PATRON SAINT OF MUSICIANS

ST CECILIA | November 22

Saint Cecilia’s Story
Although Cecilia is one of the most famous of the Roman martyrs, the familiar stories about her are apparently not founded on authentic material. There is no trace of honor being paid her in early times. A fragmentary inscription of the late fourth century refers to a church named after her, and her feast was celebrated at least in 545.
According to legend, Cecilia was a young Christian of high rank betrothed to a Roman named Valerian. Through her influence, Valerian was converted, and was martyred along with his brother. The legend about Cecilia’s death says that after being struck three times on the neck with a sword, she lived for three days, and asked the pope to convert her home into a church.
Since the time of the Renaissance she has usually been portrayed with a viola or a small organ.

Reflection
Like any good Christian, Cecilia sang in her heart, and sometimes with her voice. She has become a symbol of the Church’s conviction that good music is an integral part of the liturgy, of greater value to the Church than any other art.

Saint Cecilia is the Patron Saint of:
Musicians

Hail Mary

A Roman Catholic prayer to the Virgin Mary that consists of salutations and a plea for her intercession.

The Hail Mary (Latin: Ave Maria) is a traditional Scripture-based Catholic prayer of praise for and petition to the Mother of God. Since the sixteenth century, the Roman Catholic version of the prayer closes with an appeal for her intercession.

Hail Mary, Full of Grace,

The LORD is with you,

Blessed are you among women,

Blessed is the Fruit of your Womb, JESUS.

Holy Mary, Mother of GOD,

Pray for us Sinners,

Now and at the time of our death, Amen.

Novena prayer to Our Lady of the Annunciation

The Feast of the Annunciation. The feast of the Annunciation marks the visit of the angel Gabriel to the Virgin Mary, during which he told her that she would be the mother of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. It is celebrated on 25 March each year. ... God's action in entering the human world as Jesus in order to save humanity.

It asks for the Virgin Mary’s heavenly intercession, placing before her our needs and petitions.

I greet you, Ever-blessed Virgin, Mother of God, Throne of Grace, miracle of Almighty Power! I greet you, Sanctuary of the Most Holy Trinity and Queen of the Universe, Mother of Mercy and refuge of sinners!

Most loving Mother, attracted by your beauty and sweetness, and by your tender compassion, I confidently turn to you, miserable as I am, and beg of you to obtain for me from your dear Son the favor I request in this novena:

(Mention your petitions here)

Obtain for me also, Queen of heaven, the most lively contrition for my many sins and the grace to imitate closely those virtues which you practiced so faithfully, especially humility, purity, and obedience. Above all, I beg you to be my Mother and Protectress, to receive me into the number of your devoted children, and to guide me from your high throne of glory.

Do not reject my petitions, Mother of Mercy! Have pity on me, and do not abandon me during life or at the moment of my death. Amen.

Novena of Impossible Requests TO OUR LADY OF INCARNATION

NOVENA TO OUR LADY OF THE WORD INCARNATE

Incarnation, central Christian doctrine that God became flesh, that God assumed a human nature and became a man in the form of Jesus Christ, the Son of God and the second person of the Trinity.

Hail, Holy Queen...
Hail, holy Queen, Mother of mercy, hail, our life, our sweetness and our hope. To thee do we cry, poor banished children of Eve: to thee do we send up our sighs, mourning and weeping in this vale of tears. Turn then, most gracious Advocate, thine eyes of mercy toward us, and after this our exile, show unto us the blessed fruit of thy womb, Jesus, O merciful, O loving, O sweet Virgin Mary! Amen.

V - Pray for us, most holy mother of God. R - That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ. "Virgin of the Incarnation, a thousand times we greet thee, a thousand times we praise thee for thy joy when God was incarnated in thee. Because thou art so powerful a Virgin and Mother of God, grant what we ask of thee for the love of God." Here state your first intention (....or to have faith in God that you will receive what you are praying for) Repeat all of above and then state your second intention (.....) Repeat all of above and then state your. 3rd intention (.....)
Memorare...
Remember, O most gracious Virgin Mary, that never was it known that anyone who fled to thy protection, implored thy help, or sought thine intercession was left unaided.

Inspired by this confidence, I fly unto thee, O Virgin of virgins, my mother; to thee do I come, before thee I stand, sinful and sorrowful. O Mother of the Word Incarnate, despise not my petitions, but in thy mercy hear and answer me.
Amen.

Hail Mary...
Full of Grace,
The Lord is with thee.
Blessed art thou among women,
and blessed is the fruit
of thy womb, Jesus.
Holy Mary,
Mother of God,
pray for us sinners now,
and at the hour of our death.
Amen.

Blessed and praised be the Most Holy Sacrament of the Altar, in Heaven, on earth and everywhere. AMEN.

Prayer at the End of the Day

Evening Prayer
O my God, at the end of this day I thank You most heartily for all the graces I have received from You. I am sorry that I have not made a better use of them. I am sorry for all the sins I have committed against You. Forgive me, O my God, and graciously protect me this night. Blessed Virgin Mary, my dear heavenly mother, take me under your protection. St. Joseph, my dear Guardian Angel, and all you saints of God, pray for me. Sweet Jesus, have pity on all poor sinners, and save them from hell. Have mercy on the suffering souls in purgatory... (followed by an Act of Contrition).

