From Davidson: CCM bulletin week of Oct 29

A Prayer for All Saints and All Souls:  Prayer of Commendation (said when near death)

We commend you, dear brother / sister, to Almighty God and entrust you to your Creator.

May you return to him who formed you from the dust of the earth.

May holy Mary, the angels, and all the saints come to meet you as you go forth from this life.

May Christ who was crucified for you bring you freedom and peace.

May Christ who died for you admit you to his garden of paradise.

May Christ the True Shepherd acknowledge you as one of his flock.

May he forgive all your sins, and set you among those he has chosen.

May you see your Redeemer face to face and enjoy the vision of God forever.

Happy Halloween, Happy All Saints, Happy All Souls! See more on the saints in the FAQ below.

On a completely different note, here’s the link I promised last week to the US Bishops’ document on being a Catholic voter, Faithful Citizenship: http://www.usccb.org/issues-and-action/faithful-citizenship/forming-consciences-for-faithful-citizenship-document.cfm

~Karen

FAQ… What is the Communion of Saints?

“Communion” comes from the Greek koinonia, meaning “community.” The Church is above all a communion or fellowship of believers, called by God the Father, in Christ, through the power of the Spirit. (God, who is our source and destination, is Trinity, communion, community too—and we are created in the image of God). This community is not broken by death, and this is why our grief when someone dies is always tempered by hope. Nor is it attenuated by distance, which is why in the Prayers of the Faithful we always pray for people around the world before praying for ourselves. “Communion of saints” is a translation of “communio sanctorum”, communion of holy persons.

In the Catholic tradition, there are five ways to think about saints.

1.  Saints as exemplars of holiness and those singled out by the Church for public commemoration: These would be the “big S” Saints, like St. Francis and St. Catherine; our devotion to the Saints is a hallmark of our Catholicism.
2. Communion of Saints as the living:  The apostle Paul used to address the Christians in the churches he set up as saints; it’s how he referred to members of the Church, the community of Believers. We are saints by virtue of our baptism, which unites us to Christ and to all the rest of the baptized in one great community / communion.
3. Communion of Saints as the dead: This includes all those who lived as holy children of God and who have now entered the presence of God. When we think about all the saints of heaven, those saints can include your grandparents or anyone you loved who was a good and holy person.
4. Communion of Saints as the living and the dead: The communion of saints is like a great chain, linking all of us here on earth who are united by our baptism into one Church, with all who have gone before us, united by baptism into death and new life in Christ. Because we are all part of one family, one community, one communion, we look out for one another. We who are still alive pray for those who have gone before us, and those who have died intercede for us who remain behind. In the liturgy, we all join together, saints above and saints below, in worshiping God, as this story tells it:  A parish priest on a small Greek island welcomed a visitor, who asked how many people worshiped in the tiny church on Sundays. The priest replied, ten or twelve thousand. How can that be, asked the visitor—where do they come from and how can they all fit in this tiny place? The priest answered that all the people who had ever prayed in that church were still there, which is why when they said at Mass “with all the angels and saints we sing your praise: Holy holy holy” they were joining with all the holy ones who had ever worshiped in that place.
5. Communion of Holy Things…or Eucharist: “Communion of Saints (holy persons)” is one translation of “communio sanctorum.” But that phrase can also be translated “Communion of holy things,” that is, the elements of the Eucharist. The Eastern Church brings these two strands together nicely in their liturgy, when the priest says right before the distribution of Communion, “Holy things for holy people.”

[Adapted from Catholic Update, “Communion of Saints: Key to the Eucharist,” by William H. Shannon.]

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Karen Soos
Associate Chaplain and Catholic Campus Minister
Davidson College
Campus Box 7196
Davidson NC 28035
704. 894. 2423

From WCU: Weekly Update

ALL SAINTS DAY
This Thursday is All Saints Day, which is a holy day of obligation.  The great solemnity of All Saints is, of course, where we get Halloween.  An archaic name for All Saints Day is All Hallows Day (a "hallowed" person being someone holy and revered; we still use this word in the Lord's Prayer, "Hallowed be thy name").  So the night before All Hallows Day is All Hallows Eve, which was contracted to Hallowe'en.  Now, we would think it pretty silly for someone to celebrate Christmas Eve while ignoring Christmas itself.  So let's not get so caught up in celebrating All Hallows Eve that we forget about All Hallows Day.

