All you holy men and women, pra-ay for us

I drove across town alone in the car Wednesday morning and switched on Catholic radio.

I tuned into the middle of a brief biography of St. Charles Borromeo, the saint of the day. And when his story was finished I instinctively said: "St. Charles Borromeo, pray for us."

Then also instinctively, I sang the line: "St. Charles Borromeo, pra-ay for us."

In the spirit of the new month of November -- a month of saints and holy souls -- I switched off the radio and began singing my own personal litany of saints.

I started with some of the heavy-weights, renowned for their intercession before God, such as our Blessed Mother, St. Joseph and the apostles. I also asked for prayers from the the saints I'm named after -- and those my relatives are named after -- the saints we adopted at birth, Baptism and Confirmation.

Then I turned to a few personal favorites, some of my go-to saints in prayer, such as St. Alphonsus Ligouri and St. Philip Neri. That list also would include any Carmelite saint (my older brothers and sisters in Christ because I'm a lay Carmelite). Among the Carmelite greats would be St. Therese of Lisieux, St. Teresa of Avila, St. John of the Cross, St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross ( Edith Stein), St. Elizabeth of the Trinity and St. Titus Brandsma.

Of course, St. Columbkille would be in my personal litany of saints, as well as patron saints of former parishes and schools. And I couldn't forget St. Cecilia, patron saint of the archdiocese.

Also, I owe some partiality to St. Anthony, who helps me almost daily as I'm looking for lost items, and St. Jude, patron saint of seemingly hopeless cases, like me.

I went on and on thinking of saints to pray to, until I sang and prayed my way home that morning. Once home, it was hard to stop. I enjoyed the challenge of thinking of as many saints as possible, and the little tune was stuck in my head. So I just kept praying until my thoughts drifted toward the busy work of the day.

The beautiful thing about many of our Catholic prayers and traditions is that they can be adapted to suit us personally. I enjoy remembering and turning toward our friends in Heaven. And in prayerful hope I await the day I can meet them there and join them in praise of our Lord.

"All you holy men and women, pra-ay for us!"

Inspired by the Year of Faith, Susan Szalewski began writing weekly columns for us. Although that year is over, we liked them so well that we asked her to keep writing. Thankfully, she said yes. So watch for these on Thursdays and see the Year of Faith Blog here.

All Saints

To celebrate All Saints, K-2 students at St. Columbkille Catholic School made pennants for their favorite saints.

Then they paraded through the school.

Celebrating the Saints

The K-2 students at St. Columbkille Catholic School learned a lot about the saints when they got back from their long weekend.

 They each picked a saint to represent and made a crown which they wore in the Saints Parade.

Older student lined up waiting for the parade.

 It's great to be a saint!

After the parade students talked about what they learned.

All Saints' and All Souls' Days

Today we celebrate the feast of All Saints. In the painting above, by Fra Angelico you will notice that each saint in the painting is different, but all are celebrated together.

All Saints' Day

While this day is special and holy, because it falls on a Saturday this year, it is not a day of obligation. We will have one Mass to celebrate it, at 9:00 a.m. this morning.

All Souls' Day

The Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed (often simply called All Souls') is celebrated this weekend rather than the 31st Sunday of Ordinary Time. So at all of our Masses we shall recall those who have passed away in the last year.

Saints Parade

Kindergarten, First and Second Grade students had a "Saints Parade" through the school today. Each student decorated a crown with the name of the saint. They wore the crown as as they paraded through the school.

All Saints & All Souls Day

Friday we celebrate the feast of All Saints. In the painting above, by Fra Angelico you will notice that each saint in the painting is different, but all are celebrated together.

For this Holy Day you can attend Mass at St. Columbkille Parish on Thursday at 5:30 p.m. or on Friday at 6:20, 8:15 a.m. 12:10, 5:30 or 7:00 p.m.

All Souls' Day

There will be a special all Soul's Day Mass Saturday at 10:00 a.m. to especially remember our parishioners who have passed away in the last year.

What's the deal Saturday Night?

In the hierarchy of liturgical days, All Souls' Day takes precedence over a Sunday in Ordinary Time. Therefore the readings and Propers for All Souls' Day will be followed for the vigil Mass on Saturday, November 2, (5 & 6:30 p.m) even though it satisfies the Sunday obligation. In other words, the reading Saturday evening will be the ones used for All Souls' Day even though it "counts" as a Sunday Mass.

Saints Parade

In celebration of All Saints' Day some students at St. Columbkille Catholic School made crowns to remember particular saints.

 

In First Grade students learned about two

Irish saints, St. Patrick and St. Columbkille.

For the Saints Parade students were armed with

noisemakers so everyone could hear the celebration.

The Universal Call to Holiness: A Five-Point Plan

To commemorate All Saints Day, let's resolve to become saints. Many people have lofty, unrealistic ideas about holiness. But God created us to be saints, to be happy with Him in eternity. So He makes sanctity within our reach.


