Weekly Letter from the Pastor

Today we observe the Commemoration of the Faithful Departed, known popularly as All Soul’s Day. Throughout November we remember the poor souls in Purgatory. This is our time to reflect and pray for the members of our parish, our families and other loved ones who have passed away during the past year, and of course, those who have been gone a long time, but whose memory still lives within our minds and hearts. We remember them at the Mass this Sunday, and we have a special commemoration Mass on Thursday at 7pm for those who were buried from here this past year.  

This is a good time to reflect on the importance of the Funeral Mass in our Catholic faith. It is our right, indeed an obligation, for the baptized to be buried from the Church and a proper funeral Mass is the most correct way to do this. I am aware that some local funeral homes are discouraging Masses in favor of a ceremony at the funeral home itself. This is, of course, a financial decision on the part of the funeral director and not necessarily in the best interest of the family or reflective of the wishes of the deceased. 

As I have written in the past, you should have a funeral directive, and prepaying and arranging your funeral Mass and burial should be clearly expressed. This is especially important if your family is not attached to the faith or they are poorly formed in their understanding of the church’s teaching and your own desires. It is also important to note that burial in a cemetery should quickly follow the funeral Mass. Cremation is a common and acceptable practice, though the church prefers that it occur after the funeral Mass, though this is by no means a requirement.  In response to the increasingly popular practice of creating jewelry or scattering ashes, the Vatican Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith upheld a rule mandating that the ashes of the deceased be preserved in a consecrated place. However, it also said family members could request a small part of the ashes be kept in a sacred place of significance for the deceased person. This was published by the Vatican in October, 2023. 

Mrs. Dolores Remick, mother of Deacon Paul, passed away this past Tuesday morning. The funeral will be in Inverness, Illinois on Monday. Please remember them in your prayers.  I encourage everyone to pray this month for all the deceased members of our parish, your own families, and friends (and perhaps especially your enemies).

In other news, school continues to go well. We are still making adjustments to the lighting scheme in the church, and the Christmas tree has been redecorated and is ready to go for the Tree Lighting on December 6.  Further along in the bulletin you will notice a more detailed breakdown of the parish finances. Note that the YTD column is the fiscal year (beginning July 1) and not the calendar year. We will publish this once a month. 

Have a blessed week,
Father Garry