Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary Time
October 28, 2025 Column Father De Celles
NOVENA PRAYERS FOR THE ELECTION. Virginia State Elections are only 9 days away. I ask that all of St. Raymond’s parishioners lift up the elections to the Lord Jesus’ care. Specifically, I propose that for nine days, beginning today, Sunday, October 26 and ending Monday, November 3, all parishioners join in praying one or more of the following each day: 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 sacrifice, perhaps skipping a meal, giving up meat or beef or sweets.
Also, at the end of all Masses, before the customary Hail Mary and Prayer to St. Michael, we will pray together the Prayer for Religious Freedom.
SAINT JOHN HENRY NEWMAN: DOCTOR OF THE CHURCH. Next Saturday, November 1, Pope Leo XIV will officially pronounce St. John Henry Newman a “Doctor of the Catholic Church.
What is a Doctor of the Church? The EWTN website gives an excellent explanation:
Traditionally, the title has been granted on the basis of three requirements: the manifest holiness of a candidate affirmed by his or her canonization as a saint; the person’s eminence in doctrine demonstrated by the leaving behind of a body of teachings that made significant and lasting contributions to the life of the Church; and a formal declaration by the Church, usually by a pope.
While their teachings are not considered infallible, being declared a “doctor” means that they contributed to the formulation of Christian teaching in at least one significant area and this teaching has impacted later generations….
Other notable saints who are doctors of the Church include St. Teresa of Ávila, St. Augustine, St. Ambrose, St. Catherine of Siena, St. Thomas Aquinas, St. Thérèse of Lisieux, St. Anthony of Padua, and St. Francis de Sales, among others.
About St. John Henry Newman. Newman was the 19th-century’s most important English-speaking Roman Catholic theologian, although he spent the first half of his life as an Anglican (Church of England, Episcopalian) and the second half as a Roman Catholic. He was a priest, popular preacher, writer, and eminent theologian in both churches.
Born in London, England, he studied at Oxford’s Trinity College, was a tutor at Oriel College, and for 17 years was vicar of the university church, St. Mary the Virgin. He eventually published eight volumes of Parochial and Plain Sermons as well as two novels. His poem, “Dream of Gerontius,” was set to music by Sir Edward Elgar.
After 1833, Newman was a prominent member of the Oxford Movement, which emphasized the Church’s debt to the Church Fathers and challenged any tendency to consider truth as completely subjective. Historical research made Newman suspect that the Roman Catholic Church was in closest continuity with the Church that Jesus established. In 1845, he was received into full communion as a Catholic. Two years later he was ordained a Catholic priest in Rome and joined the Congregation of the Oratory. Returning to England, Newman founded Oratory houses in Birmingham and London and for seven years served as rector of the Catholic University of Ireland.
Newman eventually wrote 40 books and 21,000 letters that survive. Most famous are his book-length Essay on the Development of Christian Doctrine, On Consulting the Faithful in Matters of Doctrine, Apologia Pro Vita Sua, The Idea of a University and Essay on the Grammar of Assent.
To the surprise of many, especially considering his Anglican background and his status as a mere priest (not a bishop), Newman was named a cardinal in 1879, taking as his motto “Cor ad cor loquitur”—“Heart speaks to heart.” He died on August 11, 1890, 11 years later. [Cf., www.franciscanmedia.org).
Newman was a key inspiration to many of the greatest theologians of the 20th century, especially Joseph Ratzinger, Pope Benedict XVI, who wrote of him:
“The characteristic of the great Doctor of the Church, it seems to me, is that he teaches not only through his thought and speech but also by his life, because within him, thought and life are interpenetrated and defined. If this is so, then Newman belongs to the great teachers of the Church, because he both touches our hearts and enlightens our thinking.”
Newman’s Beloved Hymn. “Lead, Kindly Light” was written in 1833 by St. John as a poem titled “the Pillar of the Cloud.” Since then it has been put to music, and become part of the treasury of Catholic English hymnary.
Kindly Light, amid the encircling gloom, // Lead Thou me on; // The night is dark, and I am far from home, // Lead Thou me on. // Keep Thou my feet; // I do not ask to see the distant scene; // one step enough for me.
I was not ever thus, nor prayed that // Thou shouldst lead me on; // I loved to choose and see my path; but now // Lead Thou me on. // I loved the garish day, and, spite of fears, pride ruled my will; // remember not past years.
So long Thy power hath blessed me, sure it still // Will lead me on. // O’er moor and fen, o’er crag and torrent, till // The night is gone; // And with the morn those angel faces smile, // Which I have loved long since, and lost awhile.
HOLY DAYS. Next Saturday, November 1, is the Solemnity of All Saints, when we remember all the Saints in Heaven, especially those who are not “canonized” (maybe your grandmother or a beloved child). It also reminds us that each of us is called to one day be a saint in Heaven, by living a faithful and holy life here on Earth. However, because it falls on a Saturday this year it is NOT a Holy Day of Obligation this year. Even so, I encourage you all to attend either the regular 9am Mass, or the special 12noon Mass.
The next day, Sunday, November 2, is the Commemoration of All Souls, when we pray for all the souls who are awaiting entrance into Heaven as they are being purified in Purgatory. I invite you all to pray for the dead every day, but especially on this day and throughout the month of November. Because of the special love the Church has for her dead, the Mass for All Souls will be celebrated throughout the Church next Sunday, in place of the regular 31st Sunday of Ordinary Time.
And of course the day before these, Wednesday October 31, is “Halloween.” I have concerns about what what this celebration has become, especially with rise of paganism and Satanism in our country. Please remember that this week should be mainly about the Saints and Holy Souls, and not evil, satanic or witchy things. And please remind your children that “Halloween” means “Holy Eve,” or “All Saints’ Eve,” and that the candy they receive is only a small foretaste of the sweet delights shared by those who love the Lord, obey His commandments and enter into Heaven.
Oremus pro invicem. Fr. De Celles