Please join our Halloween Triduum
October 31-November 2

We'll gather a few pictures of friends and loved ones who have died, and pray for them daily for three days, October 31-November 2. It is a wonderful way to remember that Halloween does, indeed, have roots in Christian celebrations, and is part of the remembrance of all saints and all faithful departed souls. The U.S. Council of Catholic Bishops recommends this prayer for the dead (Click here for prayer).

A little background on Halloween:
On October 31st we celebrate Halloween, or All Hallows' Eve, the vigil of All Saints' Day. It was originally a pagan remembrance of the dead at a time when the harvest had been completed and the world seemed barren. Around the 8th century Christians adopted the celebration and transformed it into a festival of prayer and joy. In England children went from door to door and begged for "soul cakes." When they received the treat they promised to pray for the dead of the household. This is a custom that could benefit our modern world!

We've recently had deaths among friends and family members. Discussing death and attending funerals has led to some wonderful family discussions, including one we have not addressed recently:

Corporal and Spiritual Works of Mercy
 

These lovely candles are  available for purchase through Wolfe's Baldwin Brass Center Ordering candles from this link  financially supports this site. Thank you!

Use your green candle Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday, and Saturday to celebrate Ordinary Time.

• Sunday, November 2 use a white candle for the commemoration of all the faithful departed, also known as All Souls' Day.
   

• Tuesday, November 4 use your white candle for the memorial of St. Charles Borromeo, a bishop who was active in Rome making sure the reforms of the Council of Trent (following the Protestant Reformation) were carried out. He is now the patron saint of seminarians.

Prepare for the Feast of Our Lord Jesus Christ the King!

We're preparing for the end of our Church year, the Feast of Christ the King, on November 23, 2008. To celebrate this past year and the glory and kingship of Christ, we are reviewing the Christ the King novena. It all begins on Friday, November 14, 2008. Mark your calendars - we'd love for you to join us! (Learn the novena prayer)

Hope in Difficult Times

Usually we celebrate Sunday as the most important day of the week. It supercedes other memorial celebrations. Occasionally, though, there is a day so special we celebrate the liturgy of the memorial instead of the usual Sunday celebration. This week we experience one of those special days - the commemoration
of all the faithful departed, also known as All Souls' Day.

The first reading is from the book of Wisdom, which was written about one hundred years before the birth
of Christ. The author was an Egyptian Jew who, with his fellow Egyptian Jews, was oppressed, often at the hands of his own neighbors. The message from this reading reminds us that earthly sufferings are temporary. Those who have gone before us in faith are at peace.

The second reading is from St. Paul's letter to the Romans. The celebrant may select either passage, but both sum up the same important message - Christ died for us so we can rise with Him. It des not get more basic than that.

John's Gospel, too, is full of hope for our future. Christ will give us eternal life. So many family and friends have suffered and died over the past year. The readings this Sunday offer comfort and hope in difficult times.
 

Lectionary readings for the 31st Week of Ordinary Time: