November - The Month for Souls

"he acted in a very excellent and noble way, inasmuch as he had the resurrection of the dead in view; for if he were not expecting the fallen to rise again, it would have been useless and foolish to pray for them in death. But if he did this with a view to the splendid reward that awaits those who had gone to rest in godliness, it was a holy and pious thought." - 2 Maccabees 12:43-45

In Catholic tradition, the month of November is dedicated to praying for the souls of those who have died. This begins with All Saints Day on the 1st and All Souls day on the 2nd. One of the bulletin boards in my classroom is dedicated to this. On the bulletin board there are pictures of several people who have died in the past year and a folder for names of any others who have died. We pray specifically for these people every day. If anyone has any names of people you would like us to pray for, please post the names in the comments section below, and I will add them to the folder.

Those on the board who have died since last November are:
Fr. Harold Heiman, O.S.B.
Fr. Raphael DeSalvo, O.S.B
J. B. Hunt
Peter Boyle
James Brown
Saddam Hussein
Anna Nicole Smith
Helen Walton
Boris Yeltsin
Luciano Pavarotti
Victims of the Virginia Tech shooting
1,024 U.S. Soldiers in Iraq
Over 1,000,000 victims of abortion in the U.S.

Eternal Rest grant unto them O Lord.
And let perpetual light shine upon them.
May they rest in peace.
Amen.