November - Month of the Holy Souls
Bouquets and Flowers For Every Event...
This information is intended for parents of school-age children and teachers who are imparting Religious Education within a Catholic school environment.
PASTORAL NOTES FOR NOVEMBER
The contents of these documents are related to the present day teaching of the Catholic Church in relation to Doctrine, Liturgy and Catholic practices. There are also special sections on Catholic Marriage and arranging a funeral in the Catholic Church.
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From the times of the earliest Christian communities records exist showing that there was a very definite tradition to pray for the dead. In the Old Testament, too, we have evidence of praying for the dead (cf II Machabees, xii, 40-46 ). This tradition to pray for the dead has developed over the centuries right down to the present day when Catholic communities all over the world set aside the month of November to pray for their dead.
Death is a fact of life we are all faced with, although the circumstances may vary. All of us experience the death of someone close to us at some time, together with the grieving or sorrow that follows. This will vary in time and intensity from person to person.
Whether death is sudden or expected, it is normal to experience feelings of loss, shock, disbelief, anger, guilt, depression or simply sadness. The circumstances of death and the age of the deceased will have bearings on the intensity and ability to deal with bereavement.
Arranging a funeral can bring added pressure and stress at a time of personal loss. Here we give some guidelines and advice for arranging a funeral within the Catholic Church - they are by no means exclusive.
1. The first reading is taken from the Old Testament. Each reading also has an accompanying psalm, and together they form a "package deal".
2. The second reading is taken from the New Testament.
3. The gospel reading is also taken from the New Testament, and it may be chosen either by the priest or by the family. This may be discussed by the family with the priest who will preside the funeral liturgy.
4. The family is invited to designate two persons to read the first two readings, one reading each. If the psalm is to be read, not sung, then the family may pick a third person to read it. The psalm may be sung by a cantor, who may lead the congregation to sing a response.
5. The priest or an assisting deacon will proclaim the gospel. Cantor, choir or people will sing/say the Alleluia Verse
6. Once you have selected your readings, please let the priest know the readings which have been chosen, as well as the names of those who will be doing the readings.
Visit section on arranging a funeral
1st November - Feast of All Saints
“The day before All Saints is called Halloween in the secular world. The name is Christian, Halloween means the eve of All Hallows, the eve of All Saints, but that is the only Christian element in it. All the rest that accompanies Halloween is of pagan origin so it goes back to the time before Christianity. It was a pagan Celtic feast. They believed that after sunset on Samhain, which we now called Halloween, the spirits of the dead and evil spirits roamed the skies seeking to harm humans, especially if the dead had been harmed by them. To protect themselves people disguised themselves by dressing up in costumes and carried lights inside in turnips. In order to turn a pagan feast into a Christian feast the Church placed the feast of All Saints on 1st November, to coincide with the pagan celebration.
Children have fun on Halloween now and it is OK but it would be a pity if children did not know the Christian feast at this time, the feast of All Saints. So if your children are celebrating Halloween and know nothing about All Saints, please explain All Saints to them. We are Christians now, so let us not celebrate as pagans. The Church has tried to turn a pagan celebration into a Christian celebration. Is the reverse happening again now? Let us celebrate All Saints.”
2nd November - Feast of All Souls
Lord, we remember those who died when madness ruled the world and evil dwelt on earth, those we knew and those whose very name is lost. Because of their sacrifice, may we renew our fight against cruelty and injustice, against prejudice, tyranny, and oppression.
Still we cry to God out of the darkness of our divided world. Let not the hope of men and women perish. Let not new clouds rain death upon the earth. Turn to yourself the hearts and wills of rulers and peoples, so that a new world may arise where men and women live as friends in the bond of your peace.
In a world still troubled with war, hatred and unrest, we pray for peace and unity... You have called us to be one, to live in unity and harmony, and yet we are divided; race from race, faith from faith, rich from poor, old from young; neighbour from neighbour. O Lord, by whose cross all enmity is brought to an end, break down the walls that separate us, tear down the fences of indifference and hatred; forgive us the sins that divide us, free us from pride and self-seeking; overcome our prejudices and fears. Give us courage to open ourselves to others, and by the power of your Spirit make us one. We ask this through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
PRISONERS’ SUNDAY (November 18th)
Did you know?
* 36% of the prison population in the UK will have experienced local authority care compared with 2% of
the general population.
* The proportion coming from single parent households is higher than in the general population.
* 43% of all prisoners left school before the age of 16 and a further 46% left at 16.
* 30% of male prisoners are from unskilled or partly skilled occupations.
