The parish of St. Augustine’s marked All Souls this past Saturday, November 2 with an evening mass that began in candlelight and the reading of a list of the recently deceased of our parish. Maintaining an ancient practice established in the time of the ancient kingdom of Israel, the faithful offered prayers of intercession for all the souls of the faithful departed who died in the peace of Christ.
Fr. Whitfield spoke of the necessity of this prayer, not only for the sake of those who have passed from this world, but also for ourselves: If plagued by concern for the souls of the many who were not so firm in faith, today we take solace in the fact that God is not so quick to condemn, but is ready to hear the appeal of His people; if we worry that they are growing weary in purgatory, our prayers will reach them and hearten them to know that we are in solidarity with them every bit as much as the saints in glory who continually intercede for us. If we long to see our loved ones no longer amongst us, today we are assured that as they stand in the company of the saints, they see us.