On November 1st, the Catholic Church celebrates the feast of All Saints in order to honor all those who have been rewarded with beatific vision, both known and unknown. The next day November 2nd, All Souls’ Day is celebrated, on which traditionally people visit the cemeteries and remember their dear ones.
The celebration of All Saints’ Day and All Souls Day comes from a belief that there is a spiritual bond between those in heaven, those in purgatory and those living on earth. By recalling those in heaven and those in purgatory, we not only renew our bond, but also unite ourselves spiritually praying and interceding for favor.
The origin of the feast of All Saints Day goes back to 7th Century, when Pope Boniface IV dedicated the Pantheon in Rome on May 13, 609 in honor of the Virgin Mary and all Martyrs. Though the celebration of this feast was limited only to Rome, in 837 Pope Gregory IV made All Saints Day a universal feast to be celebrated on Nov.1st. Every one of us, who are baptized in Christ, are called to attain the beatific vision. We are invited to remember on this day, in a particular way, our call to become Saints and strive towards it by living in union with Jesus Christ. Let us look at the various statues of the Saints in our Church and seek for their intercession for our blessed life after death.
While celebrating All Souls Day on November 2nd, let us remember all the faithful departed, who are believed to be in purgatory. We believe that our prayers will help cleanse these souls, in order to fit them for the beatific vision of God in heaven. In our Parish we have the tradition to celebrate a special Mass for all the souls and pray for the deceased members of our parish. Please come and join with the family members and pray for their eternal reward. May the souls of the departed through the mercy of God rest in peace. If time permits, let us also visit the cemeteries of our dear ones, recall their fond memories and thank God for the gift of their presence in our life.
God bless you
Fr. Arul Joseph V.
Nov. 2 Mass for All Souls: 11:00 am, St. Peter Parish
THIS MASS WILL ALSO BE LIVE-STREAMED
The video stream is scheduled to begin approximately 5 minutes before the start of mass. If you are here more than 5 minutes before mass begins, you may see a message that says the video is unavailable or that you don’t have permission to view. Please refresh your web browser right before the start of the mass to clear the message. The live stream should appear. If not, please click on the Facebook link below the video and you will be taken to the Parish Facebook Video page. You do not need a Facebook account to view, and you can click not now to create an account message. You should see the live stream there and be able to click the video to bring it into focus.
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