Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed

"Grant them, O Lord, we pray, and all who sleep in Christ, a place of refreshment, light and peace”, we pray during the I Eucharistic Canon of the Mass, at the moment when we remember the deceased. This is the heart of the message that Jesus left us. Because of this truth, Jesus became man, he died on the cross and rose to make us participants in the joy of the resurrection.

In the Catholic tradition, November is traditionally a month of remembrance of the dead. The month begins with the Solemnity of All Saints on 1 November and the Commemoration of the All the Faithful Departed (All Souls’ Day), on 2 November. While no longer a holy day of obligation in Aotearoa New Zealand, the Church has consistently encouraged prayers for the faithful departed and, during November, a list of the names of the dead is usually placed in the church so that the community can remember them in prayer.

From the Gospel of John

Jesus said to the crowds:
“Everything that the Father gives me will come to me,
and I will not reject anyone who comes to me,
because I came down from heaven not to do my own will
but the will of the one who sent me.
And this is the will of the one who sent me,
that I should not lose anything of what he gave me,
but that I should raise it on the last day.
For this is the will of my Father,
that everyone who sees the Son and believes in him
may have eternal life,
and I shall raise that person on the last day”.

(Jn. 6:37-40)

Prayer for the Dead                           

Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord.                               

And let perpetual light shine upon them

May they rest in peace.

May his/her soul and the souls of all the faithful

departed through the mercy of God, rest in peace.

Amen.

Inoinga mō te Hunga Mate

E te Ariki, hoatu ki a rātou te okiokinga tonutanga,

Ā, kia whiti ki a rātou te māramatanga mutunga kore

Kia okioki rātou i runga i te rangimarie.

Kia okioki i runga i te Rangimarie mā tea tawhai

O te Atua tōna wairua, me ngā wairua o te hunga.

Whakapono katoa kua mate.

Āmene.

A Prayer of Remembrance 

God, thank you for the special people in our lives whom we are remembering in a special way during the month of November.

We thank you for being a compassionate God who walks with us in our dark moments of grief and loneliness.

We are thankful for all who continue to love and support us through our grief.

Lord, continue to be a light for us, giving us hope, direction and courage.

May we now live our lives treasuring the memories of those special people we have known
and loved and help us to bring light and hope to others.

We make this prayer through Christ our Lord,

Amen. 

From ICBC In November we remember 2020

All Souls Day poem by John O’Donohue HERE

Background information about this day of Commemoration HERE

Photo on main slider Zaduszki candle Poland: photo Jan Morek