Act of Contrition
O my God, I am heartily sorry for having offended Thee, and I detest all my sins, because I dread the loss of heaven, and the pains of hell; but most of all because they offend Thee, my God,
Who are all good and deserving of all my love.
I firmly resolve, with the help of Thy grace,
to sin no more and avoid the near occasions of sin. Amen.

A BEAUTIFUL PRAYER TO THE GUARDIAN ANGEL

Most faithful companion, appointed by God to be my guardian, my protector, and defender, and who never leaves my side, how shall I thank thee for thy faithfulness and love, and for all the benefits which thou hast conferred upon me?

Thou watch over me while I sleep; thou comfort me when I am sad; thou lift me up when I am down; thou avert the dangers that threaten me; thou warn me of those that are to come; thou withdraw me from sin, and excite me to good; thou exhort me to penance when I fall, and reconcile me to God.

Long ago should I have been thrust down into hell, unless by thy prayers thou hadst turned away from me the anger of God. Leave me not, nor forsake me ever, I beseech thee, but still comfort me in adversity, restrain me in prosperity, defend me in danger, assist me in temptations, lest at any time I fall beneath them.

Offer up in the sight of the Divine Majesty my prayers and griefs, and all my works of piety, and make me to persevere in grace until I come to everlasting life. Amen.

MOTHER MARY, QUEEN OF ANGELS, PRAY FOR US!

WHEN YOU ARE IN URGENT NEED: Say This Powerful Prayer

POWERFUL NOVENA TO THE INFANT JESUS OF PRAGUE, WHEN YOU ARE IN URGENT NEED

O Jesus, who said, "Ask and you shall receive, seek and you shall find, knock and it will be opened to you", through the intercession of Mary, your most holy mother, I knock, I seek, I ask that my prayer be granted.
(Make your request)

O Jesus, who said, "all that you ask of the father in my name he will grant you", through the intercession of Mary, Your most holy mother, I humbly and urgently ask Your father in Your name that my prayer be granted.
(Make your request)

O Jesus, who said, "heaven and earth shall pass away, but my word shall not pass", through the intercession of Mary, your most holy mother, I feel confident that my prayer will be granted.
(Make your request)

Prayer of Thanksgiving for graces received from the Infant Jesus
I prostrate myself before your holy image, o most gracious infant Jesus, to offer you my most fervent thanks for the blessings you have bestowed on me. I shall incessantly praise your ineffable mercy and confess that you alone are my god, my helper, and my protector. Henceforth my entire confidence shall be placed in you ! Everywhere I will proclaim aloud your mercy and generosity, so that your great love and the great deeds which you perform through this miraculous image may be acknowledged by all. May devotion to your most holy infancy increase more and more in the hearts of all Christians, and may all who experience your assistance persevere with me in showing unceasing gratitude to your most holy infancy, to which be praise and glory forever, amen.

(Every hour on the hour for 9-hrs on any given day. This prayer is to be said 9-hrs for one day and not 9 days.)

A PRAYER FOR HELP FROM OUR BLESSED VIRGIN MARY

FLYING NOVENA - A PRAYER FOR HELP FROM OUR BLESSED VIRGIN MARY Do you ever feel like you could use some help approaching God in your prayers? The Memorare is a prayer that reminds us that we have a wonderful advocate and protector in the mother of our Lord, the Blessed Virgin Mary. In our prayers to her we honor and worship her Son, who is more than happy to listen to His mother’s pleas on our behalf. The Memorare, invites us to ask the Blessed Mother for her assistance and her grace, especially when we feel most troubled in our daily lives.

How to pray an Emergency Novena

1. Memorare:Recite 9 times +1 for thanksgiving (Mother Teresa did it 10 times) Remember, O most gracious Virgin Mary, that never was it known, that anyone who fled to thy protection, implored thy help or sought thy intercession, was left unaided. Inspired by this confidence, I fly unto thee, O Virgin of virgins, my Mother. ...
2. Recommended Reading:Today's Gospel Readings
3. You may also like:to recite 1 Our Father, 1 Hail Mary and 1 Glory be...

The EMERGENCY Novena OF MOTHER TERESA TO OUR LADY

Memorare

 Memorare is a Roman Catholic prayer seeking the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Memorare, from the Latin "Remember", is frequently misattributed to the 12th-century Cistercian monk Saint Bernard ... Wikipedia


Do you ever feel like you could use some help approaching God in your prayers?


The Memorare is a prayer that reminds us that we have a wonderful advocate and protector in the mother of our Lord, the Blessed Virgin Mary.
Father Claude Bernard (1588-1641) popularized the Memorare prayer after it miraculously cured a deathly illness he was suffering from. He proceeded to share the Memorare with others and had over 200,000 leaflets printed with the prayer in various languages.

Memorare Novena Prayers
Pray this prayer nine times.Add 1 time for Thanksgiving. 10 times all in all.

Remember,
O most gracious Virgin Mary,
that never was it known that anyone who fled to your protection,
implored your help,
or sought your intercession was left unaided.

Inspired with this confidence,
I fly unto you,
O Virgin of virgins,
my Mother.

To you I come,
before you I stand,
sinful and sorrowful.

O Mother of the Word incarnate,
despise not my petitions,
but in your clemency hear and answer me.

Amen.


Say 1: Our Father

Say 1: Hail Mary...

