November is a month of Remembrance for us both as a Church and as a Nation. We remember all those who have made sacrifices for our Country and in Church we remember All Saints and commemorate all the faithful departed, All Souls. Each parish and each person remembers in their own way. Our Chancellor and Provost, Fr John Aveyard, is Parish Priest at St Joseph’s in Castleford and he sends this moving account of the parish’s annual Liturgy of Prayerful Remembrance for the month of November:
This year, the Service was held during the evening Mass of All Souls, though usually it is service in its own right so that non-Catholics may attend on an equal footing with everyone else. In the Liturgy names are read out of those from the parish who have died over the previous year and for a couple of minutes we rest in silence and invite God to hallow our memories, grant us consolation and renew our hope.
People are then invited to come forward and place a candle before the Book of Remembrance. The first candle is lit from the Paschal Candle. It is quite an intense moment as people come forward and remember their loved ones. Some might shed a tear, others are pensive, all are surrounded by people who share faith and hope.
The Book of Remembrance containing the names of our dead remains among us, placed on the baptismal font, throughout the month of November. At every celebration of the Eucharist we pray for those we have ‘loved long since and lost a while’.
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