal—for use by faithful Catholics (uppercase) in both forms of the Roman Rite.
Seeing the two forms of the calendar side-by-side affords the user with an interesting opportunity to assess the changes over time, which can be a very illuminating exercise.
We believe that it’s important to keep Catholic souls unified; Catholics faithful to Holy Mother Church are brothers and sisters no matter which form of the Mass they attend.
I’M A [PRIEST, MOM, DAD, COLLEGE STUDENT, BUSINESS OWNER, ETC.]—IS THE SAINTMAKER A GOOD FIT FOR ME?
The Saintmaker was designed with catholicity in mind. That means, like the Church’s teachings, it is a universal tool that any sincere Catholic can benefit from using. If you would you benefit from a more structured approach to your devotional life and to planning your time, or if you would benefit from a deeper knowledge of the Church’s liturgical year and more insight into how to celebrate Church feasts and holy days—then you will benefit from The Saintmaker.
The Saintmaker can be easily adapted for use as a home- and family-planner (for mothers and fathers), a parish planner (for priests), an executive management tool (for business people), a study aid (for students)—and much more! Feel free to contact us at any time for tips on how to tailor The Saintmaker to your unique vocation.
DOES THE SAINTMAKER LAY-FLAT WHEN OPEN ON A DESK OR TABLE?
The Saintmaker is a stylish and well-constructed hard bound book in eco-friendly vegan leather. Our resilient lay-flat binding is specially designed to last a lifetime and to easily lay flat when open on your desk, table, or car seat. We suggest a simple breaking in routine to ensure that your Saintmaker is as easy to use as possible from day one. This brief instructional video will give you the basics. In the video, Brodart Books recommends breaking in a hardcover book 5-10 pages at a time. We recommend 3-5 for The Saintmaker.
Why is each planner Three months long?
The planner is set up on a three-month cycle. That approach helps users keep spiritual goals in focus, and to re-evaluate regularly. What we like to do is to set aside time for seasonal goal-setting and devotional planning during the Church's seasonal Ember Days. This is an ideal time for spiritual reflection and resolution-making. Many faithful subscribe to Catholic magazines or devotional books. The Saintmaker is a perfect year-round companion for growth in faith!
(Also, each three-month cycle is over 300 pages—carrying around a full year at a time would be like carrying around an encyclopedia!)
DO YOU OFFER A PRINTABLE .PDF, APP, OR SPIRAL-BOUND VERSION OF THE PLANNER?
At this time, we do not offer any additional versions of the planner. We are exploring different formats as a possibility for the future, but we are currently focused on making the hard-bound seasonal planner as beautiful and useful for our customers as possible.
will this planner really make me a saint?
The Saintmaker is an easy-to-use system for reliable spiritual growth and vocational success. Several key features will help you to stay faithful, prayerful, and make consistent progress:
Scientific Productivity Tools: The Saintmaker is packed with advanced productivity tools like monthly and weekly planning pages, seasonal review pages, and daily to-do lists and appointment pages to help you organize your life make more space for faith and fun, and live your best life.
Spiritual Essentials Toolkit: Filled with essential tools for spiritual growth such as Daily Cross, daily devotions, monthly prayer plan and spiritual intention to help you make measurable and consistent progress on your walk with the Lord, stay energized and encouraged, and become a model for those you love.
Ancient Faith and Devotions: Advanced spiritual tools such as our Rosary Tracker, feasting and fasting days, novenas, and hundreds of powerful ancient and modern devotions, practices, traditions, spiritual readings for major feast days, and much more allow Catholics to imitate the life and practices of the great saints and light their Faith on fire!
Meditation and Reflection: Powerful tools for meditation, reflection, and discernment based on St. Ignatius’ Daily Examen and Spiritual Exercises are provided on a daily, weekly, monthly, and seasonal basis to help you defeat harmful patterns once and for all and make room for Holy Spirit to pour into your life.
