All Souls' Day: We Pray for and Remember the Dead

We pray for the dead

Prayers
All Souls' Day reminds us that part of the life of the Christian Catholic is to pray for the dead.  We have a mystical link to them through the Body of Christ and we believe that our prayers, somehow, help those in purgatory be with God in heaven.  (More information on purgatory and praying for the dead found here).

At St. Mark, we have a special Mass today at 7:30PM for all who have passed away, especially those who have died within the past year.  Throughout the month of November, our Book of the Dead will be available in the Narthex for you to inscribe the names of your deceased relatives and friends.  We will remember all these individuals during the masses this month.

Remembering
Aside from prayer, take sometime today to talk with your family about a love one who has passed on.  Growing up, I always loved hearing stories of relatives who passed before my birth, to see how the faces and voices of those sharing memories would brighten.  When we share these memories with each other, especially with children, we pass on our family tradition and heritage, and the childhood of grandparents or uncles seems more real.  Stories of how great grandma immigrated here not knowing the language inspire us to keep going even in the most difficult moments.

Give your children that gift today of coming to know someone you loved.  They'll thank you later.

Image: africa / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Talking to Children about Death

With the recent passing of our Pastor Emeritus Monsignor Tom Cassidy, I thought it would be appropriate to post about a difficult topic of conversation with your children: death.  But instead of trying to write an article, I thought it more fitting to link to a few articles written by people who have talked to children about death, and pull out some common themes (found at the very bottom of the article).

Below are articles from several perspectives, one from a Catholic, one from a hospice care website, and one from more of a psychological background.  Included is information on pamphlets we have at St. Mark meant to help grieving children.  If you have any suggestions about how you have talked to your children about death, leave a comment or send me an email.