David Morrell

Born and raised in Kitchener, now living in New Mexico, David’s first novel First Blood became the basis for the 1982 movie of the same name starring Sylvester Stallone. Since then, 35 more of his novels have appeared on bookstore shelves. He is considered “the father of the modern action novel.”

In the late 1950s and early 1960s, when I was a student at St. Jerome’s High School and later at St. Jerome’s College, my friends and I always celebrated Christmas Eve by going to midnight mass. It took place at a small chapel on the top floor of the residence section of St. Jerome’s.

Many of the priests lived there. One was extremely elderly, but he mustered his energy every Christmas Eve and said Mass at midnight.

My friends and I, along with a few other priests, would be the only people there. We always regretted that so few seemed to know about this tradition. To us, it was a magical ritual. And with each Christmas passing, we wondered if he would survive to say another Christmas Eve mass.

All these years later, the memories of his faint voice drifting back through the dimly lit chapel remain strong. Quiet, elegant and profound, they never fail to bring a feeling of peace and serenity to me 50 years later.