Carol Luebering, a longtime author and editor for St. Anthony Messenger Press and other Catholic publishers, died Nov. 24 at the age of 75.

 

A Mass of Christian Burial was celebrated Dec. 1 at Bellarmine Chapel on the Xavier University campus. 

 

A native of Topeka, KS, Luebering began her writing career in the 1980s. For more than three decades she devoted much of her writing and personal ministry to providing comfort for the grieving. In more than three decades of writing for Catholic publishers that included Abbey Press, she shared her experience with dying and grief. Her last book for St. Anthony Messenger Press is Coping With Loss: Praying Your Way to Acceptance. Other titles included books on marriage, sacraments and grandparenting.

 

She worked for more than 18 years as a book editor for St. Anthony Messenger Press and contributed much as both editor and writer to the publishing house’s growth and success, said Franciscan Father Dan Kroger, CEO/publisher. 

 

“Carol had a vast general knowledge of history, theology and the arts, and she had practical experience in pastoral ministry that she brought to editing our books. She also contributed as a writer to St. Anthony Messenger magazine, Catholic Update newsletter, and as writer-editor of Homily Helps. Her legacy as a catechist and pastoral minister is huge.”

 

As a member of St. Antoninus Church, Luebering helped establish a bereavement ministry there and later worked in bereavement ministry at Bellarmine. She was also a former member of the Cincinnati Archdiocesan Commission on Worship.

 

“Carol was such a compassionate person, both in person and in her writings,” said Linus Mundy, publisher of Abbey Press. “I am proud to have enrolled her as one of our ‘charter’ authors as we started the CareNotes program in 1987. She wrote more CareNotes than anyone else, and for one very good reason: she understood people’s grief and hardship. She was not one to whisk away the pain of her readers with a simple turn of a phrase. Rather, she first and foremost communicated her deep compassion and empathy for the individual. Her CareNotes have been read and shared by millions upon millions of readers — and will continue to bring healing to millions more for years to come. The world is so much more filled with love and care and compassion because of Carol and her generous, energetic, love-filled spirit.”

 

Luebering is survived by her husband of 54 years, Jack; her son, Steve; daughters Anne Mohl of Baltimore, Joan Luebering and Mary Sullivan of Cincinnati and Kay Riolo of Fresno, CA; and her sister, Patricia Corning, of Chicago.