* One third of convicted people are unemployed before going to prison.
* More than 80% of women are in prison for non-violent drugs-related offences.
* The UK has one of the largest prison populations in Europe.
REMEMBRANCE
Every year, during the months of November, most Christian countries will have a special service of remembrance for those who died during the Great Wars - so that those who gave their lives for the freedom others will never be forgotten.
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What happens at Mass
PRESENTATION AND PREPARATION OF THE GIFTS
When the worshipping community has gathered, listened to God’s word in the scriptures and responded with its
profession of faith and its intercessions for the Church and the world, it is time to move on to the Liturgy of the
Eucharist.
Shape
The Liturgy of the Eucharist ritualises what Jesus did at the Last Supper. There were four actions of Jesus: he took
bread and wine, said a blessing, broke the bread and then gave it along with the wine to his disciples. This fourfold
action of taking, blessing, breaking and giving, forms the shape of what we do at every celebration of the eucharist.
At the presentation and preparation of the gifts we imitate Christ’s taking; at the Eucharistic Prayer we join in
blessing; just before communion we break the bread and in communion itself the body and blood of Christ is given
and shared. So the Presentation and Preparation of the Gifts is the first of the four actions.
The Giving Community
In the early Church no one came empty-handed to the Sunday celebration. They brought gifts. These gifts
could be bread and wine, other food, even animals, clothes, medicine, money etc. At this point in the
liturgy people approached the altar and presented what they had brought. Enough bread and wine was
set apart for the eucharist and the rest was put aside to be used later, usually to be distributed to those of the
community in need. The priest then began the Liturgy of the Eucharist. This consisted of readying the bread
and wine, pouring it into cups and mixing it with water to cut down its strength, making it more palatable. He
then said two blessings of God over the bread and wine before continuing onto the Eucharistic Prayer. Today
some churches have a procession with the gifts at each celebration to emphasise the active participation of
the congregation within the Eucharistic action. Others reserve it for more formal occasions and sometimes
present symbols of their work and activity along with the gifts. Usually a song is sung during this procession of
presentation.
The Blessings
The priest uses two blessings over the bread and wine that come from earlier Jewish worship. He blesses God for
his goodness in giving us the gift of bread and comments that it will become for us the bread of life. Similarly he
repeats this over the wine and states that it will become our spiritual drink. Each time there is a response by the
congregation to these blessings. Sometimes people refer to this rite as the “offertory”. This is understandable
since the priest speaks about offering and the gifts are often referred to as the “offerings”. Actually there is no
offering taking place at this point. The real offertory of the eucharist takes place during the Eucharistic Prayer and
at this point what is happening is that the bread and wine are being presented and prepared for the later offering.
Some Quiet Bits
During this rite there are some prayers that the priest says to himself. These date from a desire by the principal
celebrant to prepare himself worthily to offer the sacrifice. He washes his hands. This is now spiritualised
into a sign of being washed clean of sin but originally it would have been a more practical gesture: having handled
all the different gifts brought to the altar he needed to make sure he was still hygienic. At more solemn
celebrations the priest incenses the gifts and the altar as a sign that they are being set apart for a holy purpose. In
fact the final prayer that he uses was formerly know as the “Secret”. This was not because no one was supposed
to know about it but it meant that the prayer was said over the “secreta”, the Latin word for the things that
had been set apart. Today we call it the Prayer over the Gifts. It is introduced by a request from the priest for
the people to pray that the sacrifice may be acceptable to God. This they do with a brief prayer asking that it may
bring glory to God and benefit to the Church.
A Spiritual Gift
It would be possible for us simply to watch all of this taking place and let its real significance pass us by. But we
are asked to take part actively in the ritual. The gifts that are brought up and set aside are about to be transformed
from simple bread and wine into the body and blood of Christ. This is the time for us to bring all of our life
before God, our hopes and joys, our pains, doubts and fears. We ask the Lord that just as these physical elements
of bread and wine are transformed by the power of the Holy Spirit so too may our lives become a perfect offering
to God. We ask that God may take our weaknesses and make them our strengths, take our doubt and infuse faith,
take our lives and make them holy and acceptable. By so doing we are not mere spectators but active participants
in this eucharistic action.
ADVENT
Frequently, the season of Advent begins on the last Sunday in November. The four weeks of Advent mark the start of the Church's liturgical year. In this season there are two principal themes that we celebrate, both epitomised by the term "advent" which means coming. The first coming took place over 2000 years ago when Jesus was born in Bethlehem, so Advent is a time of preparation for Christmas and the Nativity of the Lord.