November: Month of the Holy Souls…
October, 2015
Dear Faithful,
We have once again arrived at this special time of the year devoted by Holy Mother Church to the holy souls in purgatory. During November the Church asks us to redouble our prayers and sacrifices for the remission of debt incurred by the faithful departed whose sins have already been pardoned.
In order to assist in providing relief to the suffering souls, the Regina Coeli House, headquarters of the Society of St. Pius X in the United States, is accepting names of the deceased. We will place these names on our chapel’s altar to be remembered at the commemoratio pro defunctis of every Mass offered during the month of November. You may submit names of the faithful departed to us either on the enclosed card or by emailing them to holysouls@sspx.org.
No stipend is required for this act of charity, but if you would like to offer a gift to the Regina Coeli House, you may do so, either by mail or by visiting www.sspx.org. The priests and brothers at the Regina Coeli House also remember each day the generous benefactors of the Society of St. Pius X at the community rosary.
I urge you take advantage of this important opportunity to relieve the poor souls in purgatory, particularly in this time of crisis when prayers for the deceased have greatly diminished in number and in fervor. I therefore encourage you to pray earnestly for the dead during the month of November. By visiting a cemetery and praying even mentally each day from November 1st to the 8th, one may also gain a plenary indulgence for the faithful departed. Please click here for specific instructions on how to obtain indulgences.
Finally, I challenge each of you to begin now inviting your friends and family members to participate in this noble effort. Many thanks in advance for your generosity on behalf of the holy souls in purgatory as well as any contribution you make to the Regina Coeli House. May Our Lord bless you abundantly for your efforts.
In Christo et Maria,
Fr. Jurgen Wegner
United States District Superior
Comment
As we approach the month of the Holy Souls, it might be helpful to refresh our commitment to praying for our loved ones, family and friends, who have gone before us and who may be among the suffering Holy Souls in Purgatory. Please post any stories about the Holy Souls, prayers, novenas, hymns – especially if you can find They Are Waiting For Our Petitions, one of my favourites hymns for the Holy Souls, on YouTube – I couldn’t locate it on a very quick search just now, so if A.N. Other can find it, that would be wonderful!
Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon them, may they rest in peace….
Comments (71)
Thanks soooo much!!!
Sent from my iPad
I know that the SSPX priests make November envelopes available and place them on the altar to remain during Masses throughout the month, but it’s quite a few years now since I was a fully paid up member of a diocesan parish so I would be interested to know if the parishioners are still given the envelopes to list their deceased family and friends, and whether these are still placed on the altar to remain there throughout the month of November. Does anyone know?
Editor
It doesn’t look like this is on youtube, which is a shame as it’s also one of my favourites.
They are waiting for our petitions silent and calm
Their lips no prayer can utter, no suppliant psalm.
we have made the all too weary with long delay
For the souls in their still agony, good christian pray.
Requiescant in pace, requiescant in Pace.
For the soul thou holdest dearest let prayers arise
The voice of love is mighty and will pierce the skies.
Waste not in selfish weeping one precious day
But speeding thy love to heaven, good christian pray.
Requiescant in pace, requiescant in Pace.
For the soul by all forgotten, even its own,
By its nearest and its dearest, left all alone,
Whisper a “De profundis”, or gently lay
Alms in some beggar’s outstretched palm, good christian pray.
Requiescant in pace, requiescant in Pace.
For the soul that is nearest heaven that sees the gate,
Now ajar and the light within and yet must wait,
Ere the angels come to convey it in bright array
For the eager soul so near to joy, good christian pray.
Requiescant in pace, requiescant in Pace.
The soul that most loved Our Lady, for Our Lady’s love,
Speed with thy supplication to its home above,
And our Mother in benediction, her hand will lay
Tenderly on thy bowed-down head, good christian pray.
Requiescant in pace, requiescant in Pace.
For the love of the Heart of Jesus, they love it too,
By all the sweet affections that once they knew,
As thou hopest in thy utomost need to find thy stay
In the prayers of those who loved thee once, good christian pray.
Requiescant in pace, requiescant in Pace.
Our loving lips can cry aloud the pleading word
Through all that silent kingdom unknown, unheard.
O canst thou turn from their bitter want coldly away
Kneel humbly at the altar’s foot, christian, and pray.
Requiescant in pace, requiescant in Pace.
Remember that in the midst of their sufferings the Holy Souls are able to pray for us too.
Editor, you piqued my curiosity so I looked up the parish in which I was baptised, received my First Communion, Confession, Confirmation, and was married. Yep, they do have the November envelopes for lists of departed relatives and friends – but the church is in Bishop Mark Davies’s diocese, so it might not be the norm in these days of all going straight to heaven. Still, it was depressing to note that the parish is now ‘twinned’, and that there are ‘ecumenical morning prayers’ during the week in various Protestant churches.
In the olden days we children used to try to ‘do the seven churches’ on All Souls’ Day. We would WALK to seven churches, gaining the indulgence for the Holy Souls in each one. There were five churches in my town, involving quite a few miles of walking, and then we had to cross the bridges by the docks into the next town for the other two! I think I’ve got a false memory of having completed them, as I was never much of a walker, and wearing out one’s shoes was a near-mortal sin in those days, but lots of us tried and many succeeded!
I wonder if anyone else has the strange ‘ringing in the ears’ experience that I’ve had all my life, and that my grandmother told me was a Holy Soul asking for a prayer to finally release him/her from Purgatory? It’s the sort of thing that would be laughed at as superstition these days, but a prayer never does any harm, so I always say it. Every now and then, at longish intervals, I get a long ringing sound on one note (tinnitus) in my ears. It goes on and on until I say ‘Eternal rest…etc.’, and during the prayer the sound diminishes until by the end it has stopped! On one occasion I said ‘Eternal rest give unto him, O Lord…’ and it didn’t stop, so I repeated the prayer saying ‘her’, and it did! The way out of that problem of course is to say it in Latin, as the pronoun is both m and f.😁
Christina
I remember my mother, God rest her, telling us to say three Hail Marys for the Holy souls in Purgatory when experiencing the sudden ringing in the ears. I carry on this habit.
It never ever seems to last after the third Hail Mary.
Editor,
I know that St Aloysius (Garnethill) does this – I dont think there are envelopes though, people are asked to place their lists in a special collection box which is then transferred to the altar.
I do not remember the practice from my youth in Lanarkshire, but then I dont know if thats because it was not done, or because – like most aspects of the novus ordo church – it failed to make much of an impression on me!
I like it how the SSPX give the practice a high profile and encourage people to make use of it; I have my list ready for this November!
Dear Editor
I am unable to find an online recording of this hymn, but if you go to this website and download “1921 Standard Catholic Hymnal,” editor James A. Reilly, you will find it, #127. (The hymnals are listed in chronological order): http://www.ccwatershed.org/projects/
At which point, perhaps you could locate an organist to make a wee recording and post it?
Dear Editor
PS: I’m sure my husband, Franz, would be happy to make a recording for you, but he’s been dead for quite some time now, so he’s not playing near as much as he used to….
“Then he would have contribution made; a sum of twelve thousand silver pieces he levied, and sent it to Jerusalem, to have sacrifice made there for the guilt of their dead companions. Was not this well done and piously? Here was a man kept the resurrection ever in mind; he had done fondly and foolishly indeed, to pray for the dead, if these might rise no more, that once were fallen! And these had made a godly end; could he doubt, a rich recompense awaited them? A holy and wholesome thought it is to pray for the dead, for their guilt’s undoing.”
– 2 Maccabees 12:43-46
Probably the idea that everyone goes straight to Heaven, and therefore no prayers needed for holy souls to be released from purgatory. Since Vatican II sermons about hell and purgatory have diminished so much.
Editor, I was in St. Patrick’s church in Edinburgh a few days ago and they had envelopes out.
Editor has asked me to let everyone know that due to technical problems she is unable to blog at present. She will be back as soon as she possibly can.
Everyone has to keep up the good work meantime. And behave. grin, grin, grin.
Most people are probably not aware that the marvellous appearances on the gable of the Knock church came on the day when the parish priest Fr Cavanagh finished as he had promised one hundred Masses for the holy souls in purgatory. It was on the day of the hundreth Mass was offered that Our Lady came to visit Knock. Surely that devotion to the holy souls had a part to play in the gift from heaven.