Say 1: Glory Be...

The Way to Graduation Day in Paradise.

WORD  for The Day
November 20, 2019

A reflection on the Bible readings in today's Holy Mass

2 Maccabees 7:1, 20-31
Luke 19:11-28
(Please read the Bible passages first)

In today's Gospel, Jesus tells us the parable of the ten servants, teaching us about good stewardship of God gifts of time, talent and treasure. Responsible stewardship is not inborn instinct in man. It is a learned virtue. In this parable, we can see three stages of learning in our spiritual growth.

GRADE SCHOOL: Most of us start here, as selfish kids, proud and vain of our talents and abilities, crediting all accomplishments to our own efforts, and rejecting the need for God and Savior (Luke 19:14).

HIGH SCHOOL: Then, as we grow older, life strikes us down flat on our face. We then learn to kneel before God and humbly beg for help. But at this stage, we are still unwilling and insecure about sharing the help and resources He sends (verse 20).

COLLEGE: As spiritual maturity sets in, we learn our calling in life. By God's grace, we see where He wants us to be, and how to unselfishly invest our gifts for the growth of His Kingdom (verses 16-19).

Finally, in the First Reading we see the MASTER'S DEGREE: Seven brothers offer not just time, talent and treasure, but their very own lives to God. One by one, they choose torture and death rather than abandon their faith in God and His laws. Their mother stood by their side all the way to the end, reminding them to love God, encouraging and strengthening their faith.

She reminds us of Mother Mary who was Jesus' first tutor as a child, who was with Him as He was tortured, who walked with Him all through the Via Dolorosa, and who stayed with Him as He died on the cross, both of them completely faithful and loyal to the Father and His plan to save us.

This is the Faith that our Lord Jesus suffered and died to teach us. Sadly, today we have Church leaders that now water down the faith that Jesus founded, and that the Apostles taught and for which they were martyred. Some leaders - in the name of ecumenism - are saying that God wills that there be many religions, so that it does not really matter what you believe in. This is denying what Jesus says that no one gets to the Father in Heaven except through Him.

Let us ask Christ's Mother and ours to tutor us like she did the young Jesus - tutor us to believe and obey ALL that Jesus the Word of God said - all the way to Graduation Day in Paradise.

Week Long Prayer For The Souls In Purgatory- Monday

Prayers For The Poor Souls In Purgatory--Monday

O Lord God almighty, I beseech Thee, by the precious blood which Thy Divine Son Jesus shed in His cruel scourging, deliver the souls in purgatory, and among them all, especially that soul which is nearest to its entrance into Thy glory; that, so it may soon begin to praise Thee and bless Thee forever. Amen.

O Lord, hear my prayer

And let my prayer cry come onto thee.

O God the Creator and Redeemer of all the faithful, grant unto the souls of Thy servants and handmaids the remission of all their sins that through our devout supplications they may obtain the pardon they have always desired. Who live and reign world without end. Amen.

Our Father

Our Father, Who art in Heaven, hallowed be Thy name; Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in Heaven. Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. Amen

Hail Mary

Hail Mary full of Grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed are thou among women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb Jesus. Holy Mary Mother of God, pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death. Amen

Glory be

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end.

Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord; and let perpetual light shine upon them.

May their souls and the souls of all the faithfully departed rest in peace. Amen.

PLEASE SHARE THIS TO YOUR FAMILY AND FRIENDS SO THEY CAN JOIN IN PRAYING FOR THE POOR SOULS IN PURGATORY. 

EVENING PRAYER TO THE MOST BLESSED MARY

Evening Prayer

Into thy hands, Mary, I commend my body and my soul, I ask thee to provide for them and to protect them. I ask thee to protect them from the evil one. I ask thee enlighten my mind, strengthen my will, and refrain my appetites by grace. Our Lady and St. Michael, call down from Heaven the legions of angels under your command to protect me; I ask of thee all the things I ask of my Guardian Angel. My Guardian angel, under thy intellectual and volitional protection I place my body. I ask thee to illumine my mind and refrain my appetites. I ask thee to strengthen my cogitative power, my memory and my imagination. Help me to remember the things I should and not remember the things I should not. Help me to associate the things I should and not to associate the things I should not. Give me good clear images in my imagination. I ask thee to drive away all the demons that might affect me while I sleep (or throughout the course of the day). (Help me to sleep and, if thou should deem it prudent, direct my dreams. Help me to arise refreshed). Amen.

PRAYER IN TIMES OF EARTHQUAKES

As earthquakes are recently experienced in different parts of the Earth,the Faithful are called to pray ceaselessly. During this challenging time, we offer this resource to keep your heart turned toward the Lord and to pray for needs of our sisters and brothers.

PRAYER 

Creator God, at times such as this,
when we realized that the ground beneath our feet is not as solid as we had imagined, we plead for your mercy.

As the things we have built crumble,
we know too well how small we truly are on this ever-changing, ever-moving,
fragile planet we call home.

Yet you have promised never to forget us.
Do not forget us now.

Today, so many people are afraid.
They wait in fear of the next tremor.
They hear the cries of the injured amid the rubble.|
They roam the streets in shock at what they see.
And they fill the dusty air with wails of grief and the names of missing dead.

Comfort them, O God, in this disaster.
Be their rock when the earth refuses to stand still,
and shelter them under your wings when homes and offices no longer exist.