"For this is the will of God, your sanctification," according to the Vatican II document Lumen Gentium.

During this Year of Faith, we have been asked to pray and ponder on the teachings from the Council, including the "The Universal Call to Holiness" contained in Lumen Gentium.

Here is a five-point plan to become a saint, drawn from that teaching:

1. Don't try to do it alone.

Holiness is mostly God's doing."The followers of Christ are called by God, not because of their works, but according to His own purpose and grace," according to Lumen Gentium. Our Lord presents us with His plan for us and the gifts we need to accomplish His plan. We just need to accept His will and His grace.

This is a seemingly simple concept, but of course, it's challenging. The way to Heaven is narrow and difficult, Jesus acknowledges. But the good news is that He is here to help. Jesus told us that He is the Vine and we are the branches, and that apart from Him, we can do nothing. But when we unite ourselves with Him, all things are possible.

To find out how we unite ourselves with Christ, follow points 2 through 5.

2. Draw upon the Church and its sacraments.

Through the sacraments we are "united in a hidden and real way to Christ."

Our salvation is rooted in the sacrament of Baptism, where Christians "truly become sons of God and sharers in the divine nature. In this way they are really made holy. Then too, by God's gift, they must hold on to and complete in their lives this holiness they have received."

This stained glass window reminds
us of how the Holy Spirit brings us
the seven gifts of the Holy
Spirit at Confirmation.

In Baptism and fortified in Confirmation, we receive the Holy Spirit and His sanctifying gifts, which we need to fulfill God's plan for our lives.

The Eucharist gives us the nourishment, the strength, for holiness in our day-to-day lives. "Really partaking of the body of the Lord in the breaking of the Eucharistic bread, we are taken up into communion with Him and with one another."

In the sacrament of Reconciliation, Jesus draws us back to Himself after we have strayed. The sacraments of Marriage and Holy Orders give us specific graces to live holy vocations. The Sacrament of the Sick bolsters us in illness.

3. We must choose God's will over our own.

This is what Jesus did and what all Christians are called to do. "They must follow in His footsteps and conform themselves to His image, seeking the will of the Father in all things. They must devote themselves with all their being to the glory of God and the service of their neighbor. In this way, the holiness of the people of God will grow into an abundant harvest of good, as is admirably shown by the life of so many saints in Church history."

And how do we know God's will?





The name of this stained glass
 window is "Pray Always" and
it reminds us to do just that,



4. We must pray.

 Pray the Holy Spirit's help, for divine love and the ability to persevere in that love. And remember that prayer includes listening, especially while pondering Scripture.

5. We must love as God loves.

"God pours out His love into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, Who has been given to us."

"For charity, as the bond of perfection and the fullness of the law, rules over all the means of attaining holiness and gives life to these same means. It is charity which guides us to our final end. It is the love of God and the love of one's neighbor which points out the true disciple of Christ."

To love as God loves entails sacrifice and perseverance. That's why we fall back on the previous steps to holiness: rely on God's help, especially in the sacraments, pray and trust in His will.

Remember, sanctity = union with God. "All men are called to this union with Christ, Who is the Light of the World, from Whom we go forth, through Whom we live, and toward Whom our whole life strains."

And finally, a prayer to obtain that holiness:

Dear Jesus, help me to spread your fragrance everywhere.
Flood my soul with your spirit and life.
Penetrate and possess my whole being so utterly that all my life may be only a radiance of yours.
Shine through me and be so in me that every person I come in contact with may feel your Presence in my soul.
Let them look up and see no longer me but only Jesus.

All Saint's - A Holy Day

Today we celebrate the feast of All Saints. In the painting above, by Fra Angelico you will notice that each saint in the painting is different, but all are celebrated together.

For this Holy Day you can attend Mass at St. Columbkille Parish on Wednesday at 5:30 p.m. or on Thursday at 6:20, 8:15 a.m. 12:10, 5:30 or 7:00 p.m.

All Saint's Day

Today is a celebration of all

saints known and unknown.

Today in our Opening Prayer we pray:

God our Father,

source of all holiness,

the work of your hands is manifested in your saints,

the beauty of your truth is reflected in their faith.

May we who aspire to have part in their joy

be filled with the Spirit that blessed their lives,

so that having shared their faith on earth

we may also know their peace in your kingdom.

Grant this through Christ our Lord.

Masses today are:

6:20 & 8:15 a.m., 12:10, 5:30 and 7 p.m.

All Saints Day

Today we celebrate the feast of All Saints. In the painting above, by Fra Angelico you will notice that each saint in the painting is different, but all are celebrated together.

Most years, this Feast is a Day of Holy Obligation. Because it falls on a Monday, the obligation is lifted, but the day remains holy. We will have Masses at 8:15 am & 5:30 pm.