The Meal that Reconnects

In The Meal that Reconnects, Dr. Mary McGann, RSCJ, invites readers to a more profound appreciation of the sacredness of eating, the planetary interdependence that food and the sharing of food entails, and the destructiveness of the industrial food system that is supplying food to tables globally. She presents the food crisis as a spiritual crisis-a call to rediscover the theological, ecological, and spiritual significance of eating and to probe its challenge to Christian eucharistic practice. Drawing on the origins of Eucharist in Jesus's meal fellowship and the worship of early Christians, McGann invites communities to reclaim the foundational meal character of eucharistic celebration while offering pertinent strategies for this renewal.

Mary E. McGann, RSCJ, is adjunct associate professor of liturgical studies at the Jesuit School of Theology (Santa Clara University) and the Graduate Theological Union, Berkeley, California. Her recent research and writing focus on the global water and food crises, the challenges these present to Christian worship and sacramental practice, and the need to pursue a deep liturgical renewal that honors and acknowledges our planetary interdependence. McGann is author of several articles and three books, including award winning A Precious Fountain: Music in the Worship of an African American Catholic Community (Liturgical Press, 2004).