This stained glass image of Mother Lurana is located at St. Stephen First Martyr Catholic Church in Warwick, New York, her birthplace.
During the month of April, we celebrate the life of Mother Lurana White, co-founder of the Society of the Atonement with Fr. Paul Wattson, SA, Servant of God, as well as her transition into eternal life. In April 2019, we also celebrate the Centennial of the church’s recognition of Mary under the title Our Lady of the Atonement. While Fr. Paul initiated the use of the title Our Lady of the Atonement for the Society, Mother Lurana also had a deep and profound love for Our Lady of the Atonement as well as the faith that Christians would be united through the intercession of the Blessed Mother.
Mother Lurana, co-founder of the Society of the Atonement
Mother Lurana was fervent in her prayers to Our Lady of the Atonement, as well as a gifted teacher and writer working to inspire others to Marian devotion. In fact, the very first publication of the Society of the Atonement was edited and produced by the Sisters, and was called Rose Leaves from Our Lady’s Garden at Graymoor. It was a 16-page booklet that measured 5 inches by 3 inches, and the very first edition was dedicated to promoting the title Our Lady of the Atonement above all other titles for the Blessed Mother. In an excerpt from a later May 1903 publication, Mother Lurana directed: “First, I would suggest that before you begin a decade of the Rosary you pause a moment to remember, and to make an act of the Presence of God; to realize also that Our Lady is not too far off to hear you, but, like the Dear Mother she is, lends ever an attentive ear to her children’s words of love or cries for help.”
Mother Lurana also compiled a Mass and Office for the Feast of Our Lady of the Atonement, but the effort to have them approved by the church extended beyond the days of her life. It was not until June 14, 1946, that the Sacred Congregation of Rites approved the Mass and Office of Our Lady of the Atonement for celebration on July 9th as a double of the first class.
Mother Lurana’s body is buried on the Graymoor grounds at a Shrine dedicated to Our Lady of the Atonement. As roses begin to bloom this spring, let all who love the Blessed Mother remember the beautiful way she was served by Mother Lurana and the Sisters of the Atonement.