Praying for All Souls

Funerals are difficult, even with our faith and hope in life eternal.  Yet we "move on" as they say, eventually arriving at a comfortable level of inner peace, believing for sure that "the souls of the just are in the hands of God and no torment shall affect them". (Wisdom 3:1)  In its wisdom over the centuries, the Church has set aside this day and this month to urge us to REMEMBER and to PRAY for those who have gone "to the other side," for even with the best of intentions and the depth of our love for our deceased, our memories of them can fade, and as generations pass, ancestors can be completely forgotten.  So we take this time to call to mind our faithful departed and pray that their journey to God, if not complete already, might be helped by our prayers.  Catholic belief includes a time for purification, for readying to stand before God face to face.  Purgatory is the name given to this stage of the journey and Masses for the happy repose of these souls are offered for all souls and in particular for those written on envelopes or in Books of the Dead, a custom growing in popularity.  Central Catholic has made it possible to e-mail the names of deceased members of our families through a link on our website:  www.centralcacholic.net. These names are written in a book which is placed in our chapel and which will be used at the Marist Nite Mass on November 7th at the Brothers Residence at 12 Sheridan Street.  In addition to this opportunity, it is our family duty to pray daily for the souls of all the faithful departed during the whole month, as busy as it can get.  Let us be in tune with our Church and our loved ones during this month of the Holy Souls.
Bro. Rene