Embrace in your arms those who died so suddenly.
Console the hearts of those who mourn,
and ease the pain of bodies on the brink of death.

Pierce, too, our hearts with compassion, we who watch from afar,
as our friends and relatives experience misery upon misery.

Move us to act swiftly this day,
to give generously every day, to work for justice always,
and to pray unceasingly for those without hope.

And once the shaking has ceased,
the images of destruction have stopped filing the news,
and our thoughts return to life’s daily rumblings,
let us not forget that we are all your children
and they, our sisters and brothers.

We are all the work of your hands.
For though the mountains leave their place and the hills be tossed to the ground,
your love shall never leave us and your promise of peace will never be shaken.

Lord, show us your mercy and love,

And grant us your salvation.

Our help is in the name of the Lord,

Who made heaven and earth,

Blessed be the name of the Lord,

Now and forever. Amen.

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Imagine Oneself Before God At The End Of Days Before Making An Important Decision

"Reflecting on the last judgement can help one to make choices that have the flavor of eternity, the taste of love.” -Pope Francis 

This message caught my attention as I find it very important to know in each and everyone's spiritual lives.

Pope Francis urged Catholics to meditate on the final judgement at a Mass offered Monday for the souls of cardinals and bishops who died within the past year.

“Saint Ignatius suggests, before making an important decision, to imagine oneself before God at the end of days,” Pope Francis said in his homily in St. Peter’s Basilica Nov. 4.

“Every life choice confronted with that perspective is well oriented because it is closer to the resurrection, which is the meaning and purpose of life,” the pope said.

Pope Francis then quoted St. Ignatius’ Spiritual Exercises: “Considering how I will find myself on the day of judgement, think how I would have decided about the present thing, and the rule I would like to have kept then, take it now.”

The Mass, celebrated at the Altar of the Chair, was offered for the repose of the souls of 13 cardinals and 147 bishops who died between Oct. 2018-19.

“Compassion for others opens the gates of eternity. To bend down on the needy to serve them is to make an antechamber for paradise,” Pope Francis said in his homily.

“If indeed, as St. Paul reminds us, ‘charity will never end,’ then it is precisely the bridge that connects heaven and earth,” he said.

Pope Francis recommended examining oneself with the reflection: “Do I live ‘by going to the Lord’ or revolving around myself?” He said that this question can be asked of one’s work at the office and interactions with others.

“In the people I met, did I involve Jesus, did I bring them to Him in prayer? Or did I do everything while remaining in my thoughts, only rejoicing in what was good for me and complaining about what was wrong with me?” he questioned.

The pope suggested further questions for self-reflection: “Do I let myself be moved by the situation of someone in need? Can I cry for those who suffer? Do I pray for those whom nobody think of? Do I help someone who has nothing to give me back?”

“These are questions of life, questions of resurrection,” he said.

Pope Francis said that reflecting on the last judgement can help one “to make choices that have the flavor of eternity, the taste of love.”

“Among the many voices of the world that make us lose our sense of existence, let us tune in to the will of Jesus, risen and alive: let us make today what we live at the dawn of the resurrection,” the pope said.

I hope that by sharing this message from the Pope's Homily, will help us attain good decisions in life tune in to the will of God...

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PLEASE SHARE AND SAVE SOULS IN PURGATORY. YOUR REWARD IS GREAT IN HEAVEN!

CHAPLET OF ALL SOULS

PLEASE SHARE AND SAVE SOULS IN PURGATORY. YOUR REWARD IS GREAT IN HEAVEN! Let us never forget all the poor souls in purgatory who suffer without rest, without the slightest respite and who depend so very much on our charity! Have mercy upon them, think of them often. Offer up small sacrifices, accept all sufferings and humiliations on their behalf. I urge you to print off this simple prayer and say it, if even once! Your reward will be great in Heaven. May the Lord say to us all "I was in prison and you visited me. Come, enter into the joy prepared by my Father!" This devotion is prayed using the Marian Rosary of 59 beads.


How do you pray the Chaplet of the Holy Souls?

On the large beads, pray: "O Holy Souls draw the fire of God's Love into my soul, to reveal Jesus crucified in me here on earth, rather than hereafter in Purgatory." On the small beads, pray: "Crucified Lord Jesus, have mercy on the souls in Purgatory." When completed all (5) Five decades, pray Glory be (x3)

1. The Sign of the Cross.
2. Apostle's Creed
3. Our Father (x1)
4. Hail Marys (x3)
5. Glory be (x1)

On the large beads, pray: "O Holy Souls draw the fire of God's Love into my soul, to reveal Jesus crucified in me here on earth, rather than hereafter in Purgatory."

On the small beads, pray: "Crucified Lord Jesus, have mercy on the souls in Purgatory."

When completed all (5) Five decades, pray Glory be (x3).

Prayer of Saint Gertrude the Great for the Holy Souls in Purgatory

A prayer which would release many souls from Purgatory each time it is recited.

O 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, for those in my own home and for those within my family. Amen.

  PLEASE SHARE AND SAVE SOULS IN PURGATORY. YOUR REWARD IS GREAT IN HEAVEN!

St. Gertrude the Great was a Benedictine nun and mystic who lived in the 13th century. She died in 1302. Her feast day is November 16th.

Solemnity of All Saints.

