The Mass Book for Children, Our Sunday Visitor. Price: $5.95; 48 pages. Available for order from any bookstore; ISBN 159276-075-9. Christ the King Bookstore in Fredericksburg has it in stock.

Reviewed by Kathleen McCabe Mahoney
Special to the Herald
(From the issue of 12/2/04)

Catholic theologian Scott Hahn insists "The Mass — and I mean every single Mass — is heaven on earth." Local writers Donna Piscitelli and Rosemarie Gortler whole-heartedly agree with Hahn and have set out to introduce children to the splendor of the Eucharist, our literal heaven on earth.

In their third publication for Our Sunday Visitor (OSV), the authors have another success on their hands. As Gortler freely admits, "This book took a lot of work, but it was a labor of love to put the Mass in kidspeak.

"We want children to go to Mass to find meaning and to have an appreciation of the miracle of the Mass," she said. "We also want children to have a familiarity with the actions of the priest who is acting in the person of Christ."

The prominent Catholic publishing house of OSV actually solicited Piscitelli and Gortler to write on the subject of the Mass since they saw a need and also knew of the writers’ track records with their two previous publications for children, Little Acts of Grace (2001) and Just Like Mary (2002). The Catholic Publishers Book Association, which issues a monthly "Best Seller List" appearing in publications like the Arlington Catholic Herald, has listed Little Acts of Grace for 18 months in its children’s section.

Like their previous two books, the charming illustrations are by Mimi Sternhagen, talented artist and mother of five. According to co-author Piscitelli, "A lot of the art work portrays the mysticism of the Eucharist" and helps the young reader to understand the parts of the Mass and "to know why they are saying certain prayers or why the celebrant performs actions like washing his hands," for example.

Call it Divine Providence or serendipity, but the writers are delighted that their little book is coming out in time for the Year of the Eucharist. As reported in the HERALD, Pope John Paul II has proclaimed a special Eucharistic year that will commence in October.

As in the previous works, The Mass Book for Children had considerable input from diocesan priests. The authors credit especially Father Donald Rooney of St. Mary of the Immaculate Conception Catholic Church in Fredericksburg and Father Francis De Rosa of St. Louis Catholic Church in Alexandria for their assistance in the preparation of the book.

Piscitelli, a St. Louis parishioner, is the director of student services at Mount Vernon High School. Gortler, a licensed professional counselor in private practice in Fredericksburg, is a member of the new parish of St. Jude in Spotsylvania County. Their goal in writing is to make "our Catholic faith part of everyday life, a part of the activities of daily living." To keep the book affordable, the price is $5.95, the same as their previous two best sellers.

Also remaining the same is their intention to donate much of the royalties from The Mass Book for Children to their three favorite charities: the Poor Clares, Birthright of Fredericksburg, Inc., and Project Rachel.

While this delightful little book has obviously been written for youngsters, cradle Catholics who snoozed their way through CCD may want to sneak a peek. They will find it a quick and informative read that will increase their understanding and ability to see the Mass in the light of Scripture. For those who now just show up at Mass out of some vague sense of duty, this publication will be a shot of enthusiasm and true appreciation for Scott Hahn’s idea that "We go to heaven when we go to Mass."