Month of the Souls in Purgatory

The month of November is dedicated to the Souls in Purgatory, whose feast is celebrated on November 2. 

 

BENEDICT XVI'S PRAYER INTENTIONS FOR NOVEMBER  - Pope Benedict's general prayer intention for November is: "That bishops, priests, and all ministers of the Gospel may bear the courageous witness of fidelity to the crucified and risen Lord."

His mission intention is: "That the pilgrim Church on earth may shine as a light to the nations." (“Vatican Information Service Blog” (VIS))

 

Highlights of the Month of October

• Thursday, November01, 2012 All Saints (Solemnity)

• Friday, November 02, 2012 The Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed (All Souls)

• Saturday, November 03, 2012 St. Martin de Porres, Religious (Optional Memorial)

• Friday, November 09, 2012 The Dedication of the Lateran Basilica (Feast)

• Saturday, November 10, 2012 St. Leo the Great, Pope, Doctor of the Church (Memorial)

• Monday, November 12, 2012 St. Josaphat (Memorial)

• Saturday, November 17, 2012 St. Elizabeth of Hungary, Patroness of the Third Order (Feast)

• Wednesday, November 21, 2012 The Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary (Memorial)

• Thursday, November 22, 2012 St. Cecilia, Virgin, Martyr (Memorial)

• Saturday, November 24, 2012 St. Andrew Dung-Lac, Priest, Martyr and Companions, Martyrs (Memorial)

• Sunday, November 25, 2012 Christ the King (Solemnity)

• Friday, November 30, 2012 St. Andrew, Apostle (Feast)

Reading of the Month of November

 

• By St. Francis de Sales' "Introduction to the Devout Life" It's not very long. Each "chapter" or section is maybe 1-3 pages of a small book and in this first Friday and Saturday of the month Let's spend time with Sacred Heart of Jesus and Immaculate Heart of Mary with the guidance on Meditation form Part One of the Book of St. Francis de Sales.

• Purgatory

Answers  Trivia Questions of the Month of October

• Name the Pope who instituted the feast of Our Lady of the Rosary and why?

The feast of Our Lady of the Rosary was instituted to honor Mary for the Christian victory over the Turks at Lepanto on October 7, 1571. Pope St. Pius V and all Christians had prayed the Rosary for victory. The Rosary, or the Psalter of the Blessed Virgin Mary, is one of the best prayers to Mary, the Mother of God. Pope Benedict XVI invites all families to pray the Rosary for the intentions of the Pope, the mission of the Church and peace. "It is as if every year Our Lady invited us to rediscover the beauty of this prayer, so simple and profound." The Rosary, a "contemplative and Christocentric prayer, inseparable from the meditation of Sacred Scripture," is "the prayer of the Christian who advances in the pilgrimage of faith, in the following of Jesus, preceded by Mary," said the Pontiff.

• Who is the patron saint of animals and ecology?

Francis of Assisi patron saint of animals and ecology

• Who is the patron saint of Church in eastern Mediterranean, Church in North Africa, and throat diseases?

St. Ignatius of Antioch

 

Things to Do on the Month of November:

• Visiting a cemetery and praying for the dead during the Octave of All Saints' Day (November 1 through November 8) will gain a plenary indulgence that can be applied only to the souls in purgatory. On other days, this work gains a partial indulgence.

• Spend a little time after Mass thanking God for all the unnamed saints, some of whom could be our own relatives.

• Have a special meal and if you have young children have them dress up like saints and play games.

• Pray the Litany of the Saints -- you could make it really special by chanting it ("he who sings prays twice") and you could read an explanation of this litany, which is considered the model of all other litanies.