Parish News
In November, we remember
November is the last month in the season of spring in some parts of the Southern Hemisphere. A season of new life and regrowth. In Australia, November is always remembered for the Melbourne Cup in Flemington with an extended celebration of the winning Horse and this year is: Verry Elleegant and Rememberance Day on November 11th at 11am.
In this season of new life, and during this month of November, the Church,celebrates the triumph of God’s Grace in the Saints on the 1st, giving thanks for their courageous witness, and dedicates time to praying for the dead on the 2nd. The practice of honoring the saints and remembering the departed souls has been part of the ancient tradition of the Church, enshrined in the Canon of the Eucharist.
All Saints Day is intended to honour the memory of countless, known, unknown and uncanonized saints who have no designated feast days in the Liturgical Calendar. During the Feast, we unite with the church in heaven to give thanks to God for a share in His Beatific Vision, the reward for their Faith. In observing the feast, we are invited to honour the saints, by imitating their virtuous lives and seeking their intercession before Christ, the only mediator between God and humanity (I Tm 2:5).
In Commemorating All Souls on November 2nd, the Church invites the baptized to remember the Dead, and to offer prayers for those who have gone before us, to find respite in God’s presence. It is a day specially set apart that we may remember and pray for our dear ones who have gone for their eternal reward and who are currently in a state of ongoing purification in purgatory.
The Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC # 1032) recommends prayer for the deceased in conjunction with the offering of the Eucharistic Sacrifice. Pope Leo XIII in his encyclical, Mirae caritatis (1902), states, "The grace of mutual love among the living, strengthened and increased by the Sacrament of the Eucharist, flows, especially by virtue of the Sacrifice [of the Mass], to all who belong to the Communion of Saints. The Catechism also encourages almsgiving, indulgences, and works of penance undertaken on behalf of the dead. All these acts are to be exercised as matters of Faith, in the hope that those who sleep in peace will experience eternity in God’s presence and turn intercede for us.
However young or old we are, none of us is ever new to the experience of losing someone: Grandparents, parents, partners, spouses, siblings, children, friends, colleagues, neighbors, extended family members, acquaintances etc. We grieve their loss and honour their memories in different ways. We offer masses, light candles, visit burial sites, place roses, and pray the rosaries. In this November, let us remember them, lest we forget.
Fr Martins
Youth Ministry 2022
Do you want to be employed on a year of formation and mission? Become a Youth Minister in 2022 in the St Bernard’s community! For more information visit; cgyouth.org.au/youth-ministers or email; youth@cg.org.au