All Souls

Actually, we missed All Souls Day during the big sick, but November is the month of the Holy Souls, so we went ahead with our plans.

Who are the Holy Souls, anyway?  They are the people who have died who haven't been officially declared saints.

The Church canonizes people (declares them to be in heaven) who have lead extraordinary lives of heroic virtue and holds them up as examples of how to be holy.

We start November with the feast of All Saints (All Hallows, the eve of which is Hallowe'en), but the next day, and the rest of the month, are dedicated to the rest of the dead, all leading up to the end of the Church Year: Christ the King, in which we celebrate Jesus' return at the end of time. 

We believe that some souls go directly to heaven (saints), some go to heaven but first need purification (those in purgatory), and of course, some choose to be separated from God forever (the damned).

Unless they choose hell, everyone is part of the Communion of Saints.  Those in heaven are the Church Triumphant, those in purgatory are the Church Suffering (sometimes called Poor Souls, sometimes called Holy Souls), those of us with boots on the ground are the Church Militant.

I like the term Holy Souls, because it covers those who are in heaven (but not canonized) and those in purgatory, in other words, all my dead relatives!  Those in purgatory would be holy (they've definitively chosen heaven), and suffering (they have seen God and can't be with Him).  We can help them get to heaven more quickly with our prayers and sacrifices.

Praying at the graves in 40 degree weather and a stiff breeze felt much more sacrificial than our Memorial Day outing!

There is something special about visiting in November though.  The cemeteries are quieter.  The autumn weather, edging towards winter, brings mortality to mind.  It's a season of loss, and a good time to reflect that nothing is lost in God.

And we have beautiful camellias to decorate the graves with!  This year, scrounging through the November garden, I found one perfect white rose to bring to my father-in-law's grave.  He loved growing roses, and I love to bring him some whenever we visit.  I never got to meet him, but we are connected by a love of gardening.  And by the Communion of Saints!