Solemnity of All Saints.
Feast Day : November 1

The day on which the Church celebrates all the saints—those canonized or beatified, and the multitude of those who are in heaven enjoying the beatific vision that are only known to God.

During the year the Church celebrates one by one the feasts of the saints. Today she joins them all in one festival. In addition to those whose names she knows, she recalls in a magnificent vision all the others "of all nations and tribes standing before the throne and in sight of the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands, proclaiming Him who redeemed them in His Blood."

“After this I had a vision of a great multitude, which no one could count, from every nation, race, people, and tongue. They stood before the throne and before the Lamb, wearing white robes and holding palm branches in their hands.... [One of the elders] said to me, ‘These are the ones who have survived the time of great distress; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.’” (Revelation 7:9,14)

The feast of All Saints inspires us with tremendous hope—hope that we, too, will achieve sainthood in heaven. All lived on earth lives like our own. They were baptized, marked with the sign of faith, they were faithful to Christ's teaching and they have gone before us to the heavenly home whence they call on us to follow them.

From the Catechism of the Catholic Church: "...as Christian communion among our fellow pilgrims brings us closer to Christ, so our communion with the saints joins us to Christ, from whom as from its fountain and head issues all grace, and the life of the People of God itself: We worship Christ as God's Son; we love the martyrs as the Lord's disciples and imitators, and rightly so because of their matchless devotion towards their king and master. May we also be their companions and fellow disciples.” (CCC 956, 957)

All Saints Day is an old feast. It arose out of the Christian tradition of celebrating the martyrdom of saints on the anniversary of their martyrdom.When martyrdoms increased during the persecutions of the late Roman Empire, local dioceses instituted a common feast day in order to ensure that all martyrs, known and unknown, were properly honored.

 The current date of November 1 was instituted by Pope Gregory III (731-741), when he consecrated a chapel to all the martyrs in Saint Peter's Basilica in Rome. Gregory ordered his priests to celebrate the Feast of All Saints annually. This celebration was originally confined to the diocese of Rome, but Pope Gregory IV (827-844) extended the feast to the entire Church and ordered it to be celebrated on November 1.

Have a blessed All Saints' Day!

8 WAYS TO CELEBRATE ALL SAINTS DAY

🎊💕8 ACTIVITIES FOR ALL SAINTS' DAY.

Here are some ways that you can celebrate All Saints Day at home or in church:

🗓1. Find a Saintly Calendar.
Look at a list of saints listed by month and date.

🌻2. Make a Visual Display of Saints.
Once you identify saints in any period of history (including our own) who have displayed their love for God, you can display that visually.  Some ideas:
Picture display.
Mobile.
Altar-hanging.
Parade of costumed persons showing how they help or serve.
Banners (hung or carried in procession).

🌷3. Honor the Elders in Your Community.
Many groups use All Saints' Day as an opportunity to remember and respect family members who are elderly or who have lived in other generations. This might be the occasion for telling about where our families have come from and lived, what their lives were like, and what values we honor that they have passed on to us.

⛩4. Study Your Name.
Our names are symbols of who we are, and our Christian names tell who we are in our new life in Christ. Whether or not we share the name of a well-known saint, a study of our names and their meanings can help us see ourselves as particular saints of God whose lives are offered in loving service.

💥5. Make a Display of Names.
A design of everyone's name in a congregation or family can make an interesting All Saints' Day bulletin board or Sunday bulletin cover, or other display. Photos can be made into a mobile or PowerPoint presentation to help convey our common Christian calling to be saints.

🎀6. Create Images or Drama From Scripture.
Biblical illustrations of
Jesus' calling of the disciples, or Jesus' invitation for people to follow him, are excellent discussion starters. Going a step further, we might create art or drama projects about these scenes, and how we too can be followers of Christ today. Think of people in your local community whom are examples of discipleship today, especially those who offer quiet and unnoticed acts.

🚶🚶‍♀7. Walk Among the Departed.
Visit a cemetery and read examples of how friends and loved ones have honored the dead on tombstones.

🏮8. Search Your Church for Stories of Saints.
Look at the memorials in your church and talk about the stories behind them. In many churches, you will find windows, books, liturgical items, and more, which were given in honor of past parishioners.

All Saints Day Meditation Prayer

A Prayer Meditation for All Saints Day.

We give you thanks, O God, for all the saints who ever worshiped you
Whether in brush arbors or cathedrals,
Weathered wooden churches or crumbling cement meeting houses
Where your name was lifted and adored.

We give you thanks, O God, for hands lifted in praise:
Manicured hands and hands stained with grease or soil,
Strong hands and those gnarled with age
Holy hands
Used as wave offerings across the land.

We thank you, God, for hardworking saints;
Whether hard-hatted or steel-booted,
Head ragged or aproned,
Blue-collared or three-piece-suited
They left their mark on the earth for you, for us, for our children to come.

Thank you, God, for the tremendous sacrifices made by those who have gone before us.
Bless the memories of your saints, God.
May we learn how to walk wisely from their examples of faith, dedication, worship, and love.

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All Saints' Day/Halloween

All Hallows' Eve

Presently known as Halloween,  the eve of All Hallows.
(All Saints' Day).

