Religious Education
November: Month of the Holy Souls
In the Catholic tradition, November is traditionally a month of remembrance of the dead. The month begins with the Solemnity of All Saints on 1 November and the Commemoration of the All the Faithful Departed (All Souls’ Day), on 2 November. While no longer holy days of obligation in Australia, the Church has consistently encouraged prayers for the faithful departed and, during November, a list of the names of the dead is usually placed in the church so that the community can remember them in prayer.
Saying goodbye is always hard and often sad. The feast of All Souls’ Day gives us, as Catholics, the opportunity to remember and pray for the dead. This year, the day has weighted significance with the passing of our former school principal and 2 members of our teaching staff. When we unite together in prayer we celebrate that death is not the end for those who believe in Christ, but rather the beginning of eternal and unmitigated joy.
In November we are encouraged to pray for those who have gone before us, family and friends. However, it does not end there for we are asked also to pray for those who may have no one to pray for them. In this way we are joined to others in the Christian family and reminded that we are a wide community united in our belief in Jesus and his Resurrection. Those in purgatory cannot pray for themselves but one day they may be able to pray for us when we are in the same position. Perhaps this is why Pope St John XXIII wrote "The devotion to the memory of the dead is one of the most beautiful expressions of the Catholic spirit".
In keeping with that tradition, a memorial book will be kept at school throughout this month and students and families are invited to contribute names of people they wish to commemorate.
They will be prayed for in communal prayer each week at our whole school assembly.
Should you wish to add a loved one’s name to the book, please forward their name to your child’s class teacher.
Kathryn Ady
Religious Education Leader