The Month of November

11-03-2019Weekly ReflectionFr. James Aboyi

Dear Parishioners,

Welcome to the month of November. In the Church tradition, the month of November is a period dedicated for prayers for the dead. On Nov 1, the Church celebrates the Feast of All Saints when we thank God for the lives of all the dead who have made it to heaven. On Nov 2, we celebrate the Memorial of All Souls when we pray for those who have passed and are still undergoing the period of purification in Purgatory before they can be admitted into heaven. On the Church’s teaching on Purgatory, the Catechism of the Catholic Church states that:

“All who die in God’s grace and friendship, but still imperfectly purified, are indeed assured of their eternal salvation; but after death they undergo purification, so as to achieve the holiness necessary to enter the joy of heaven. The Church gives the name Purgatory to this final purification of the elect, which is entirely different from the punishment of the damned. The Church formulated her doctrine of faith on Purgatory especially at the Councils of Florence and Trent. The tradition of the Church, by reference to certain texts of Scripture, speaks of a cleansing fire” (CCC 1030 -1031).

Although we know that the souls in Purgatory will eventually enter into Heaven, we are still bound by charity to try to lessen their suffering through our prayers and good deeds. While our first responsibility is to those people we know, it is also important to remember in our prayers those souls who have no one to pray for them.

Together Let Us Go Forth~Juntos Sigamos Adelante

Last weekend, the Bishop and I invited everyone to pray and discern on our participation in the Diocesan-wide Campaign, Together Let Us Go Forth~Juntos Sigamos Adelante. I thank you for your prayers throughout the week for the success of the Campaign as you discern your participation. This weekend, we will have “Lay Witness Testimony” at all the Masses. This will be presented by the Campaign Cabinet Members who will give their personal testimonies of how they discerned their participation in the Campaign. I thank the Cabinet Members for their help and support through the different stages of the Campaign, which began in July of this year.

A number of you have had questions about the difference between our parish Church Building Campaign and Diocesan Campaign, difference between CDA and Diocesan Campaign, etc. I invite you to visit our parish website at stbenedict.org to find answers to your questions. You may also follow the link on the parish website to the Diocesan website for other Q & A. Additionally, we have provided some hard copies of Q &A at the Church vestibule. If questions still remain, please call or come visit me in the parish office.

Thank you and remain blessed,

Fr. James

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