Saying goodbye is never easy.  When loved ones die it’s difficult; it hurts.  In many ways, it feels as if we’re left with a hole in our hearts.  Sometimes we wonder how we will go on without the person, but we do.  After my grandmother died, I know it made me feel better when I was able share her story; how she touched my life.  It was the same when my father died. 

I can think of many people whom I’ve known over my 59 years on this planet who’ve played an import role in my life, and I am sure you can as well. Part of what makes us human is that we take comfort in the fact that we are still connected to our loved ones who have gone before us.   We are part of the circle of life that begins and ends in God; the Communion of Saints.

The Feast of All Saints is not so much about canonized saints, but more about all those who have died and now rest in the loving embrace of our God.  In the 4^th century, Pope Gregory IV delegated November 1^st as the Feast of All Saints, for those who gave their lives for their faith and for those who died marked with the sign of faith. During the month of November, we celebrate the memory of those who have gone before us, the women, men, and children who touched our lives and helped shape us into the people we are today. 

As a parish, we have an opportunity to display photos of our deceased family and friends in church, to share their stories, honor their legacy, and hold them in prayer.  Please bring photos of those you would like to honor this year and place them on the table beneath the Holy Family statues.  We will remember them in prayer during our Masses throughout November and you will have the opportunity to share your memories with one another.

May God bless you and your loved ones today, tomorrow, and forever more.

Fr. Harry