Local author: Families can reclaim the Lord’s Day

By Kim Roberts
Clarion Herald

What if we let Mass transform our entire Sunday? What would that be like in today’s world? 

These are just two of the questions posed by author Danny Fitzpatrick, editor of Joie de Vivre magazine and Jesuit High School English teacher, during a May 8 meeting at St. Francis Xavier Church in Metairie.

Fitzpatrick, 32, presented his newly released book, “Restoring the Lord’s Day: How Reclaiming Sunday Can Revive Our Human Nature” to the parish’s Adult Faith Formation group that meets every Wednesday evening for discussion and a meal.

Book premise

Several experiences and feelings led Fitzpatrick to write his book, such as the desire to have a more fulfilled sense of rest on the Sabbath.  

“Starting when I was a child, I had a sense of anxiety and sadness on Sundays and always felt that it wasn’t the feeling I should have,” Fitzpatrick said. “I knew that Sunday should be a day of rest and rejuvenation, and I had a desire to understand where that angst was coming from.”

Fitzpatrick chose to revisit his desire to learn more about the Sabbath during his undergraduate studies at the University of Dallas, and he wrote his thesis on the topic. His research focused on the history of the Sabbath and St. Thomas Aquinas’ teachings on sloth being an obstacle to fulfilling rest on Sunday. He also drew inspiration from Father Mike Schmitz’s “Bible in a Year” podcast. 

“I think almost everyone has had the experience of anxiousness on Sunday at some time in their lives,” Fitzpatrick said. “As a culture, we have gotten Sundays wrong and are really eager to explore ‘why and how did we get to where we are’ and ‘what can we do about it?’ I think people get really fascinated by the question ‘What can I do and not do on Sunday?’”

He told those gathered at St. Francis Xavier that he took inspiration from growing up in the Catholic culture of New Orleans as a jumping-off place for his book, which took about a year to complete.

NOLA roots

“In New Orleans, we are fortunate to have a cultural heritage that’s rhythmic and marked differently than other parts of the country,” Fitzpatrick said. “We have so many cultural events that we celebrate that are so closely parallel to the liturgical rhythm of the church like Mardi Gras or Easter traditions.”

He further explained that society has forgotten that joie de vivre and liturgical life are inexplicably intertwined, and we should awaken from our spiritual sloth on Sunday and participate fully in the Lord’s Day to attain happiness and avoid anxiety.

Fitzpatrick discussed topics from his book for the group discussion that followed, such as how to honor the Lord’s Day and reclaim the freedom to truly worship God; the noonday devil (sloth) and how to recognize and defeat him; and ways to reorder your Sunday activities to restore Sunday festivity and holiness.

Fitzpatrick said the discussion groups were a hit. 

“Everyone wanted to try to keep the Lord’s Day holy, and they talked about the struggles they have trying to do that,” he said. “They want Sunday to be more than a day to catch up on everything else from the rest of the week. We discussed ways to make this a day that we transform everything we do, a moment to participate in God’s providence for us.”

Fitzpatrick, a parishioner of St. Anthony of Padua in New Orleans, , thinks there is something about the commandment to keep the Lord’s Day holy that fascinates people and makes them eager to learn more about it.

“In today’s modern world, it is difficult to be in the present moment without distraction, and my book invites readers to realign their lives by returning to the tradition of Mass and reclaiming Sunday for the Lord,” he said.

Fitzpatrick will sign copies of his book on May 26 after 9:15 a.m. Mass at St. Patrick Church, 724 Camp St., New Orleans; and June 10 at 7 p.m. at Divine Mercy Church, 4337 Sal Lentini Pkwy., Kenner. The book can be purchased for $18.95 through Sophiainstitute.com or Amazon.com.

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