It is the vigil of All Saints (All Hallows) Day. Evening vigils with pious celebrations on the day before a major feast or solemnity were customary in historical Catholic Europe. Hallow, as a noun, is an old English word for saint. As a verb, hallow means to make something holy or to honor it as holy.

The Church traditionally observed Hallowe'en through a vigil "when worshippers would prepare themselves with prayers and fasting prior to the feast day itself.". This church service is known as the Vigil of All Hallows or the Vigil of All Saints.  After the service, "suitable festivities and entertainments" often follow, as well as a visit to the graveyard or cemetery, where flowers and candles are often placed in preparation for All Saints' Day (All Hallows).

In the year 844 A.D. Pope Gregory III transferred the feast of All Saints (which honored especially the unknown martyrs and “hidden” saints whom we do not know by name) from May 13th to November 1st to coincide with a chapel in St. Peter’s Basilica which he dedicated to all the saints in heaven. His successor, Pope Gregory IV, extended the feast of the dedication to the universal Church.

In medieval times churches often displayed the bones and relics of their saints on Halloween (i.e. the vigil of All Saints Day) for public veneration.Long ago in Ireland and Britain, Christians would come together on All Hallows Eve to ask for God's blessing and protection from the evil in the world. The source of the modern celebrations stemmed from the donning of saintly and evil spirit costumes to act out the battle between good and evil.

Although Halloween is the eve of a solemn church festival, its celebration has always been associated with witches and hobgoblins and ghosts; in the past it was at times an occasion for the practice of sorcery and incantations, and even of cruelty. To avoid superstition and any negative influence of the occult, Halloween should not be honored or celebrated apart from Catholic truth (in the same way we should keep the birth of Christ at the center of Christmas, and the Resurrection of Christ at the center of Easter).A popular Catholic alternative is an All Saints Party, usually held on Halloween and featuring candy and costumes of saints rather than ghosts.

The three consecutive days — Halloween, All Saints Day and All Souls Day — illustrate the Communion of Saints. Halloween is the preparation and combination of the two upcoming feasts. We, the Church Militant (those on earth, striving to get to heaven) pray for the Church Suffering (those souls in Purgatory) especially on All Souls Day and the month of November. We rejoice and honor the Church Triumphant (the saints, canonized and uncanonized) in heaven. We also ask the Saints' intercession for us.

Halloween is a day to reflect on Christ’s triumph over sin, death, and Satan; to meditate on our own mortality and duties to God; to shun sin and the devil; to give honor to the saints in heaven; and to pray for the souls of the faithful departed in purgatory.

Happy All Hallow's eve!

Indulgences for All Souls Week

Indulgences for All Souls Week.

An indulgence, applicable only to the Souls in Purgatory, is granted to the faithful, who devoutly visit a cemetery and pray, even if only mentally, for the departed. The indulgence is plenary each day from the first to the eighth of November; on other days of the year it is partial.

A plenary indulgence, applicable only to the Souls in Purgatory, is granted to the faithful, who on the day dedicated to the Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed [November 2 {as well as on the Sunday preceding or following, and on All Saints' Day}] piously visit a church. In visiting the church it is required that one Our Father and the Creed be recited.

To acquire a plenary indulgence it is necessary also to fulfill the following three conditions: sacramental Confession, Eucharistic communion, and prayer for the intention of the Holy Father. The three conditions may be fulfilled several days before or after the performance of the visit; it is, however, fitting that communion be received and the prayer for the intention of the Holy Father be said on the same day as the visit.

The condition of praying for the intention of the Holy Father is fully satisfied by reciting one Our Father and one Hail Mary. A plenary indulgence can be acquired only once in the course of the day.

Litany of the Saints

Litany of the Saints.

