November is a time for remembering and praying for our loved ones who have gone before us and whose loss we feel. It is a time when we are particularly conscious of those in our parish who are grieving and all those families who have lost loved ones in the past year.

We mark this time of year in our Catholic tradition with events like the blessing of the graves, the celebration of remembrance services as well as commemorating All Saints’ and All Souls’ Day.

Our schedule of Masses for these two days are the following:

November 1, Solemnity of All the Saints:  9:00 am and 7:00 pm
November 2, Feast of All Souls: 9:00 am and 7:00 pm

We will create a sacred space within the church, an Altar for the Dead, and it will be left in place for the whole month of November. Please submit a small framed photo of your loved one to be displayed.

Belief in the resurrection of the dead is an essential part of Christian revelation. It implies a particular understanding of the ineluctable mystery of death. Death is the end of our earthly life, but ‘not of our existence’ according to St Ambrose since the soul is immortal. ‘Our lives are measured by time, in the course of which we change, grow old and, as with all living beings on earth, death seems like the normal end of life’ (CCC, 1007). Seen from the perspective of the faith, ‘death is the end of man’s earthly pilgrimage, of the time of grace and mercy which God offers him so as to work out his earthly life in keeping with the divine plan, and to decide his ultimate destiny’ (CCC, 1013).

Death is the passage to the fullness of true life. Death is the prolongation, in a new way, of life as the liturgy says: “For your faithful, O Lord, life has changed not ended; while our earthly dwelling is destroyed, a new and eternal dwelling is prepared for us in Heaven” (Roman Missal, Preface). The death of a Christian is an event of grace, having as it does, a positive value and significance in Christ and through Christ. According to the faith of the Church, ‘to die in Christ’ begins at baptism. In Baptism, the Lord’s disciples sacramentally die in Christ so as to live a new life.

From the earliest days of the Christian religion, the Church has honored with great respect the memory of the dead. The whole month of November is an interesting time of prayer in the Church as it is filled with many important feast days.

Someone said that we die twice, our physical death, and when no one remembers us. Let us remember our departed loved ones that their memory will continue to be etched in our hearts until we meet them again in the presence of our Lord.