Gina Cooley Harrington '09

In high school I was a frequent thorn in the side of my teachers. My teachers and coaches tried to intervene, but at fifteen (and regrettably still at eighteen) I was everything except reasonable.
 
Nevertheless, God was at work! Ten years after graduation, I’m now 28 and the mother of three. There are two lessons from Mount de Sales that still influence and guide me. These simple lessons touched a spirit as rebellious as mine:
 
  1. Freshman theology with Sister Mary Paul: Naming of the Articles of the Mass
  2. Senior morality with Duffy: “True freedom is the ability to know the truth and choose the good.”
 My first year at Mount de Sales I learned the articles of the Mass as a freshman. This lesson in nomenclature captivated me. I attended Catholic school and Mass my entire life, yet this was the first time I matched a name to the vessel that holds the Body of Christ—the ciborium. It confirmed truths in me that, before, I did not have words for. Sister’s simple lesson placed on my heart a love that continues to spiral today. In college, I became a sacristan. As a young mother, I attended daily Mass with my children. Ten years later, in 2018, it led me to my ministry with Light of Sunday.
 
Last year, my kids and I sat on the floor reading a baby’s first words book. Unexpectedly, I felt a flame! “We need a book like this for little ones,” I thought. A book like this, but beautiful… and no baby talk!” What if little ones didn’t have to wait to learn these things as I had?
 
Light of Sunday is a Montessori-inspired board book that uses mixed-media to teach over 40 articles of the Mass. It is my first book and part of a ministry that will continue to grow in His time and all for the Glory of God.
 
Today my husband and I raise our family in an A-frame in the snowy mountains of California. We spend our days skiing, hiking, and trying to keep ahead of one big crazy mess. We’re outnumbered, so you can imagine how that’s going.
 
MDSA kindled in me a love for the Truth that my parents and the reception of the Sacraments lit as a young child. MDSA was a safe place for me to learn the Truth and encounter God. (Christ is literally present smack dab in the middle of the MDSA community!) I will always cherish those years. Thank you for having faith in me!
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Mount de Sales Academy

Academic Excellence in the Catholic Tradition