Dear Parishioners and Friends,
This weekend and next, we step out of Ordinary Time for two special liturgical observances: All Souls Day and the Feast of the Dedication of St. John Lateran. These two days replace the 31st and 32nd Sundays in Ordinary Time.
The Solemnity of All Saints on November 1st, since it falls on a Saturday, is not a day of obligation this year. The Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed on November 2nd is one of those dates in the liturgical calendar that supercedes a Sunday in Ordinary Time.
Like All Saints Day, All Souls Day is for remembering people who have died. But while All Saints Day is focused on Christian martyrs and saints, All Souls Day is all about the members of your own family and family tree. It’s a day for being with family, visiting cemeteries, sharing memories of loved ones, and honoring traditions.
Sometime in the 10th century, the Catholic priest St. Odilo of Cluny instituted All Souls Day – a day to pray for the souls of deceased family members. The annual celebration became the final and third day of Allhallowtide – right after All Hallows’ Eve (which became known as Halloween) and All Saints Day.
At St. Patrick-St. Anthony, we have several traditions to observe this day: the litany of names of the deceased in place of the Universal Prayer at all the weekend Masses closest to All Souls Day; the special Mass of Remembrance (which will be celebrated at the 5:00 PM Mass this year); and the lanterns in the Friary Gardens bearing the names of all the deceased members of our parish (and parishioners’ family members) who died in the past year.
Last Sunday at the 10:00 AM Mass, the co-directors of the House of Bread, Beth Boyle and Tom Porell, joined us for the celebration of the 30th anniversary of our partnership. Along with myself as pastor, and Fr. Mike Johnson as director of the Franciscan Center, they signed a renewal agreement between our organizations to continue serving the people of Hartford who benefit from their services.
Many parishioners of St. Patrick-St. Anthony who volunteer at the House of Bread were recognized during the Mass.
Next Saturday, November 8th, we will celebrate a Mass for the Anointing of the Sick at 11:00 AM. The friars and our parish nurses join with our brothers and sisters who are dealing with illness or the struggles of aging. Everyone is welcome to attend this Mass and join us in prayer for healing and strength through the ritual of the laying on of hands and anointing with holy oil.
As I mentioned earlier, next Sunday is the Feast of the Dedication of the Basilica of St. John Lateran in Rome. This ancient church, the cathedral church of the Pope as the bishop of Rome, was dedicated in the year 324 by Pope Sylvester I. The Lateran basilica also has a special Franciscan connection, but more on that next week.
Blessings on your week ahead!
Fr. Tim Shreenan, O.F.M.
Pastor
