NOVEMBER 1st, Friday, is the SOLEMNITY OF ALL SAINTS and is a HOLY DAY OF OBLIGATION

St. Luke Holy Mass Schedule:  8:30am and 5:30pm

NOTE: EUCHARISTIC ADORATION starts right after the 8:30am Holy Mass and ends with BENEDICTION at 5:00pm just before the All Saints' Day evening Mass.

"And He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He intercedes for the saints according to the will of God."  (Romans 8:27)

Today the Church celebrates all the saints: canonized or beatified, and the multitude of those who are in heaven enjoying the beatific vision that are only known to God. During the early centuries the Saints venerated by the Church were all martyrs. Later on the Popes set November 1 as the day for commemorating all the Saints. We all have this "universal call to holiness." What must we to do in order to join the company of the saints in heaven? We "must follow in His footsteps and conform [our]selves to His image seeking the will of the Father in all things. [We] must devote [our]selves with all [our] being to the glory of God and the service of [our] neighbor. In this way, the holiness of the People of God will grow into an abundant harvest of good, as is admirably shown by the life of so many saints in Church history" (Lumen Gentium, 40).

Then I heard something like the sound of a great multitude or the sound of rushing water or mighty peals of thunder, as they said: “Alleluia! The Lord has established his reign, [our] God, the almighty. Let us rejoice and be glad and give him glory. For the wedding day of the Lamb[a] has come, his bride has made herself ready. She was allowed to wear a bright, clean linen garment.” (Revelation 19:6-8)

Things to Offer to God (mindful that we are in union with all the saints who have glorified God by their lives):

*Holy Day of Obligation Mass

*Spend a little time after Mass thanking God for all the unnamed saints, some of whom could be our own relatives.

*Visiting a cemetery and praying for the dead during the Octave of All Saints' Day (November 1 through November 8) will gain a plenary indulgence that can be applied only to the souls in purgatory. On other days, this work gains a partial indulgence.

*Have a special meal and if you have young children have them dress up like saints and play games.

*Meditate on the lives of Saints and pray the Litany of the Saints -- you could make it really special by chanting it ("he who sings prays twice") and you could read an explanation of this litany, which is considered the model of all other litanies.

*Engage in charitable work, do simple acts of kindness, offered as a sacrifice of love to our Lord.  Utter the following prayer: "Oh my Jesus, I offer this for love of Thee, for the conversion of sinners, and in reparation for the sins committed against the Immaculate Heart of Mary. Amen"

Source: www.catholicculture.org

Then the angel said to me, “Write this: Blessed are those who have been called to the wedding feast of the Lamb.” And he said to me, “These words are true; they come from God.” I fell at his feet to worship him. But he said to me, “Don’t! I am a fellow servant of yours and of your brothers who bear witness to Jesus. Worship God. Witness to Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.” (Revelation 19:9-10)