THE SAINTS AND THE SUNDAY GOSPELS

By Fr. Arthur Tonne

"Today we behold the stairway to heaven. At its head stands Christ beckoning us to follow. On the steps are His saints, inspiring us to take the steps that lead to Christ and happiness. May our Lord and His saints help us to mount the Holy Stairs of the beatitudes, that we may join Him at its summit." (Extract from Feast of All Saints)

This compilation by Fr. Arthur Tonne is unique. Published originally in 1952, as its title suggests (The Saints and the Sunday Gospels), this work juxtaposes the Saints of the Roman Catholic Church with the Sunday Gospels read during the traditional Liturgical Year of the Roman Rite.

Fr. Tonne’s intense knowledge of the Latin Church’s saintly role call is apparent by his apt comparison of each Saint to the Sunday Gospel, even utilizing some of the heavenly blessed lesser known to the average Catholic.

Each story—58 in all—is prefaced with an extract from the Sunday Gospel, and from this theme Fr. Tonne develops a story related to the chosen saint, whose name and feast day is also given.

In addition to the usual Sunday Gospels of the Liturgical Year, those of the feasts of New Year Day, the Lord’s Ascension, Good Friday, and All Saints Day have been included.

192 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.