The Commemoration of All The Faithful Departed
November 18, 2025 Column Father De Celles News
ALL SOULS. Today, November 2, is the Commemoration of All Souls. The purpose of this feast is mainly to pray for the dead. This prayer is directed not for those who are in Heaven already, as they do not need prayers; and certainly not for those who are in Hell, since prayers would be useless. Rather, we pray for those in Purgatory who are being prepared for their entrance into Heaven.
Many Catholics nowadays wrongly think Purgatory is an outdated remnant from the Middle Ages, even though Christian belief in Purgatory is rooted in Jewish doctrine (2 Maccabees 12), and was well established in the early Church. Many other Catholics, in their grief, prefer to think of their departed loved ones as already being in Heaven, and can’t bear the thought that they might be in Purgatory.
But the doctrine of Purgatory is not something to fear or avoid, because it is a doctrine of God’s love and mercy, and reflects the reality that none of us is perfect. All of us sin or cling to things of this world—however small or seemingly insignificant. But Scripture tells us “nothing imperfect [or “impure”] shall enter” into Heaven (Rev. 21:27)—and rightly so, since Heaven is about perfect happiness, perfect love, etc… Given this, and confident in Our Lord’s mercy and His desire for all to be with Him in Heaven, Christians have always believed that between death and Heaven we pass through a state of purification, or purgation, where we’re cleansed from all imperfections, i.e., made perfect. This state, or “place,” we call Purgatory.
Now, we must remember that Purgatory is NOT anything like Hell, and all the Souls in Purgatory are good and “worthy” of eternal joy in Heaven—we call them the “Holy Souls.” So thinking of them as in Purgatory is not an insult but praise. Moreover, these Souls are certain they are going to Heaven, so they are filled with a joy beyond anything experienced on earth.
But we must also remember that there is suffering in Purgatory. One way to understand this is to think of the suffering related to change. All change is difficult. Consider the person who is trying to lose weight, or exercising for an athletic competition. The effort involved in change is painful, sometimes very painful, but as you see progress you are also invigorated and happy, seeing your goal approach.
Even so, since 1) Purgatory involves pain, and 2) we want our beloved dead to swiftly enter the joys of Heaven, we should never neglect praying for them. Yes, in our grief we may be inclined to deny their imperfections, but in our love for them we remember that they deserve our prayers. And if they are already in Heaven, no prayer is wasted, since every prayer is an act of love, and they hear each prayer as telling how much we love them.
So in love, let us pray for our beloved dead today. And let us also remember all the Holy Souls in Purgatory, for they are our brothers and sisters in Christ. Let us pray especially for those “most abandoned,” the individual souls for whom no one else remembers to pray.
Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord, and may perpetual light shine upon them. May their souls, and all the souls of the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace.
ELECTION. Virginia State Elections are this TUESDAY, November 4. If you are eligible and have not voted early, I remind you that it is moral obligation to vote, and since it’s a great responsibility it is usually a grave matter and so a mortal sin not to vote in most cases.
So, I ask you to vote and to vote like Catholics. Do not be swayed by the mere political opinions of politicians, pundits, priests or prelates. But choose in accord the truth of Jesus Christ constantly taught by His Catholic Church.
And I ask that all of St. Raymond’s parishioners commend the elections to the Lord Jesus’ care. Specifically, I ask that all parishioners join in praying our “election novena” which could include one or more of the following each day until Tuesday: 1) the Rosary; 2) the Novena to St. Thomas More; and/or 3) the Prayer for Religious Freedom. I also propose that we each offer up some small sacrifices. Finally, at end of all Masses, before the customary Hail Mary and Prayer to St. Michael, we will pray together the Prayer for Religious Freedom.
PARISH/TOWN HALL MEETINGS. I want to thank everyone who attended the Parish/Town Hall Meetings on October 11 and 16, and to everyone who emailed me their comments. About 90 people attended, which, although a good turnout, was not as large as I was hoping for, so I’m still not sure I have a good sense of what most parishioners want. But these are some things I took away from the meetings:
Most attendees were in favor of building a third building on the property. In particular, a 2-story 6,000 sq. ft. building with 5 classrooms, a meeting hall for 150 people, a dedicated youth room, 2 offices and storage. It would be located between the church and the “Groveland Parking lot,” with one floor on the same level as the church and the other below it opening on the same level as the current parish hall. We discussed a cost to build of between $4-6 million which would be raised through a capital campaign. (Note: square footage, cost, and size are all very rough estimates I’ve made and they could be way off.)
Most attendees were also in favor of upgrading the current parish hall kitchen, and expanding it if we build the new building above.
Most were also in favor of continuing our decoration of the interior of the church, with more statues, murals, and painting.
Most were also in favor of increasing the statuary outside the church, with a few more small shrines like our current Angel Shrine.
Although the discussion was very amiable and positive, not everyone was in agreement with these possible projects. Some were concerned about the cost, the need, the increased annual costs to the parish (i.e., utilities, insurance, maintenance, etc..). And some thought this it would take away from the more pastoral work of their Pastor. And others were content with things as they are
These meetings have led me to conclude I should take the next/first steps in considering feasibility, especially of building. I don’t even know if the County will let us build—they were very difficult to work with when we built the church 19 years ago; in fact, preliminary discussions with the County before construction led us to decide not to build the building we are now considering. And I don’t know if the Bishop will approve the project either. But in any case, I will begin making inquiries etc., and then report back to you.
What do you think? I’m still interested in your feedback and input. Let me know.
Oremus pro invicem. Fr. De Celles