The reason Fr Cavanagh turned to the holy souls because of a painful problem similar to what affects most countries today. A secret organisation resorting to violence had threatened the priest by letter for preaching against their tactics which prevented them from gaining recruits in the Knock parish. In his distress he turned to the holy souls and called on his parishioners to fill the church for one hundred days of these offered Masses. And what an answer he was given by heaven.
What can we do today to help the holy souls one answer is to say the prayer given by Our Lord to St Gertrude which is Eternal Father I offer you the Most Precious Blood of Thy Divine Son Jesus in
Union with the Masses said throughout the world today for all the Holy Souls
in purgatory for sinners every where those in the Universal Church in my
home and in my own family. Amen
St Gertude was a German nun and began to have supernatural visions and in one of these visions Our Lord gave her the above prayer saying he would release many souls from purgatory every time it was said with love and devotion. I would urge ( Catholic Truth readers) to add it to their prayers.
John
I have visited Knock many times over the years, even having been given an animated account of the vision from Mary Byrne’s nephew when visiting his house cum pub.
I have also read many stories about Knock but this is the first I have heard about a secret organisation threatening Fr Kavanagh.
Who were the organisation involved? Was it The Fenians? I would like to know more on this story.
Frankier
I am sorry I don’t have any more information on what organisation it was. I read that story in the book ( Praying with the Saints for the Holy Souls in Purgatory)by
Susan Tassone. She just mentions a secret organisation which I agree is quite vague. Sorry can’t be more helpful.
Frankier,
I realise that this is only idle speculation on my part but I’m guessing that the menacing ‘secret organisation’ crowd were either members of Fine Gael or die-hard fans of Daniel O’Donnell.
Frankier,
I realise that this is only idle speculation on my part but I’m guessing that the ‘secret organisation’ crowd were either members of Fine Gael or die-hard fans of Daniel O’Donnell.
SPUDEATER
I didn’t realise Daniel O’Donnell was that age. No wonder he is so stiff at the dancing.
I never for a minute thought that he or any of his aged followers would harm a priest.
He must be a mason.
Tomorrow I am going to launch all his CDs into space.
Further to my previous post earlier today, I meant to explain that Editor is unable to blog for next few days due to technical problems with internet connections.
I thought this short video would be apt viewing on the feast of all souls
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=8v6F-bKu280
John,
Saint Leonard of Port Maurice has also give a similar sermon about the fewness of those attaining Heaven. His sermons were so successful that Cardinals and Bishops also went to listen him.
One comment he made about a hermit who appeared to his Bishop after his death. He told this Bishop of the 33,000 people who had died at the same time as he had – of these only Bernard and the hermit had gone straight to Heaven. Three went to Purgatory and the rest to hell.
That is a terrifying thought, only five were saved out of so many. This is the link:
http://www.olrl.org/snt_docs/fewness.shtml
Theresa Rose
Thank’s for posting that link. Hearing &reading the above sermon’s should
make most Catholic’s think seriously about their salvation.
I know when I first read that sermon a couple of years ago I was totally shocked it was certainly a wake up call for me. As I am sure it would be for any Catholic Truth” readers who had not heard it.
I wonder if anyone has carried on the tradition of visiting a church today for the purpose of attaining a plenary indulgence for a soul in Purgatory? I ask because, having done so myself, I was informed that to obtain the indulgence one must have the firm intention of not committing any venial sins. This burst my bubble, somewhat! It seems to be practically impossible to receive a Plenary Indulgence, or does that just apply to me?
Therese,
Are you pulling our collective leg? Surely, in making a valid confession we resolve in the Act of Contrition : “Never more to offend Thee again, and carefully to avoid the occasions of sin“?
We are only human, and can but do our best to avoid venial sin. Why do you consider yourself to be any weaker than the rest of us in your efforts to uphold this resolution?
Don’t be so hard on yourself – as long as you really do try.
And, to answer your wondering, “Yes”, Mrs Leprechaun and I did manage to get to a TLM on Monday, courtesy Fr. Ockerse, and we did do what we were meant to do, and tried to avoid doing those things we ought not to have done, and we did visit two cemeteries in the hope of being granted a Plenary Indulgence.
Is there a sin of smugness? If so I must remember to mention it next week.
Leprechaun
Yes, obviously I must be weaker than the “rest of us” as I couldn’t say with any degree of sincerity that I don’t have any attachment to venial sin. Unfortunately being hard on myself is not something I can lay claim to. Don’t worry – there’s nothing to be smug about in being fortunate enough to find an open church to enable one to pray the correct prayers on the relevant day. I would imagine that most people weren’t so lucky.
I was reading today from a letter from the Fatima Centre about how Our Lady told the children that a young child from the village would be in purgatory until the last day. What a terrible thought that if a child could need so much punishment what chance have we adults with so much more guilt.(speaking for myself that is..)
I enjoyed Christina’s story of the ringing in the ears. I must remember to pray for the Holy souls next time that happens.
Has anyone read the book ‘Read Me or Rue it..How to avoid purgatory..’
by Fr. Paul o’Sullivan O.P. It certainly gives one very much pause for thought.
I must remember to visit a cemetery and pray for the dead. Also we know that the Holy Souls can pray for our intentions which is some consolation for us.
I remember as children visiting every church we could on All Souls and gaining many Plenary Indulgences. Or so we thought. If that weren’t possible, then we’d keep a steady procession of “in and out” of the same church, each time reciting the necessary prayers. Can one still do that?
I think the problem these days would be more likely to be where you could find an open church, Crofterlady. I too remember as a child being told to go in and out of the same church to recite the necessary prayers. I didn’t know you could get the same benefit from visiting a cemetery though, and up to 8 November, to recite the same prayers and receive the same indulgence,so that’s a bonus.
We are lucky here in Edinburgh because at least four of the city centre churches are open all day.
This blog is like the Marie Celeste since the close of the synod! Even editor has disappeared! Perhaps everybody is too busy saving the Holy Souls by numerous church and cemetery visits that they don’t have the time to blog. Lol!
Helen,
I understand from another blogger that the reason the Blog has been so quiet lately is because Editor has been having broadband connection troubles.
Why should the editor’s IT problems stop others from blogging?
Perhaps we should hold a séance and see if we can contact the living. Lol.
Helen,
It seems that it is taking a bit longer than anticipated, for the technical problems being sorted out so that Editor can be connected again to the internet. Hopefully it will not be too long.
Maybe a wee prayer to the Holy Souls asking for their help in getting that job done quickly. They can help us by their prayers, when they cannot help themselves. Once back online, the Editor will be back with a big bang.
Why should the whole world depend on the Editor? Surely we are all mature enough to blog without her? She has IT problems but, where are all the defenders of the Faith? Lazy gits, my dad would say!
Helen,
Lazy gits, maybe so. But it is a good question. What has happened to the defenders of the Faith? On this particular thread at least.
I get the impression that many Catholics and I include Cardinals, Bishop and priests rarely if ever give a sermon about Purgatory, never mind hell. Everyone goes to Heaven no matter what they do..
I agree, what has happened to all the defenders of the faith.? Either too lazy to blog ( a corporal work of mercy, as I see it) or stuck in their own “I’m all right Jack” bubble as some blogger mentioned a few days ago. Anyway, I’m off to tend to the weans.
I don’t think we’re all too lazy – I think it’s just that with the Synod from Hell over, and the hideous after-effects yet to come through, and a fair bit having been said about the Holy Souls, and prayers for them being said, we need a new topic to get our collective teeth into. Only Ed can provide new topics, so unless someone starts something new on the discussion thread you’ll have to go on nagging us, Helen!
Nobody ever picked me up on the subject of the ‘seven churches’ on All Souls’ Day. Was that particular custom confined to my neck of the woods – Merseyside in those days? It’s such a pity that the old devotions are all gone. One of the marks of the Church is ‘She is holy’, because, as we could all recite from the Penny Catechism, “..…she teaches a holy doctrine, offers to all the means of holiness and is distinguished by the eminent holiness of so many thousands of her children”. Before THAT Council, this answer in the Catechism was so visibly true. Churches full for Sunday Mass, often for several Masses, full for Rosary, Sermon and Benediction on Sunday evenings, the annual Mission – church full again for three weekday evenings, thriving praesidia of the Legion of Mary in many parishes, Children of Mary, Society of St. Vincent de Paul, long queues at every confessional for a couple of hours on Saturdays, well-attended early morning weekday Masses, zealous, busy priests, teachers in parish schools teaching the faith and being subjected to annual inspections by the diocesan inspector to ensure that they were doing just that, contemplative orders, daily adding to the holiness of the Church, teaching, nursing and missionary nuns, intent on their vocational work for God, and then the many processions, Stations of the Cross, and countless other devotions for the people. Just imagine how the treasury of holiness of the Church was added to daily by ‘the eminent holiness of so many thousands of her children’ – the treasury from which graces flowed to her popes, cardinals, bishops, priests and people, and brought countless converts into her. On topic, imagine how many Holy Souls were released from their suffering on All Souls’ Day in those days, when all Catholics were praying for them, compared to the few that our own poor efforts must release.
