Blessed James Alberione was well known for his passion for modern media and for founding several religious congregations. He was less known for one odd personality quirk.
He kept a false skull on his desk.
Four years ago, Sister Theresa Alethia Noble of the Daughters of St. Paul started keeping a false skull on her desk, too. Like her congregation’s founder, she let it remind her of the inevitable and lead her into meditation on the life to come.
The young nun shared her reflections on Twitter, calling the experiment memento mori, Latin for “remember your death.”
Her followers responded with a surprising and growing interest in meditation on the last things, death, judgment, heaven, and hell.
The Daughters of St. Paul, who run Pauline Books and Media, realized this was a niche subject that people of faith (and some non-believers) were interested in. So, the Media Nuns got to work producing a memento mori-themed journal, Lenten devotional, and prayer book.
Sister Theresa Alethia Noble keeps a fake skull on her desk to remind her of death. (Pexels)
They sold 900 copies of the journal and devotional combo in nine days.
That was a few years ago, and now the sisters are gearing up to release another resource on the same theme, Memento Mori: An Advent Companion on the Last Things.
“Advent means nothing without recognizing that Jesus came to save us from death,” said Sister Noble. “Jesus was born to die so that we may live. Remembering this reality in light of our death can change lives.”
Keeping a skull on one’s desk, or on one’s mind, “is a powerful way to grow in hope and joy in the face of our inevitable death.”
The sisters plan to release the Advent companion in October, but times have been tough for their media ministry. The Daughters of St. Paul report their missionary income has dropped by 40 per cent as a result of the pandemic, making it challenging to publish their latest projects, including the Advent companion.
They have launched a Kickstarter campaign to help publish some of their latest work. They hope to raise $80,000 to support the printing costs associated with the new memento mori resource.
Pauline Books and Media runs a dozen bookstores in locations across the U.S. and Canada. The sisters produce physical and digital resources on all manner of topics related to the Catholic faith. More information about the Daughters of St. Paul at daughtersofstpaul.ca.
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