Religion and Parish News
A Prayer for families to pray together on All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day
Lord God, Father of all love,
We thank You for the communion of saints that unites us with those who have gone before us.
We commend our departed relatives to Your merciful love,
trusting that our prayers and the sacrifice of the Mass aid their purification.
Through the intercession of the blessed saints,
grant them the fullness of Your peace and grant us the grace to follow their holy example.
We ask the Blessed Virgin Mary to obtain for our loved ones the vision of Your glory and to keep our family united in faith.
May this prayer be a work of mercy that draws us ever nearer to the “communion of saints” promised to all believers.
Through Christ our Lord, we place these petitions before You,
confident in Your infinite mercy.
Amen.
All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day
November in the Catholic tradition is a month of remembrance of the dead. To begin this, All Saints’ Day is celebrated on the 1st, and All Souls’ Day on the 2nd. These are not nationally recognised holidays and are no longer holy days of obligation in Australia, but the Church continues to encourage prayers of the faithful for the departed during this time.
All Saints’ Day is celebrated on the 1st of November, it is the Church’s special day to honor every saint who is already with Jesus in heaven. The Church teaches that all those who lived holy lives belong to the “communion of saints,” a spiritual family that includes us on earth. In the Mass the Church prays the Collect that asks God to “grant us the joy of sharing in the heavenly company of the saints” and the readings remind us that a great multitude of saints from every nation are already praising God.
All Souls’ Day follows on and is celebrated on the 2nd of November and is a day of prayer for all the faithful who have died but are not yet in the full vision of God. Catholic teaching says that many souls are in Purgatory, being purified before they can see God forever, and that our prayers, especially the sacrifice of the Mass, help them. The Collect of the Mass asks God to “grant them eternal rest and perpetual light” and to bring them to the joy of heaven.
Both feasts show the same truth: the living, the souls in Purgatory, and the saints in heaven are all part of one great family. The Catechism explains that by remembering the saints we give glory to Christ, and by praying for the departed we participate in the same communion of love.
Important Dates:
St Francis Xavier’s Feast Day and Whole School End of Year Mass - 9:15 am, Wednesday the 3rd of December
Year 6 Graduation Mass - 5:30pm, Wednesday 10th of December
Term 4 Infants Liturgy - 9:15am, Friday 12th of December