The value of these practices is hard to quantify (only God knows). However, many of our customers (priests and laypeople alike) have shared positive testimonies about how the Saintmaker has helped them grow in virtue. You can read hundreds of reviews here: https://www.thesaintmaker.com/reviews
SHIPPING HELP
How much does shipping cost?
Single Planner:
Domestic shipping (within the United States) is $8.99 for one planner. If you purchase multiple planners, the shipping cost will increase slightly based on the total weight of your order.
International shipping starts at $20.45 per planner.
Quarterly Subscription:
Our new quarterly subscription renews every three months until you cancel. Each time it ships, you’ll pay $8.99 for shipping one planner. International shipping for the quarterly subscription follows the same logic.
Yearly Subscription:
Yearly subscription shipping costs $16.50, since we are shipping four planners all at once. Your yearly subscription will renew every year until you cancel it. International shipping for yearly subscriptions is $51.43 per year.
Can you ship all four planners in my yearly subscription at one time?
Our yearly subscription ships four planners at a time. Every year, your subscription will auto-renew, and we will send you four more planners.
When will my products ship?
For pre-orders, your products will be shipped on the projected shipping date. For purchases outside of our pre-order period, once you place your order, please allow 2-5 business days for handling and shipping before arrival at your location.
During pre-order, we’ll make every effort to ensure you receive your planners in time.
I just moved. Will my order be forwarded?
First and foremost, you should apply for a change of address through your local post office. If you have, your order should be forwarded to your new address. To update your address for future shipments, please contact us at www.thesaintmaker.com/contact.
I ENTERED THE WRONG ADDRESS ON MY ORDER. Can I change it?
To change your shipping address, please reach out to use at www.thesaintmaker.com/contact before your order ships.
If USPS attempts to deliver your order and it is returned to our warehouse due to an insufficient address being provided, your order will be canceled and you will be issued a refund for the item less the cost of your original shipping payment.
USPS tracking shows MY order was delivered, but I did not receive iT.
If USPS tracking shows your order was delivered, but you did not receive it, please check with your neighbors first. If the item is still not located, you will need to file a missing mail claim with USPS directly: https://www.usps.com/help/missing-mail.htm.
Purchasing, Subscriptions, and Refunds
How does the saintmaker planner annual subscription work? What are the advantages of getting one?
With our Yearly Subscription, you’ll be able to keep up momentum on your holy habits without interruption, save a full 20% on a year’s worth of planners, you access subscriber-only events and opportunities.
Since The Saintmaker Catholic Life Planner is built on a seasonal achievement cycle, an annual subscription allows you to get four planners per year in one shipment. This is less expensive and much simpler than ordering single planners each time you need a new one.
How can I obtain an invoice?
Contact us at thesaintmaker.com/contact. We will send you a link to your invoice. Next, click on the Print This Page button to open the print dialog. You should be able to print or save the invoice as a PDF.
Can i apply a current discount to my existing subscription?
No. Any available discounts are valid for new subscriptions only.
What is your refund policy?
Customers have a full 90 days from the date of receiving their product to request a refund. Even if you have previously used your product, you may return it to us for a refund. To process your return, please contact with the reason for your return thesaintmaker.com/contact. We will send you a return slip promptly along with instructions for packing your return.
You take no risk at all with our 90-Day Free Trial Offer. You can try our products for a FULL 90 days, and if you’re not happy with them, just return your product anytime within the 90 days (we’ll pay for shipping) for a full refund!
What is your refund and cancellation policy for yearly subscribers?
New subscribers: You have 90 days from the date of receiving your first shipment to request a refund or cancellation. Beyond the first 90 days, we cannot offer a refund or cancellation for a yearly subscription.
For qualifying refunds, we will always refund you unconditionally, with no questions asked. To process your return, please contact us at thesaintmaker.com/contact and our team will be glad to help.
You take no risk at all with our 90-Day Free Trial Offer. You can try out our products for a FULL 90 days, and if you’re not happy with them, just return your product anytime within the 90 days (we’ll pay for shipping) for a full refund!