Lord, have mercy on us.
CHRIST, have mercy on us.
LORD, have mercy on us.
CHRIST, hear us.
CHRIST, graciously hear us.
GOD, THE FATHER OF HEAVEN, have mercy on us.
GOD THE SON, REDEEMER OF THE WORLD, have mercy on us.
GOD THE HOLY GHOST, have mercy on us.
HOLY TRINITY, ONE GOD, have mercy on us.
HOLY MARY, pray for us.
HOLY MOTHER OF GOD, pray for us.
HOLY VIRGIN OF VIRGINS, pray for us.
ST. MICHAEL, pray for us.
ST. GABRIEL, pray for us.
ST. RAPHAEL, pray for us.
ALL YE HOLY ANGELS AND ARCHANGELS, pray for us.
ALL YE HOLY ORDERS OF BLESSED SPIRITS, pray for us.
ST. JOHN THE BAPTIST, pray for us. ST. JOSEPH, pray for us.
ALL YE HOLY PATRIARCHS AND PROPHETS, pray for us.
ST. PETER, pray for us.
ST. PAUL, pray for us.
ST. ANDREW, pray for us.
ST. JAMES, pray for us.
ST. JOHN, pray for us.
ST. THOMAS, pray for us.
ST. JAMES, pray for us.
ST. PHILIP, pray for us.
ST. BARTHOLOMEW, pray for us.
ST. MATTHEW, pray for us.
ST. SIMON, pray for us.
ST. THADDEUS, pray for us.
ST. BARNABAS, pray for us.
ST. LUKE, pray for us.
ST. MARK, pray for us.
ALL YE HOLY APOSTLES AND EVANGELIST, pray for us.
ALL YE HOLY DISCIPLES OF OUR LORD, pray for us.
ALL YE HOLY INNOCENTS, pray for us.
ST. STEPHEN, pray for us.
ST. LAWRENCE, pray for us.
ST. VINCENT, pray for us.
SS. FABIAN AND SEBASTIAN, pray for us.
SS. JOHN AND PAUL, pray for us.
SS. COSMOS AND DAMIAN, pray for us.
SS. GERVASE AND PROTASE, pray for us.
ALL YE HOLY MARTYRS, pray for us.
ST. SYLVESTER, pray for us.
ST. GREGORY, pray for us.
ST. AMBROSE, pray for us.
ST. AUGUSTINE, pray for us.
ST. JEROME, pray for us.
ST. MARTIN, pray for us.
ST. NICHOLAS, pray for us.
ALL YE HOLY BISHOPS AND CONFESSORS, pray for us.
ALL YE HOLY DOCTORS, pray for us.
ST. ANTHONY, pray for us.
ST. BENEDICT, pray for us.
ST. BERNARD, pray for us.
ST. DOMINIC, pray for us.
ST. FRANCIS, pray for us.
ALL YE HOLY PRIEST AND LEVITES, pray for us.
ALL YE HOLY MONKS AND HERMITS, pray for us.
ST. MARY MAGDALEN, pray for us.
ST. AGATHA, pray for us.
ST. LUCY, pray for us.
ST. AGNES, pray for us.
ST. CECILIA, pray for us.
ST. CATHERINE, pray for us.
ST. ANASTASIA, pray for us.
ALL YE HOLY VIRGINS AND WIDOWS, pray for us.
ALL YE MEN AND WOMEN, SAINTS OF GOD, make intercession for us.
BE MERCIFUL, spare us, O Lord!
BE MERCIFUL, graciously hear us, O Lord!
FROM ALL EVIL, O Lord, deliver us.
FROM ALL SIN, O Lord, deliver us.
FROM THY WRATH, O Lord, deliver us.
FROM A SUDDEN AND UNPROVIDED DEATH, O Lord, deliver us.
FROM THE DECEITS OF THE DEVIL, O Lord, deliver us.
FROM ANGER, HATRED, AND ALL ILL WILL, O Lord, deliver us.
FROM THE SPIRIT OF FORNICATION, O Lord, deliver us.
FROM LIGHTNING AND TEMPEST, O Lord, deliver us.
FROM THE SCOURGE OF EARTHQUAKE, O Lord, deliver us.
FROM PESTILENCE, FAMINE, AND WAR, O Lord, deliver us.
FROM EVERLASTING DEATH, O Lord, deliver us.
THROUGH THE MYSTERY OF THY HOLY INCARNATION, O Lord, Deliver us.
THROUGH THY COMING, O Lord, deliver us.
THROUGH THY NATIVITY, O Lord, deliver us.
THROUGH THY BAPTISM AND HOLY FASTING, O Lord, deliver us.
THROUGH THY CROSS AND PASSION, O Lord, deliver us.
THROUGH THY DEATH AND BURIAL, O Lord, deliver us.
THROUGH THY HOLY RESURRECTION, O Lord, deliver us.
THROUGH THINE ADMIRABLE ASCENSION, O Lord, deliver us.
THROUGH THE COMING OF THE HOLY GHOST, THE PARACLETE, O Lord, deliver us.
IN THE DAY OF JUDGMENT, We Sinners beseech Thee, hear us.
THAT THOU WOULDST SPARE US, We beseech Thee, hear us.
THAT THOU WOULDST PARDON US, We beseech Thee, hear us.
THAT THOU WOULDST VOUCHSAFE TO BRING US TO TRUE PENANCE, We Beseech Thee hear us.
THAT THOU WOULDST VOUCHSAFE TO GOVERN AND PRESERVE THY HOLY CHURCH.... We beseech Thee, hear us.
THAT THOU WOULDST VOUCHSAFE TO PRESERVE OUR APOSTOLIC PRELATE AND ALL ECCLESIASTICAL ORDERS IN HOLY RELIGION. We beseech Thee, hear us.
THAT THOU WOULDST VOUCHSAFE TO HUMBLE THE ENEMIES OF THY HOLY CHURCH, We beseech Thee, hear us.
THAT THOU WOULDST VOUCH SAFE TO GIVE PEACE AND TRUE CONCORD TO CHRISTIAN KINGS AND PRINCES, We beseech Thee, hear us.
THAT THOU WOULDST VOUCHSAFE TO GRANT PEACE AND UNITY TO ALL CHRISTIAN PEOPLE, We beseech Thee, hear us.
THAT THOU WOULDST VOUCHSAFE TO BRING BACK TO THE UNITY OF THE CHURCH ALL THOSE WHO HAVE STRAYED AWAY, AND LEAD TO THE LIGHT OF THE GOSPEL ALL UNBELIEVERS, We beseech Thee, hear us.
THAT THOU WOULDST VOUCHSAFE TO CONFIRM AND PRESERVE US THY HOLY SERVICE, We beseech Thee, hear us.
THAT THOU WOULDST LIFT UP OUR MINDS TO HEAVENLY DESIRES, We beseech Thee, hear us.
THAT THOU WOULDST RENDER ETERNAL BLESSINGS TO ALL OUR BENEFACTORS, We beseech Thee, hear us.
THAT THOU WOULDST DELIVER OUR SOULS AND THOSE OF OUR BRETHREN, RELATIVE, AND BENEFACTORS FROM ETERNAL DAMNATION, We beseech Thee, hear us.
THAT THOU WOULDST VOUCHSAFE TO GIVE AND PRESERVE THE FRUITS OF THE EARTH, We beseech Thee, hear us.
THAT THOU WOULDST VOUCHSAFE TO GIVE ETERNAL REST TO ALL THE FAITHFUL DEPARTED, We beseech Thee, hear us.
THAT THOU WOULDST VOUCHSAFE GRACIOUSLY TO HEAR US, We beseech Thee, hear us.

