PRAYING WITH REVERENCE AND FERVOUR

The entire month of October has been dedicated to the Rosary, and on Wednesday, 31 October 2018, we will celebrate its closing. We will gather at the Church as a community, to recite the Rosary at 7.30pm, followed by the Eucharistic celebration.

Throughout the month of October, many of us have been praying the Rosary individually, as families and as Basic Ecclesial Communities (BECs) and while we do so, we hold on to Mother Mary’s hand. It can sometimes be challenging for us to get together to pray, and often we are distracted and lose count, occasionally adding an extra Hail Mary to our decade, or perhaps end up not saying enough. Sometimes, we may forget to finish the five decades of the Rosary, or find ourselves giving up halfway. However, in general, most Catholics have a tremendous amount of respect for the Rosary and pray it with reverence and fervour.

“The Rosary is the most beautiful and the most rich in graces of all prayers; it is the prayer that touches most the Heart of the Mother of God… and if you wish peace to reign in your homes, recite the family Rosary.” (Pope Saint Pius X).

Eventhough the month of Rosary is coming to an end, I hope you will continue praying it daily. You will experience transformation in your faith life, as Our Lady of the Rosary prays with you!

November begins with All Saints Day and All Souls Day and they are very much rooted in our Catholic belief. All Saints Day reminds us how we are suppose to live on this earth. We are called to live as saints, so that one day we will be with God and our loved ones in heaven. Just a reminder that the Feast of All Saints is a Holy Day of Obligation and all Catholics are expected to attend Mass.

All Souls Day is a day of reflecting and praying for all souls, and asking God's mercy for them. Throughout the month of November, the Catholic Church invites us to pray for the faithful departed so that they may be free from the punishments of sin and enter into the Communion of all saints in Heaven. It is a good time to dedicate the last decade of Rosary to the dead and the suffering souls in Purgatory, so that they may soon enter into the fullness of life in heaven.

These past weeks, many of you listed down the names of departed souls in the Book of Remembrance, which was placed at the Parochial House. There are approximately 3500 names in the book, and throughout the month of November, The Book of Remembrance will be placed at the altar, where the souls of those we remember and of those who have been forgotten, will be offered up at Mass. We pray for the repose of their souls.

Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon them. May their souls and the souls of all the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen.