A Note From Father Eickhoff
October 13, 2024
On Monday, October 14th Bishop Conlon will be here at St. Anne Parish to confirm many of the young people of the parish who have been preparing for this sacrament for several years now. Exactly how many young people are being confirmed I do not know offhand. I do know that I have a giant stack of confirmation certificates that I need to sign and that my hand and wrist is aching just looking at them. Between the time you read this bulletin article and Monday evening I ask that you keep the soon to be confirmed youth of our parish in your prayers. I also hope that you will pray for and thank the catechists, parents, and sponsors of the soon to be confirmed for their efforts to support the youth in their vocation as disciples of Jesus Christ.
Looking ahead in the Church calendar we have the Solemnity of All Saints on Friday, November 1st. This is a Holy Day of Obligation. Masses will be held at 7am, 12pm, and 7pm here at St. Anne Church. This feast day is held to honor all the saints of God especially those whose names are unknown to us. Very often we think only of the famous saints who have been canonized by the Church on earth. These holy men and women are made known to us by God though the Church so that we might be inspired by their example of Christian discipleship. Very often these saints have their day in the Church calendar in their honor. Of course, God is not restricted in giving the glory of sainthood to those persons we know about. There must be many holy men and women whose names are known to God alone. This Solemnity of All Saints is held in their honor. On this day we ask the saints of God to aid us with their prayers to God and recommit ourselves to following their example as faithful followers of Christ.
The next day is the Feast of All Souls on Saturday, November 2nd. This day is set aside to pray for the souls of those persons who have died. In a special way we pray this day for the souls in Purgatory. It should be remembered that the souls in Purgatory are not damned. I underlined the word “not” for good reason. These souls are among the saved and will enter the joy of heaven. For a time (how long we on earth do not know) these souls are being purified from the effects of sins they have committed. We do know through the teaching of the Church that we on earth can assist them through our prayers in completing their purification and more quickly entering the joy of heaven. It is a special act of mercy to pray for the dead at any time, but especially so on this day. There will be a special Mass at 10am this day at which the names of those persons who had Funeral Masses said for them at St. Anne Parish this past year will be read out. However, this Mass is not only for these persons, but for all the dead for whom you might wish to remember and pray for.
Yours in Christ,
Fr. Stephen Eickhoff
Pastor