FEASTS OF OUR LADY

Talks on Fifty Feasts of Mary Throughout the Year with Two Talks for Mother's Day

By Fr. Arthur Tonne

"Behold a feeble tribute to Our Blessed Mother, an effort to acquaint our people with some of her beauties and graces, her privileges and powers." With these introductory words, Fr. Arthur Tonne begins this wonderful book devoted to an explanation of the Marian feast days featured in the traditional Roman Missal and observed by some religious congregations or ecclesiastical regions.

Originally published in 1951 as a homiletic aide for priests, this book features 50 feasts of our Lady and 2 additional ones for Mother’s Day. Each chapter devoted to a feast of our Lady is written in Fr. Tonne’s engaging style of employing a short story to drive home a spiritual point (see the page images).

Fr. Tonne declares: "When we realize how good Mary has been to us and to the world, when we realize that she is a merciful, powerful and effective Advocate at the throne of God, we will pledge anew our loyalty to her." This can be accomplished by understanding and celebrating her feast days.

162 pages, softcover.

About the Author

Fr. Arthur Tonne penned numerous works, mostly comprising of homiletic aides for pastors.

His writings are noteworthy for an engaging style of story-telling to relate a spiritual point. Fr. Tonne was especially renowned for his humor and published several volumes of Jokes Priests Can Tell.

Born in 1904, he was ordained in 1932 as a priest for the Franciscan Order, fulfilling for several years the role of retreat master.

In 1951, he was incardinated into the Diocese of Wichita, Kansas, where among many other endeavors he served as the pastor at St. John Nepomucene Church in Pilsen, Kansas for nearly 38 years.

The tiny town of Pilsen was also the home of the heroic Army military chaplain of the Korean War, Fr. Emil Kapaun, who likewise served briefly as its pastor. In 1951, Fr. Kapaun died in a North Korean prison camp and it was Fr. Tonne who wrote the first biographical account about him. The book was entitled The Story of Chaplain Kapaun: Patriot Priest of the Korean Conflict—first published in 1954, it has recently been reprinted by the Didde Printing Company.

In 1960, Fr. Tonne was elevated to the rank of monsignor, though despite this ecclesiastical honor, he preferred to be simply called “Father”.After nearly 60 years of devoted priestly ministry, Msgr. Tonne retired in 1991 to a care-giving home in Carbondale, Colorado. On May 20, 2003 he died at the age of 98 and was buried in the parish cemetery at Pilsen. Requiescat in pace.