November is the month dedicated to remembering and praying for the Faithful Departed, our brothers and sisters who have gone before us marked with the
sign of faith. If you have not as yet done so, please enter departed loved ones’names in our Book of the Dead located near the baptismal pool. We will include all those inscribed in the book at the intercessions at daily Mass throughout the month. One of the prayers at the conclusion of the Last Farewell at a funeralliturgy is: “(Lord), in the sight of this world, (they) are now dead. In your sight, may (they) live forever!” This prayer holds before us the reality of their death, but alsoexpresses our hope for them
At the conclusion of the funeral liturgy, a family member of the deceased places a cross inscribed with the name, date of death, and age of their loved one on the Memorial Board in the back of church. The cross remains on the board until thenext All Souls’ Day, November 2, when the cross is returned to the family at a
special Service of Remembrance. The board with its crosses is a reminder for us throughout the year to pray for our departed members and their families, and to offer our supportto those in our parish grieving the recent loss of a loved one. It is also a reminder that the departed are still part of our parish community, joining us for prayer from their place in heaven.Death cannot separate us from God’s love, or from our love for each other.
This is a good opportunity to acknowledge and thank those
of our parish community who are part of our grief ministry,supporting families at the time of death. This includes thosewho lead Wake Services at the funeral home on the eve of
the funeral; the members of our Funeral Luncheon teams,
the adults who serve Funeral Masses and coordinate the involvement of family in the service, and members of ourResurrection Choir. These wonderful people are always calledupon to serve with little notice, and represent our entire parishin comforting those who grieve. We also thank the staffs ofour local Funeral Homes who serve our families with great dedication.
Blessings, Fr. Ron