Month of Remembrance
This Church of the Home may be coming to you after the celebration of All Souls Day, but our faith has a long-standing tradition of honoring the deceased throughout the month of November. This practice holds deep significance as it is tied to the conclusion of the Liturgical Year and the beginning of a new year with the First Sunday of Advent. During this time, we reflect on the inevitability of the end of our earthly life and the promise of the transition to a new and eternal existence in the heavenly realm of God.
The act of gratefully remembering those who have passed is central to our faith. It is a time when prayers are offered for the souls of the departed, seeking their eternal peace and salvation. This period of remembrance is not only a solemn occasion but also a source of hope and comfort for the living, knowing that our loved ones are in the loving embrace of God.
As we commemorate the deceased, we also express our longing for a future reunion with those we love. This aspiration to be reunited with departed family members, friends, and all those who have gone before us is a testament to the enduring bond of love that transcends the boundaries of life and death.
In essence, the practice of honoring the deceased in November is a time-honored tradition that encapsulates themes of remembrance, prayer, hope, and the belief in the eternal life promised by God. It serves as a poignant reminder of the interconnectedness of all souls and the enduring power of love that unites us across time and space.
Ways Your Church of the Home Can Remember
Those Gone Before Us
Visit their final resting place
A visit to a cemetery can happen outside a funeral. It can be nice to create a tradition around visiting your loved one’s final resting place.
You can go weekly, monthly, or annually to visit the grave of a loved one.
You can sit and remember your loved one; you can talk to them.
Some people love to bring a floral arrangement or a small physical token to lay near the headstone, like a memorial photo or another memento.
And if your loved one is cremated, perhaps you can make a practice of going to one of their favorite places. Maybe they loved a particular nature trail or restaurant.
Do something they enjoyed or you did together.
Did your loved one enjoy doing something in particular?
Maybe a friend loved playing bocce ball in the park or perhaps your mom loved baking gingerbread cookies around the holidays. And you loved doing these things with them too!
These experiences don’t have to come to an end just because a person or pet isn’t here in the physical sense. Buy the ingredients to make gingerbread cookies (no matter the season!); look up a local bocce ball league. This way of memorializing someone is a unique way to remember the sound of your loved one’s laugh or the look of their smile while they did something with true joy.
Listen to their favorite songs or watch their favorite movies.
What was a song that you and your friend loved to listen to while singing at the top of your lungs on a weekend night?
Is there a movie that you or your grandma loved to watch together when she visited?
Continuing to find entertainment in music, film, or art that your loved one enjoyed is a great way to keep their memory alive. Work with friends and family members to compile photos and the person's favorite songs to create a slideshow everyone can enjoy together.
Maybe you’ll recognize a lyric or a line that makes you consider a different memory of them altogether. Perhaps if they loved to read, grab a novel you know they were fond of and bookmark passages that remind you of them.
Art can act as a time capsule and help you preserve their memory in a wonderful way.
In an emotional Auditio Divina, Katie and Tony pray with
Bruce Springsteen's "I'll See You In My Dreams"
in relation to All Souls Day.
Lyrics:
I'll see you in my dreams
When all our summers have come to an end
I'll see you in my dreams
We'll meet and live and laugh again
I'll see you in my dreams
Yeah, up around the river bend
For death is not the end
And I'll see you in my dreams
Join us for Mass this weekend
in person at 4:00 PM on Saturday, 8:30 or 10:30 AM on Sunday, on www.gbres.org/live, our YouTube channel, and our Facebook page.
READINGS FOR THIS WEEKEND’S MASSES
VIRTUALLY SUNDAY REFLECTION
Loving God cannot be separated from loving our neighbors, particularly those marginalized in society. We are challenged to examine our lives and relationships, especially with the poor, immigrants, and the forgotten. In today's divisive climate, there is a need for a revival of civility and compassion, an embodiment of Christ's teachings in our daily interactions and societal engagements. Join Sr. Marla as she reflects on this weekend's scripture readings.
FAMILIES
WEEKLY BULLETIN
(click to read)
PARISH LYCEUM
The Parish Lyceum will feature a variety of topics, guidelines, and relevant information to nurture the PIESS of our lives – physical, intellectual, emotional, spiritual, and social.
ANNOUNCEMENTS
ONGOING EVENTS
Ruby and Res
Which pumpkin is the cutest in the patch?
The little pumpkin named Ruby, of course!
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