October 22, 2007   •   VOL. 45, NO. 18   •   Oakland, CA

‘I Am the Bread of Life’ composer
tells her story in new book
 

By Voice staff

In 1966 Mercy Sister Suzanne Toolan wrote the popular hymn “I Am the Bread of Life,” becoming one of the first composers to write music in English for the Church after Vatican II. Forty-one years later the hymn has been translated into 25 languages and performed in congregations around the world.

Sister Suzanne Toolan

Now, in collaboration with Elizabeth Dossa, director of communications for the Mercy Sisters Burlingame Region, Sister Suzanne is telling the story of her ministry of music and prayer in the new book, “I Am the Bread of Life,” (Crossroad Publishing). The book’s publication coincides with the celebration of Sister Suzanne’s 80th birthday on Oct. 24.

In the book she shares the story behind her most famous composition and introduces an original hymn “I Will Sing of Your Faithfulness,” never before published. She talks about ritual, silence and prayer and offers glimpses into her life as a woman religious and her spiritual journey as a teacher, composer and retreat leader.

Born in Lansing, Michigan, she was an organist and pianist when she joined the Mercy Sisters in Burlingame in 1950. While still a novice, she began teaching chorale at Mercy High School on the Burlingame campus.

During the summers she continued her music studies which included composition work at Michigan State University, liturgical study at the University of Notre Dame, and choral work with Robert Shaw at San Diego State University. She received an MA from San Francisco State.

She wrote “I Am the Bread of Life” for a music educators’ conference in 1966. Commenting on Sister Suzanne’s accomplishments during her 50-plus years as a composer and choral director, John Renke, choirmaster of San Francisco’s Schola Cantorum, said, “People most successful in religious life don’t fit into a mold. They understand how to draw on religious life to be themselves.”

In 1982, Sister Suzanne led the transformation of the Sisters’ novitiate into Mercy Center, a retreat and spirituality center, and introduced Taizé Prayer to the West Coast in 1983.

A special acknowledgment Mass and book signing open to the public will be held on Sunday, Nov. 11 at Mercy Center in Burlingame. All who have sung with Sister Suzanne in school or in the Mercy community are invited to sing at the Mass with a 10:30 a.m. rehearsal. The book signing immediately follows the 11:15 a.m. Mass. For information call (650) 340-7480.

The book ($16.95 paperback) is available through www.mercy-center.org/osc and at online and local book stores.

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