May Their Souls ‘Rest In Peace!’ Catholics Remember their Dear and Near Ones on ‘All Souls Day’
Depart, O Christian soul, out of this world; In the Name of God the Father Almighty who created you; In the Name of Jesus Christ who redeemed you; In the Name of the Holy Spirit who sanctified you. May your rest be in peace, and your dwelling place in the Paradise of God.
Mangaluru: Just like when the PM or CM visits the Mangaluru City, the streets get cleaned and the surroundings get an extreme makeover, similarly is the case when “A Souls Day” arrives, the Church management along with a bunch of parishioners clean the cemetery few days before the 2 November deadline, where it looks clean and green, and then for the rest of the year, it is a HISTORY?. I was happy to see Bejai Church cemetery having an extreme makeover, looks 98% Cleaner and Better, than it looked few weeks ago. Last time I had published an article on the same cemetery cleanliness issue (Reference: http://www.mangalorean.com/how-can-they-rip-in-such-a-mess-bejai-church-cemetery-in-pathetic-condition), it received full support from our readers, except for one person, who bashed at me through his letter- but it didn’t bother me a bit- because I spoke the truth that, where our dear and near ones are buried, need to be Swachh. Period! Okay, now let me proceed to the topic of the day –
Catholic families across Mangaluru parishes gathered last evening (1 Nov ) and also this morning (2 Nov) at area cemeteries to pay tribute to loved ones who have died. Catholic Church celebrations for All Saints’ Day fall on or around the actual day. The observance honors both official Saints and others who have lived good lives. Today, is “All Souls’ Day, when believers pray that souls in purgatory make it to heaven. Though its origins lie with the Catholic Church, other Christian denominations mark the holiday by reading the names of congregation members who have died over the past year.
In the Mass that precedes the blessings, the pastoral staff will urge parishioners to pray not only for the good who have died but those who may not have lived a good life. Death is such a difficult thing for us to deal with. It seems like it robs us of life. (The celebration) helps people who suffer from the grief of loss to be reminded that death is not the end. There is hope for us beyond the grave. The most distinctive feature of the “All Saints’ Day” Mass is the nature of the prayer. The prayers talk about through Christ we have victory over death and hope beyond the grave.
Preceding ‘All Saints Day’ ( November 1), ‘All Souls Day’ observed on November 2 is a solemn feast in the Roman Catholic Church commemorating all of those who have died and now are in Purgatory, being cleansed of their venial sins and the temporal punishments for the mortal sins that they had confessed and atoning before entering fully into Heaven. The importance of ‘All Souls Day’ was made clear by Pope Benedict XV (1914-22), when he granted all priests the privilege of celebrating three Masses on All Souls Day: one, for the faithful departed; one for the priest’s intentions; and one for the intentions of the Holy Father. Only on a handful of other very important feast days are priests allowed to celebrate more than two Masses.
On All Souls Day, we not only remember the dead, but we apply our efforts, through prayer, alms giving, and the Mass, to their release from Purgatory. There are two plenary indulgences attached to All Souls Day, one for visiting a church and another for visiting a cemetery. (The plenary indulgence for visiting a cemetery can also be obtained every day from November 1-8, and, as a partial indulgence, on any day of the year.) While the actions are performed by the living, the merits of the indulgences are applicable only to the souls in Purgatory.
Praying for the dead is a Christian obligation. In the modern world, when many have come to doubt the Church’s teaching on Purgatory, the need for such prayers has only increased. The Church devotes the month of November to prayer for the Holy Souls in Purgatory, and participation in the Mass of ‘All Souls Day’ is a good way to begin the month. The Christian tradition dates back to the ancient practice in Rome, which honors all saints and martyrs who died for the faith. ‘All Souls’ Day’, the day after, is often when those wanting to avoid the crowds of All Saints’ Day visit the cemeteries to pay their respects.
Family members and close friends visited the cemeteries this past week, some to clean the tombs in preparation for the celebrations. Tombs at the Catholic church cemeteries were adorned with new silk flowers/fresh flowers, bouquets and candles. Susan belonging to Bejai Parish cleans the graves of her family members once every two months. She says “We honor the saints that are in heaven. We remember the dead and we pray for them. We also need to keep tombs of our beloved ones clean too . I feel sad when I see the dilapidated conditions of some of tombs “. Susan said she remembers her sister every day, especially her “bubbly” personality. “Whenever you see her, she would laugh and always have something good to say. She wasn’t going to die, she was going to go on forever and ever,” Susan said.
On 1 November evening, the mass for the departed souls was held at St Francis Xavier Church, celebrated by Rev Fr Wilson D’Souza- Parish priest, along with other clergy of the Church. After the mass, the faithful along with the clergy visited the graveyard, and the tombs were blessed by the priests, with the family members of the deceased joining in the prayers. Last year I had met, Everest Rodrigues, accompanied by his wife, after searching around the graveyard, finally found the tombs of Santiago Rodrigues (grandfather), Casmir (Father), Monthi Mary (mother) and Louis (brother). Working is Assam and West Bengal managing Tea estates, Everest had recently moved back to Mangaluru and looking at the dilapidated condition of the graveyard said, ” In Assam and Bengal during the time of All Souls Day, church volunteers along with the clergy clean the grave yard area, pulling the weeds out and doing other cleaning. But sadly, cleanliness around here is very much lacking, which needs to be addressed by the church committee members, so ensure that graveyard is also part of the church to be kept clean”.
I too this morning, along with my brother Joe, and cousin Sr Matilda (Headmistress of St Angela School-Bejai) visited and paid respect to the tomb of my dad and mom, George and Magdelene D’Souza, who both share the same tomb at Bejai Church. For their love, care and dedication towards me, I dedicate the following thought-provoking poem to my parents who died few years ago. I miss them very much. If I had a chance to relive my years with them again, I would have thought of their needs more and made time to visit them more often than I did –
“A day does not go by without thinking of you.
I think of the past and I feel happy and sad.
You both worked hard to take care of us.
My two brothers (Joe and Rudy) and I had fun growing up.
Before I knew it you were both very old.
I wished I had spend more time with you.
You gave all your time, love and care to us.
But I was too busy to even visit you two.
Now that both of you are dead and buried,
I visit your grave and think of the past.
What I would not give to see you again.
I wish I could go back to the past.
I would spend every day with you two.
I would give you my time and my care.
To make sure that you were happy and well.
Just like you did with my brothers and me.
Also read related article:
