All Saints and All Souls Days

This week our school has recognised two important feasts in the Catholic tradition. All Saints (1 November) and Commemoration of the All the Faithful Departed (All Souls’ Day, 2 November). These feasts honour and celebrate the lives of the Saints, those who have been recognised as being especially close to God, and the lives of all those who have died. The whole month of November is dedicated to honouring the dead and a list of the names of the dead is usually placed in the church so that the community can remember them in prayer.

At Carroll College, we pray each day and in this prayer, we ask for St Francis Xavier and St Mary of the Cross MacKillop to pray for us - to be part of our lives. All Saints Day is a special time to consider the example saints offer us and to reflect on how we can imitate their lives. St Francis Xavier and St Mary of the Cross MacKillop are two saints who lived totally different lives in different times and places. Their common bond is their unwavering commitment to and love of Christ. They were both determined in their faith and goal to make Jesus known and loved. These qualities and attributes are what we hope for in our students and staff and so we remember them and pray to them for guidance in our own lives. 

On 2 November, Mrs Karen Ashby’s Homeroom led the school in prayer. They read this beautiful prayer for all those who have died. The prayer came from Catholic Relief Services and was especially dedicated to those who have lost their lives to war or as refugees seeking safety in foreign lands. With the recent, tragic events in the Holy Land, the prayer was very fitting. I have included the prayer below. 

We are very blessed to be in a community that turns its hearts, minds and bodies to prayer each day. These few minutes still us, and remind us that we are not alone and that God is with us in all we face each day. Our prayer also encourages us to think about the needs of others and to look with compassion at the world.

All Souls Day Prayer

Merciful Father,

On this day, we are called to remember those who have died,

Particularly those who have died in the past year,

And pray for their joyful reunion with you, their loving creator.

As your son taught us to call the stranger 

neighbour, our fallen are many—

Names we will never know,

Voices we have never heard,

In lands we may never visit,

Yet brothers and sisters all.

And so we pray.

For victims of war, caught in the crossfires of

conflicts we could not quell,

for soldiers and civilians,

adults and children, we pray …

Grant eternal rest, O Lord.

For those migrants who have died seeking a

haven where they hoped to find safety

and opportunity for themselves and for their families, we pray …

Grant eternal rest, O Lord.

Erica Drewsen
RE Coordinator