SON OF GOD, We beseech Thee, hear us.
LAMB OF GOD, WHO TAKEST AWAY THE SINS OF THE WORLD, Spare us, O Lord.
LAMB OF GOD, WHO TAKEST AWAY THE SINS OF THE WORLD, Graciously hear us, O Lord.
LAMB OF GOD, WHO TAKEST AWAY THE SINS OF THE WORLD, Have mercy on us.
CHRIST, HEAR US.......
CHRIST, GRACIOUSLY HEAR US.......
LORD, HAVE MERCY ON US.......
CHRIST, HAVE MERCY ON US.......
LORD, HAVE MERCY ON US.......

Our Father, etc, (In Secret.)
V- And Lead Us Not Into Temptation.
R- But Deliver Us From Evil.

Psalm LXIX

Incline unto my aid, O God.
O Lord, make haste to help me.
Let them be confounded and ashamed that seek my soul.
Let them be turned backward and blush for shame that desire evils to me.
Let them be presently turned away blushing for shame that say to me, "Tis well, 'tis well."
Let all that seek Thee rejoice and be glad in Thee; and let such as love Thy salvation say always, The Lord be magnified. But I am needy and poor: O God, help me.
Thou art my helper and my deliverer; O Lord, make no delay.

Glory Be To The Father, etc.
V- Save Thy servants.
R- Trusting in Thee, O my God.
V- Be unto us, O Lord, a tower a strength.
R- From the face of the enemy.
V- Let not the enemy prevail against us.
R- Nor the son of iniquity have power to hurt us.
V- O Lord, do not deal with us according to our sins.
R- Neither reward us according to our iniquities.
V- Let us pray for our chief bishop: (name)
R- The Lord preserve him, and give him life, and make him blessed upon the earth, and deliver him not up to the will of his enemies.
V- Let us pray for our benefactors.
R- Vouchsafe, O Lord, for Thy name's sake, to reward with eternal life all those who do us good.
V- Let us pray for the faithful departed.
R- Eternal rest give unto them, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon them.
V- May they rest in peace.
R- Amen.
V- For our absent brethren.
R- Save Thy servants who hope in Thee, O my God.
V- Send them help, O Lord, from Thy holy place.
R- And from Sion protect them.
V- O Lord, hear my prayer.
R- And let my cry come unto Thee.

LET US PRAY:
O God, Whose property is always to have mercy and to spare, receive our petition, that we and all Thy servants who are bound by the chain of sin, may, by the compassion of Thy goodness, mercifully be absolved.

Hear, we beseech Thee, O Lord, the prayers of Thy supplicants, and pardon the sins of those who confess to Thee, that, in Thy bounty, Thou mayest grant us both pardon and peace.

In Thy clemency, O Lord, show Thy unspeakable mercy to us, that so Thou mayest both loose us from all our sins and deliver us from the punishments which we deserve for them.

O God, who by sin art offended and by penance pacified, mercifully regard the prayers of Thy people, who make supplication to Thee, and turn away the scourges of Thine anger, which we deserve for our sins.

O almighty and eternal God, have mercy on Thy servant (N)., our chief bishop, and direct him according to Thy clemency, in the way of everlasting salvation, that, by Thy grace, he may desire the things that are pleasing to Thee, and perform them with all his strength.

O God, from Whom are all holy desires, righteous counsels, and just works, give to Thy servants that peace which the world cannot give; that, our hearts being disposed to keep Thy commandments, and the fear of enemies taken away, the times, by Thy protection, may be peaceful.

Inflame, O Lord, our reins and hearts with the fire of the Holy Spirit; that we may serve Thee with a chaste body, and please Thee with a clean heart.

O God, the Creator and Redeemer of all the faithful, give to the souls of Thy servants departed the remission of all their sins, that through pious supplications they may obtain the pardon they have always desired.

Direct, we beseech Thee, O Lord, our actions by Thy holy inspirations, and carry them on by Thy gracious assistance; that every prayer and work of ours may always begin from Thee, and through Thee be happily ended.

O almighty and eternal God, Who hast dominion over the living and the dead, and art merciful to all who Thou foreknowest will be Thine by faith and good works: we humbly beseech Thee that they for whom we have purposed to offer our prayers, whether this present world still detains them in the flesh or the next world hath already received them divested of their bodies, may, by the intercession of Thy saints and the clemency of Thy goodness, obtain pardon and full remission of all their sins. Through Our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end.
R- Amen.
V- O Lord, hear my prayer.
R- And let my cry come unto Thee.
V- May the almighty and merciful Lord graciously hear us.
R- Amen.
V- And my the souls of the faithful departed throught the mercy of God, rest in peace.
R- Amen.