The Mass in My Life

About the Book

The Mass in My Life is the story of a Catholic laywoman's lifelong experience of the Mass. She recaptures childhood experiences, traces a path to adulthood, and in her elder years finds a wondrous gratitude for the Mass. Along the way, family, friends, pastors, favorite authors, and the Mass itself lighten her way as she seeks, in the words of an old missal, "the God who is the joy of my youth." Personal and family memories are recalled side-by-side with selected prayers of the Mass from her collection of missals that covers seven decades. The meaning of the Mass unfolds as the years go by, marked by ordinary days as well as rites of passage. Each chapter focuses on a milestone or period in the author's life and a prayer from the Order of the Mass. The two themes, life and Mass, interweave chronologically in a unique twofold structure. There are rich and sometimes troubling memories of personal and family life here, but always an attentive longing for the Mass which the author sees as the transforming experience of her life.

About the Author

Rosemary Lunardini graduated in journalism from Ohio State University. After raising her family she earned a Master of Liberal Arts degree from Dartmouth College and worked as a medical writer and editor. In retirement, she turned her attention to a subject close to her heart—her lifelong experience of the Catholic Mass. She lives in Hanover, New Hampshire.