The level of that holiness in the treasury of the Church must be so low by now, with so few to add to it. No wonder we have a scandalous Pope and many heretical prelates, a sodomitical lobby and Freemasons entrenched in the Vatican, screeching lesbian nuns allowed to spew their filth without let or hindrance and ephebophile priests produced in decayed seminaries, and the poor betrayed sheep, who still claim to practise the faith, perfectly content with a Protestantised Mass, little or no recourse to the Sacrament of Penance, and happy to receive their God (if indeed they so believe) without attention or reverence.
Does anyone believe that the Church can recover from this, or is the Chastisement imminent?
Christina,
Thank you for that trip down memory lane. Those were the days! Sadly, nostalgia isn’t what it used to be.
You missed out two recollections: one was the school board man who came round to your house to find why you were not in school, and the other was the Monday morning visit from the parish priest wanting to know why you were not at Mass yesterday.
In these days of one-armed bandit arcades stuffed with truants, and near-empty pews, it is high time both of those occupations were reintroduced.
Having just read again St. Leonard of Port Maurice’s sermon on “The little number of those who are saved” there is no doubt in my mind of the importance of praying for the faithful departed.
Your penultimate paragraph painted a grim picture that is hard to argue with, and which is so apparent to any Traditionalist who has tried to convert former friends now propping up the Conciliar church.
We must not think however that just because our human efforts seem to be showing few results all hope is lost. We have the Supernatural on our side, and our prayers and penance and good works and example and alms giving will all count towards a re-emergence of the Kingship of Christ.
Yes, the Church will recover, although it may take a Chastisement to act as the catalyst, and in the end Our Lady’s Immaculate Heart will triumph – we have her promise of that.
Ps: Could we all ask St. Isidore, patron saint of the Internet, to assist Madame Editor in getting connected once more?
Naughty Leprechaun – I missed those out because I never saw them because I never played truant or missed Mass 😇😇😇! I indulge myself with trips down Memory Lane because I feel so sorry for the young to early middle-aged who never knew anything about the wonderfully healthy pre-Vat.II Church, and perhaps therefore can’t fully understand what the true Church of Christ should be like, with her necessary distinctive marks. Last night I overdid it, and went off to bed thoroughly depressed😢. Like most recent history, the recent history of the Church is distorted as it is written by those with a ‘past bad, new good’ axe to grind. It’s similar to the way in which modern educationalists, expressing horror at the ‘stress’ exams for seven-year-olds would inflict on them, haven’t a clue what the earlier more literate generations took in their stride without collapsing or committing suicide. I remember starting a new school at 10 years old, being handed a set of geometry instruments, and being required to ‘construct a regular pentagon of side 1″‘. (In case anyone is interested, the school was Windleshaw in St. Helens, Lancs.). So it is for young Catholics, constantly being told, by faithless bishops and priests, how horrible the true Mass was with the priest gabbling away with his back to them. I’ve lost count of the number of people coming out of an experimental true Mass in the parish saying “Thank goodness” (how ironic!) “we don’t have THAT Mass any more”.
Yes, I wish Ed’s problems were sorted. Why St. Isidore?
Christina,
St. Isidore is reputed to have made a written record of everything he ever knew about anything (the first unstructured database?) and it was published as a book back in the 7th century, so who better?
We don’t need to pray for him as he is a Saint.
NOTICE
editor apologises for her continued absence due to technical problems. She hopes to have these resolved tomorrow and looks forward to returning.
The Fatima Crusader also has this article about the Holy Souls, it is interesting how it ends.
“Did Catholics only know what powerful protectors they secure by helping the Holy Souls they would not be so remiss in praying for them.”
http://www.fatima.org/crusader/cr47/cr47pg10.asp
Very apt? Just think of Lucia being told by Our Lady that a friend of hers would in Purgatory till the end of time. And what of those abandoned souls who have no one to pray for them?
“Very apt? It has been mentioned before that Our Lady told Lucia that one of her friends would be in Purgatory till the end of time. And what about those Holy Souls who have no one to pray for them?”
Theresa Rose, well whether or not they have anyone to pray for them, they will be out at the end of time with Lucia’s friend!
Hello everyone! I’m back!
That was a long break, so I have decided to cancel my holiday in the Bahamas next week, to make up!
Thanks to all who kept the discussions going in my absence. I’ll be catching up over the next couple of days.
Some sad news came to me yesterday – Father Peter Lennon, priest of the Archdiocese of Glasgow, died suddenly on 9th November. He was appointed to “my” parish when I was a child in St Catherine’s Balornock – I believe it was his first parish after ordination.
Let’s remember him in our prayers for the Holy Souls this month of November, May he rest in peace…
Welcome back Editor, good to see you back at the helm! 🙂
Thank you Gabriel Syme- I’m very glad it’s not a real helm or I’d be soaked to the skin and looking for more time off!
Welcome back Editor, and prayers for the repose of Fr Lennon’s soul.
Therese,
Thank you for your welcome home! And for the prayers for Fr Lennon’s soul. RIP.
Just been reading about people’s recollections of All Souls’ Day and I was reminded about how we celebrated it at my Catholic primary school in the 50’s. Each child had to pay a visit and say I think three. Hail Marys, Our Fathers and Glory Be’s for a soul in purgatory. Then leave the church, walk round the little garden and then repeat the process. Each visit secured the release of the soul. We did this at great speed but with great fervor! At the end of the day we counted our visits to see how many souls we had saved.
Seems rather ridiculous now but at the time not so. A more innocent trusting time I suppose.
Christiana,
That was a lovely way to remember All Souls. Imaginative and – I have absolutely no doubt – very effective in helping souls out of Purgatory. “Innocent and trusting” is what God “does” – to use the contemporary parlance!
Oh no, she’s back!!
Crofterlady,
Watch it!
… but not for long. She will be retiring from public life in January as (you) previously announced.
Constantine,
One of these days you will write a readily understood comment. I know that you are probably going to say that even a five year old child could understand your comments, but I make my own, the words of Groucho Marx: “Go out and find me a five year old child because I can’t make head nor tail of them (especially this latest one) !
Here’s me thinking that you were in the Bahamas getting a tan. Glad that you are back.
I too remember Father Lennon at the same parish, I will keep him in my prayers.
Theresa Rose,
I’m back – minus the tan… not many tans result from the wind and rain battering sunny Scotland right now!
“………..but it is only right that we should celebrate for this Editor of yours was lost* and is found, she was disconnected and has come back online.”
*just assuming Ed., that with all your technological difficulties, your Satnav had also gone haywire.
Spudeater,
You’re getting funnier and funnier, I have to admit. Funny that. 😀
I thought if I stayed away long enough, you would have had time to organise that long-awaited Tattie-avatar. But no. Some things never change… still the same old (admittedly hilarious) punch lines and still no avatar. In the great scheme of things, it really does matter, Spudeater… You do realise that, don’t you?
Oh Ed! Please don’t get me started on my non-existent avatar. Each lovingly crafted post of mine only appears here AFTER I have also had to type in my username, email, password and this website address. Can you believe that? Next thing I know the darn system will want my birth-weight (4st 7lbs if you’re interested – I was a hungry/greedy baby).
This has been the situation for some time but I haven’t mentioned these issues up until now as I’m the sort who keeps it all bottled up. My only consolation is that successfully sending even one post is a good test of my patience.
Avatars?? They’re all Greek (or should that be Sanskrit?) to me.
Spudeater,
You shouldn’t have to do all that. You should go to our website, click on “Blog” and then “log in” – you only have to type in your username and password.
Ah, but I’ve just remembered something….
If I send you an “INVITE” to sign up for the blog, it takes you right through to your dashboard.
Then you can sign up for a “username” only and then you can go to My Profile and change the daft username they generate for you, by scrolling to where it reads “Display name publicly as” and type in your preferred username (presumably Spudeater)
We can sort out the avatar after that – you’ll see in your dashboard that it shows the mystery man with an invitation to “change avatar” underneath.
