Dear Parishioners:
The month of November begins Monday, and our thoughts turn toward Purgatory and the holy souls who dwell there for a time, expiating their faults. As is our custom, we keep by our Altar of Sacrifice in Church the names of deceased family members and other loved ones inscribed on All Souls Day envelopes. These souls are faithfully remembered at each Mass offered during the month of November. Therefore, we invite you to return, before November 1, your All Souls envelopes with the names of your loved ones who are deceased. We happily include these souls in this great benefit of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass for their speedy release and eternal peace.
Our Catholic faith teaches us that death is not the end of our story. From the moment that He created humanity, God desired that we should be with Him for eternity. Even after Adam and Eve turned away from God in the garden, thus introducing death into the world, the Lord did not abandon that desire. To make this eternal union with Him possible once again, He sent His Son, Jesus Christ, into the world to restore that link that had been lost. Through His death and resurrection, He has reconciled us to Him and has allowed us to share that destiny of eternal glory that He intended from the beginning.
If our relationship with Jesus is meant to continue after earthly death, the same is true of our relationship with all other members of the Body of Christ. As Catholics, our relationship with Jesus is not purely individual. It is corporate. We encounter Him in our membership in the Church, united with one another in the bond of our common faith. The bond that unites us is more powerful than death, and it continues after we die, which requires that we have faith to see beyond what seems to be the end. Our praying for the dead expresses our belief in the power of that bond and unites us with the faithful, both living and dead.
All Saints Day, Monday, November 1, is a day on which we call to mind those souls who, after dying, have received their reward in Heaven. They remain united to us by interceding for us before the throne of God as we make our way through this life.
On All Souls Day, Tuesday, November 2, we remember all the faithful departed especially those in Purgatory. They spend eternity with Christ and are united in a bond of love with Him at the time of their death. However, they still bear some of the remnants of their previous sins. In His rich mercy and great desire to extend His victory to those who die in this way, God has made possible a state whereby one is purified of these traces of sin. Thus they may be worthy of joining the company of saints cleansed of any residue that may have been clinging to them from their journey of life.
In this state of Purgatory, the faithful departed depend on our prayers, Masses and sacrifices to aid them in this process. So we gladly offer our prayers for them in various ways, individually and collectively. But, unfortunately, many people in our culture today dismiss this important practice of our faith. Many would like to assume that their loved ones have gone to Heaven and therefore see no need to pray for the repose of their souls. Yet to offer prayers for the dead is in no way a lack of hope on our part, but rather an expression of true love for them and a firm trust in God's infinite mercy.
November is dedicated to the Poor Souls in Purgatory, let us offer many prayers, Rosaries, Masses and sacrifices for those who await their entrance into Heaven. May we be especially mindful of the profound assistance provided to those souls each time we come to Mass.
All Saints Day is not a holy day of obligation this year as it falls on a Monday. However, there are two Masses, 7:30 am, and a 9:00 am School Mass. Following the school Mass, we will bless the new statue of St. Joseph on the school's front lawn.
On All Souls Day, we have three Masses scheduled: 7:30 am, 9:00 am, and Noon. The OLM Middle School students will process to St. Patrick's Cemetery after the 9:00am Mass on All Souls Day as we pray for, and remember, our beloved dead who rest in that sacred ground.
Be well. Stay safe. Do good. God Bless. Go Pats!!!!