Sub-title: Explore how six to carry the casket and one to say the mass blends Catholic tradition, queer identity, and personal storytelling to create a deeply relatable memoir.
In six to carry the casket and one to say the mass, author Bill Hulseman delivers more than a collection of essays—he opens the door to a thoughtful, nuanced conversation about identity, belonging, and transformation. Blending personal narrative with spiritual reflection, Hulseman explores how his Catholic upbringing and queer identity shaped his voice as a writer and as a person navigating faith, community, and authenticity.
Since its release, the book has resonated with a wide audience, from former churchgoers and LGBTQ+ individuals to spiritual seekers and fans of lyrical memoirs. Why? Because it’s not just about one man’s story—it’s about the shared human experience of reconciling complex identities and learning to speak truthfully about who we are.
A Memoir Built on Layers
Rather than presenting a linear life story, Hulseman structures his memoir as a series of essays that explore distinct yet interconnected moments. Each piece offers a vignette—of childhood rituals, awkward teenage years, heartbreak, religious formation, and personal revelation. What emerges is a layered portrait of a man who is both grounded in tradition and unafraid to question it.
These essays are not nostalgic nods to the past. They are alive with introspection, curiosity, and courage. Hulseman moves between memories of Catholic school and reflections on queer love, often placing them in conversation with one another. In doing so, he invites readers to consider how faith, family, and sexuality can coexist—messily, beautifully, and honestly.
This blend of spiritual and personal storytelling is a big reason why the book is connecting with so many readers. For those who grew up in religious households but have since evolved in their beliefs or identities, six to carry the casket offers a voice of understanding and hope.
The Power of Ritual and Reclamation
One of the book’s recurring themes is ritual—not just the ones Hulseman inherited from Catholic tradition, but also the ones he created for himself as a means of healing and transformation. He explores how funerals, liturgies, and private acts of remembrance can help individuals process grief and make sense of their lives.
But Hulseman does more than recount rituals; he reimagines them. Whether it’s blessing a departing colleague with words of gratitude or redefining what it means to “carry the casket” emotionally and spiritually, he uses ritual as a tool for reclaiming agency and meaning.
For many readers, this redefinition is deeply liberating. In a world that often encourages us to separate the spiritual from the personal, Hulseman shows that the two are intimately intertwined. His work reminds us that we don’t have to choose between tradition and authenticity—we can integrate them in ways that reflect our full selves.
Queer Identity at the Center
What sets Hulseman’s book apart from other spiritual memoirs is his clear and unapologetic embrace of queer identity. He does not write around his queerness; he writes through it. This orientation shapes not only the content of his stories but also the lens through which he approaches faith, relationships, and selfhood.
His perspective is neither bitter nor overly idealistic. Rather, it’s grounded in honesty and tenderness. Hulseman acknowledges the pain of exclusion and the struggles of navigating identity in conservative spaces, but he also celebrates the beauty, joy, and strength found in queer community and queer spirituality.
For LGBTQ+ readers, this can feel like a homecoming. For straight or cisgender readers, it offers a window into an experience that is both unique and universally human—filled with questions about love, purpose, family, and God.
Why It Matters Now
The cultural conversation around faith, identity, and belonging is more urgent than ever. With increasing polarization in politics and religion, people are searching for ways to hold space for complexity and contradiction. Hulseman’s essays do exactly that. They don’t offer easy answers or final conclusions. Instead, they offer permission—to question, to grieve, to change, and to hope.
His writing style—clear, poetic, reflective—mirrors the emotional journey he invites readers to take. Whether discussing church politics or a quiet moment at a family gathering, he writes with care and precision, honoring the weight of memory and the sacredness of storytelling.
A Book for the Soul
In the end, six to carry the casket and one to say the mass is not just a memoir. It’s a mirror for anyone who has ever wrestled with who they are, where they come from, and how they want to live moving forward. It’s a book about identity, yes—but also about grace, resilience, and the quiet rituals that carry us when words fall short.
Readers looking for spiritual memoirs, queer narratives, or books that explore identity with honesty and heart will find a powerful companion in Bill Hulseman’s work.
To learn more about Bill Hulseman and his writing, visit www.billhulseman.com.