But first things first. I’ll get WordPress to INVITE you…
Stand by (or if at your computer, “sit” by! )
Welcome back Editor, I was beginning to think you had opened the door and let the Jehovah’s Witnesses in.
Spot on, Vianney. I thought, give it a whirl and then, nope. Better the devil(s)you know…
Aye, quite right. Some people will go to any lengths to get out of buying Christmas presents.
Vianney,
How did you guess?
I have had just the same problem as Spudeater with regard to sending a blog. You have no idea how many pearls of wisdom have failed to get through after I have given up and gone for a lie down! I had another go yesterday and somehow my contribution eventually made it. If this does as well, then hallelujah! Problem solved. But I have no idea how …
Christiana,
Will send you an INVITE – you have to click on ACCEPT and, hopefully, all of your log in problems will be resolved. Let me know if problems persist.
Thank you Editor! I will try that, then I will have to hope I can find useful things to say…
Your posts are always useful – and that avatar would brighten up the most miserable day!
I hope it’s straightforward but let me know if you experience any difficulties.
Late Again. What can I say? I went back for a second helping of looks when they were giving out the brains…
On October 16th I wrote to the Scottish Bishops care of Mr Kearney at SCMO, the Moderator of the Church of Scotland, the Archbishop of Canterbury, and the Cardinal Archbishop of Westminster.
I wrote;
“This year November 1st falls on a Sunday.
All Saints Day is a day when we recognise and celebrate the Church Triumphant.
It would be very good to celebrate this with a great ringing of bells throughout the land. Every Church with bells to ring them from nine in the morning until noon, non-stop.
Just to remind everyone.”
I received the following replies;
From Archbishop of Canterbury
Dear Mr Paterson – Archbishop Justin asks me to thank you for your message. The Central Council of Church Bell Ringers publishes a calendar of occasions on which it is encouraged that bells are rung. 1 November is one of the Church Festivals included. We may therefore look forward to the sound of bells across the country on that day – though of course the extent to which towers respond will depend on the number of ringers available.
From Cardinal Archbishop of Westminster
H.E. Cardinal Vincent Nichols has asked me to acknowledge on his behalf your recent email communication as he is currently in Rome for the Synod of Bishops. The Cardinal thanks you for writing to him and H.E. has noted your comments. The Cardinal assures you of his prayers and best wishes.
From Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland
Thank you for your email which was forwarded to the Moderator. I reply on his behalf as he is currently out of the office. The Moderator has discussed your suggestion with colleagues and has asked me to let you know that while he finds it an interesting suggestion, it would not be practical in the timescale available to carry out the necessary consultations with Presbyteries, congregations and local authorities to make it happen. Individual congregations will, of course, be marking All Saints’ Day appropriately in their worship services. The Moderator will be conducting worship in Dunfermline Presbytery as part of his visit there and looks forward to that very much.
From Peter Kearney for Attn Scottish Bishops
Catholic Church, Scotland
No Reply
Ho Hum. Not a lot of enthusiasm for Christian celebration, it seems.
I suppose that the lack on any response from Kearney may be either a general thing or it may just be me. I did not get a response to my last letter either.
Andrew,
Perhaps it would have been better to write to one of the bishops directly. They are likely to have answered your query since it is inoffensive, and is in no way challenging the exercise of their office. Personally, I’ve always had a reply from Peter Kearney so I’m guessing that he’s a bit out of his depth when it comes to bells. With bells on, so to speak 😀 Still, there’s no excuse for not, at least, acknowledging your communication – it is the height of bad manners not to do so. It is akin, in my view, to ignoring a person who speaks to us in a room. We surely wouldn’t do that, so why ignore a written communication, whether a letter, text or email? Perhaps you could resend it, asking why it was ignored – I think it may have been overlooked and he may reply to the resend, suitably shamefaced.
I did smile a very wry smile, however, to read the reply from Cardinal Nichols. That seems to be his standard response to anyone who contacts him about anything whatsoever. He comes across as utterly superior – I’ve never once known him to write a proper reply to any correspondent, and I’ve known plenty. One of our readers has been writing to him for years, and always gets the same insultingly superior response. I wouldn’t waste any time on him – if I get that longed for scoop about any errant behaviour of his, I’ll not be checking it out with him before publication, that’s for sure. Life’s too short 😯
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