Catholic Nuns Bring Back the Age-Old Practice of Meditation on Death

In 2017, Sister Theresa Aletheia Noble, FSP put a skull on her desk and began meditating on her death every day. She did this in imitation of Blessed James Alberione, the founder of her congregation of Catholic religious sisters, the Daughters of St. Paul. When Sr. Theresa Aletheia shared about her journey on social media with the hashtag #memento mori, Latin for “remember your death.”

Memento mori or “remember your death” is a phrase long associated with the practice of remembering the unpredictable and inevitable end of one’s life. The spiritual practice of memento mori and the symbols and sayings associated with it were particularly popular in the medieval church. But the tradition of remembering one’s death is far more ancient and rooted in Scripture.

When interest in the practice of meditation on death grew as a result of Sister Theresa Aletheia’s ministry, the Daughters of St. Paul began to wonder how they could better help people to integrate this life-changing practice into their lives. Through their publishing house, Pauline Books & Media, the sisters produced several resources by Sister Theresa Aletheia around memento mori including a journal, a Lenten devotional, and a prayer book.

Now, the sisters are excited to announce Sister Theresa Aletheia’s latest project: Memento Mori: An Advent Companion on the Last Things to be released in October of 2021. Since the sisters have experienced a 40% decline in their missionary income as a result of the pandemic, they have taken to Kickstarter to raise seed funds for some of their latest projects. For this campaign, the sisters hope to raise $80,000 to support the printing and costs associated with the project. More information can be found about their efforts at tinyurl.com/MementoMoriAdvent

The Daughters of St. Paul are excited to bring back this traditional meditation on the Last Things during Advent because the sisters believe it’s a powerful way to grow in hope and joy in the face of our inevitable death. Sister Theresa Aletheia shared, “Advent means nothing without recognizing that Jesus came to save us from death. Jesus was born to die so that we may live. Remembering this reality in light of our death can change lives.”

About The Daughters of Saint Paul

The Daughters of Saint Paul is a Roman Catholic international congregation of religious sisters founded in 1915 in Italy. Books & Media is an apostolic ministry of the Daughters of Saint Paul. Pauline Books & Media runs a dozen bookstores in locations in the United States and Canada. For more information on The Daughters of Saint Paul and Pauline Books & Media, please contact Sr. Danielle Victoria Lussier, FSP at (617) 676-4475.