All Souls Day

Merciful Father,

hear our prayer and console us.

As we renew our faith in Your Son,

whom You raised from the dead,

strengthen our hope

that all our departed brothers and sisters

will share in His resurrection,

who lives and reigns

with You and the Holy Spirit,

one God, for ever and ever. Amen

(Catholic Collect from the Mass for the Dead)

Again this year we commemorated All Souls Day by planting flower bulbs.

We cleaned out our Mary garden, removing the dead flowers that gave us so much color and beauty all summer.

We dug holes and planted dead-looking bulbs.

As we placed each bulb in the ground, we said the name of a loved one who has died. We prayed for their souls and remembered God's promises to us.... that all who believe in Him will have eternal life and that we will all be raised on the last day.

We look forward in hope to the day when we will be re-united with our family members and friends who have died. In the meantime, we'll wait through the long, cold winter and anticipate the beauty of the flowers that will bloom in our Mary garden this Spring!

Eternal Rest grant unto them, O Lord,

and let perpetual light shine upon them.

May they rest in peace.

Amen.