Does my yearly subscription automatically renew each year?
Yes. Your yearly subscription automatically renews at the end of the year. If you purchased a yearly subscription, it includes 4 planners which will all ship in one shipment each year. If you want to cancel your next year’s subscription you can do that at any time via your account page on our website (click here to login).
Information for International Customers
Pre-Orders: Everything You Need to Know
how do pre-orders work?
Our pre-order system helps us ship all orders for the upcoming season at the same time for on-time delivery at the start of the season. Pre-orders also help us make sure that we order the right amount from the printer—and that we don’t waste any money. This allows us to focus our energy on improving and also developing some of the other great Saintmaker products that we have in the hopper.
When will my pre-order ship?
Whether you order during early or late pre-order, your planner will ship from our facility to arrive in time for the stated start date (which you can always find on our product pages).
how do i get a refund for my pre-order (Before it has shipped)?
Refunds for pre-orders are handled similarly to any other refund. You can cancel your pre-order at any time prior to shipment and we will refund you the full value of your pre-order. To process your return, please contact us at thesaintmaker.com/contact and our team will be glad to help.
Getting Started with The Saintmaker Catholic Life Planner
This feels a little overwhelming, where is the best place to start?
We recommend you start with the Daily Pages. This is the fastest way to get momentum quickly and start seeing results almost immediately. You can then learn about the other features of the planner and integrate them into your lifestyle as time allows. The goal is progress, not perfection!
If you haven’t seen the Saintmaker Getting Started page (which includes our famous User’s Guide and our powerful Video Training Series), please take some time to browse that page. Our suggestion is that you print the User’s Guide out and keep it with you for the first few weeks of using your planner. Also, as soon as you receive your planner, we’ll send you the first of a several-week series of tutorials designed to turn you into a power user in a few easy lessons! Make sure you’ve signed up for that here.
What if I’m struggling to get started, because I’m afraid of making a mistake?
We recommend you try the Pilot Frixion Erasable Gel Pens. These can be found at Amazon by clicking here. They are amazing. If you want a little nicer version, check this one out. Please note, however, that if you leave your planner in the sun and it gets too warm, the ink will disappear.
How can I use the saintMAKER AS A STUDENT?
Here are some suggestions for how you can use The Saintmaker as a student:
Seasonally
At the start of the season, there are several in-depth goal setting pages. Pick 1-2 bigger picture academic goals like “sign up for a study abroad program,” “increase GPA” or “complete thesis draft,” and make them part of your goal-setting efforts alongside your personal and spiritual goals.
Next, use the Ideal Week section to outline what a "winning" ideal academic week looks like for the season. For example, perhaps you want to meet up with peers to study as a group every Saturday, study solo 3 nights per week, and work out 3 mornings per week.
Then, go through the entire season and add major due dates/academic events to each of the monthly calendar spreads.
Monthly
Each month, look at the calendar spread for the month, and fill in the Monthly Overview page with your key intentions, devotions, and projects for the month.
You can also use our Virtue Tracker bookmark to set monthly goals for growth in virtue, and then track those results on a daily basis; this, plus the Daily Examen (part of the daily journal pages) may end up being the most valuable thing to you, since it will really keep you accountable and on track—everything comes down to growth in virtue, especially in a high-stakes environments like academics!
Weekly
A the beginning of every week, you'll have the opportunity to write your key tasks for the upcoming week in the "Work/Vocation" section of the weekly overview.
At the end of each week, there is a weekly examination section. When you fill this out, be sure to include reflection on academic progress in your reflection. For example, consider topics like, “Did I spend too much time on social media and neglect to work on an important paper?”
CHARITABLE DONATIONS
what charitable causes do you support?
We will be donating 10% of The Saintmaker’s profits to the Historic Renewal Campaign at St. Joseph Shrine, a landmark center of Catholic faith and culture located in Detroit, Michigan. You can learn more about this initiative here: www.historicrenewal.com.