In Roman Catholicism, All Souls Day is traditionally a day for commemoration of all the faithful departed.
At St. Isidore, we take this time to invite the families of those individuals for whom we have celebrated funeral liturgies this year to come together once again to remember their loved ones in community prayer and worship together.
Each family is invited back into the church to receive a special memorial candle as well as the memorial cross with their loved one’s name from on our Wall of Remembrance.
Our All Souls Service of Remembrance features songs, prayers and scriptures to lift those who are mourning the loss of their loved ones and help support them in their grief.
Memorial candles are lit and placed on the sanctuary steps as each family arrives where they remain burning throughout the entire service. A litany of names including each of the deceased is read during which time a special votive candle is also lit near the tabernacle for each person. These votive candles will remain burning in the sanctuary throughout the month of November as a reminder for us to continue to pray for those who have lost loved ones this year. With the holidays approaching, even grief that was beginning to subside can sometimes return in the realization of the first Thanksgiving and Christmas with that empty chair at the family table.