It has been a custom in the Church from the beginning to honor saints and martyrs with a special feast, usually on the anniversary of their death.  However, it did not take long for there to be more Christian martyrs than there are days in the year.  Especially under some of the early Roman persecutions, many Christians would die together on the same day.  And so joint celebrations for many saints together were quite common.  By the end of the fourth century, many bishops in the Church would mark a day to celebrate all the saints, so that there would not be any deficiency in our remembrances.  This might be celebrated on different days depending on the local church.  In the early eighth century, Pope Gregory III dedicated a chapel in St. Peter's Basilica to All The Saints on November 1.  The anniversary of that date was remembered in Rome, and then about 100 years later Pope Gregory IV extended that celebration to the entire Church.  

It is a wonderful day for us not only to remember and celebrate the faithful departed, but also to rejoice in their victory, and pray for their intercession and support for us as we make our own Christian journey in this life.  Our goal is to be with them, after all, so let's ask their help in getting there!  As I said, it is a holy day of obligation which means, like Sunday, Catholics are obliged to attend Mass if at all possible.

ALL SOULS DAY

November 2 is All Soul's Day.  Similar to All Saints Day, All Soul's Day is a day set aside where we remember all of our departed friends and family, those sainted or not.  We remember their lives, and we also pray for the souls in purgatory.  Prayer for the souls in purgatory is one of the spiritual works of mercy and is something we are all encouraged to do.  The Bible says it is a "holy and pious thought" to pray for the dead (2 Macc 12:44-45).  St. Paul gives us an example to follow when he prays for his dead friend, Onesiphorus (2 Tim. 1:16-18).  So let us offer a special prayer on this day for any in our lives who have died. 

Many parishes keep a "Book of the Dead" by the entrance to the church throughout the month of November.  Those entering the church are invited to inscribe the name of any loved ones who have died during the past year.  The book is kept open, and those people whose names are contained in the book are prayed for throughout the month.

HAVE YOU VOTED?

I'm hearing that a lot of students are taking advantage of early voting.  That's great!  Election Day is almost upon us, so if you haven't made plans to vote, time is running out!  The following information was printed in last week's issue of the Catholic News Herald, our Diocesan weekly newspaper.  I wanted to pass it on, and hope you find it helpful.  

God bless!

Matt

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Voter guides and scorecards

At www.catholicclergy.net/app: The Confraternity of Catholic Clergy, a national association of about 600 priests, religious and deacons, has created the first free "Catholic Voting Guide" mobile app for iOS (iPhone, iPod and iPad), Android and Windows mobile devices. This non-partisan guide focuses on six areas of vital concern for Catholics – the right to life, religious liberty, the sanctity of marriage, private property, access to necessary goods, and war – and is designed to help voters form their consciences and quickly learn more about Church teaching, the values of the Gospel, and natural law before evaluating candidates and heading out to the polls. It draws from the U.S. bishops' "Faithful Citizenship" as well as then Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger's 2004 letter "Worthiness to Receive Holy Communion" (Links are available to each).

At www.catholic.com/voteyourfaith: Produced by Catholic Answers, this site gives tips on how to evaluate candidates, and explains why the five "non-negotiables" (abortion, euthanasia, embryonic stem cell research, human cloning, and same-sex "marriage") must be weighted higher than "prudential" policy disagreements on such topics as the death penalty, anti-poverty programs, immigration reform, and international policy. Read the PDF online for free, or order print copies for 40 cents each.

At www.frcaction.org/votertools: Produced by FRC Action, the lobbying arm of the Family Resource Council, find national and state candidate "scorecards," endorsements, and more

At www.citizenlinkvoter.com: An affiliate of Focus on the Family, this site details national, state and local races on the November ballot for every state, including easy-to-read questionnaires of each candidate for offive

At www.nrlc.org: Produced by the National Right to Life Committee, check out "scorecards" on the presidential candidates, as well as House and Senate candidates' voting records on life issues.

At www.politicalresponsibility.com: Priests for Life offers guides on the presidential candidates and comparisons of the two parties' platforms

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WCU Catholic Campus Ministry

Matthew Newsome, MTh, campus minister

www.WCUCatholic.org

  

(828)293-9374  |   POB 2766, Cullowhee NC 28723

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