Come Home: In This Catholic Church

Laurie J. Schmitt reviews Maura Roan McKeegan's new picture book that fosters an awareness of the legacy of our faith.

Walking into a Catholic church gives me the feeling of coming home. The biblical scenes depicted in the stained-glass windows are treasured family stories. The statues of saints remind me that I am in the company of friends. The old wooden pews, worn with the prayers of generations, are treasured family heirlooms. In This Catholic Church, a picture book by Maura Roan McKeegan, fosters an awareness of this rich heritage and invites the reader to take part in this legacy of faith. 

As the reader opens the book, he enters into the Catholic church and is greeted by familiar things: a baptismal font, rows of church pews, and the long aisle leading to the altar where the silent sanctuary light flickers. An altar server tends to the candles while parishioners gather and settle in. The Illustrations, done by Ted Schluenderfritz, portray the people that make up the Body of Christ, including grandparents, moms and dads, brothers and sisters. People of different ethnic backgrounds fill the congregation, and among them, vocations of holy matrimony and religious life are represented, showing that the life of Christ is lived out in various ways in the world.

In This Catholic Church combines descriptive artwork with words that introduce individual persons, highlighting each one’s uniqueness and importance. I appreciate the attentiveness, the prayerful spirit, and reverence on the faces of the parishioners as they zero in on the actions of the priest at that altar as he makes present the Body of Christ in the Holy Eucharist. 

The storyline of In This Catholic Church is one that builds on repetition. Its predictable rhythm brings peace and comfort which contributes to the feeling of security, making this a perfect bedtime book, but this is also an excellent book for littles to bring with them to Mass. As they go through the pages, they'll be able to look up and around at the beautiful things in the church and begin to make a deeper connection. Just as important, they will also see in the faces and postures of the people a spirit of prayer and reverence, and realize that something special is happening here.  

The Church welcomes us. We are invited to join with others for mass on Sundays, holy days, and during our work week as we are able and to set aside some time to visit and pray before the Blessed Sacrament.   

Come in, come home. The Body of Christ welcomes you. Christ Himself waits for you. 

Ask for In This Catholic Church at your local Catholic bookseller, or order online from Amazon.com or the publisher, Our Sunday Visitor.

Copyright 2023 Laurie J. Schmitt
Images: Canva