Pastor’s Letter: November 2, 2025

Pastor’s Letter: November 2, 2025

31 Oct 2025 | Posted by: chadmin

Dear St. Philomena Parish Family,

Blessed All Souls Day weekend to you all! As we remember those who have gone before us in faith, know of my prayers—especially for our parish family members who have died in this last year.

Growing up, I was always impressed by the number of funerals and visitations that my grandpa and grandma attended—to be honest I think they went to all of them! I remember once Grandpa and I were walking beans and he decided we would quit early so we could go to the funeral of someone he knew. As were riding in the truck back home, I asked who the person was. Grandpa said he didn’t know him well, but a great gift we could give him would be our prayers at the funeral Mass.

Somewhere inside we all know that praying is an important gift that we give to people in need, but somewhere else in there is often a notion that prayer isn’t really enough. Of course, we like to take action. Being able to “do” something makes us feel like we are contributing. Yes, action is important! The desire for action is manifested in many ways after someone passes away: visiting the home or wake service, bringing food, sending flowers, running errands and any number of other things we think of. In the midst of all of those, it is important not to overlook the gift of prayer. We may all have different abilities and availability to help after someone passes away, but one thing we all can do is pray.

In the Gospels, Jesus regularly reminds us of the importance and power of prayer. When we pray together, Jesus is there with us and our prayers have strength (Matthew 18:19-20). Praying for those who have gone before us is a long tradition in our history. The month of November in particular has been traditionally dedicated to giving thanks for those who are in Heaven (All Saints Day) and praying for those who are still on the way to full life in the Kingdom (All Souls Day). Many parishes have Books of the Dead where names are recorded for all those we love who have died. We pray for those who have died during the General Intercessions at Mass and each Mass (throughout the year) is offered for an intention—very often for the soul a particular person who has gone before us with the sign of faith (Eucharistic Prayer I).

Many saints have been given the gift of glimpses of the next life to come, along with exhortations to pray for those who have died. One such saint is St. Gertrude the Great (November 16).  St. Gertrude was a Cistercian nun who died in 1301. Originally placed in the convent at age 5, St. Gertrude lived life there with little vigor until her heart started deepening through her encounters with Christ in the liturgy. St. Gertrude’s spirituality is centered on the Mass as the place where we encounter Christ, and many beautiful mystical experiences stemmed from these spiritual meetings. St. Gertrude also received a prayer from our Lord that she was told would help souls in purgatory become ready for full life in the Kingdom of Heaven. Notice the connection to the Mass in this prayer as well: “Eternal Father, I offer Thee the most Precious Blood of Thy Divine Son, Jesus, in union with the Masses said throughout the world today, for all the Holy Souls in Purgatory, for sinners everywhere, for sinners in the universal church, those in my own home, and within my family. Amen.”

As we continue through this month of November, let us remember the importance and strength of our prayers, especially those connected to the Mass, and let us remain committed to praying for those who have died, asking the Lord in love and confidence to bring them to the peace of the Kingdom. “Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord.  And let perpetual light shine upon them. May they rest in peace. Amen. May the souls of all the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen” (Order of Christian Funerals).  Know of my prayers and blessing this week!

In Christ,
Father Luke

P.S.  Here is an interesting Bonus from The Catholic Source Book (p. 337)

“’Hallows’ Eve’ sounds like ‘Halloween,’ and it should, because that’s where it came from:  the eve, or vigil, of All Hallows, which is All Saints Day.  On All Souls Day (which is actually the day after All Saints Day) the poor begged for food and promised to pray for the dead in return. They called the little cakes they received ‘soul cakes’—not the biggest stretch from today’s trick-or-treat spoils. Masks and costumes? Maybe these disguises will confuse the evil spirits. Candy has displaced the true soul cake, the doughnut (the cake with the hole in the center making a circle, representing eternity). There are still cultures with people who visit a cemetery on All Hallows, not for spooky reasons, but for the same reason others do on Memorial Day, except that they have picnics, with the last flowers of the year.”