MADISON — In the “Church Year,” November is a significant month for considering the Communion of the Saints and the holy souls in Purgatory.
At the start of the month, the Church celebrates All Saints Day, giving thanks to God for all those we believe have achieved their heavenly goal, and then All Souls Day, during which we pray for the souls of all those who have departed but await their entry into heaven. They are moving days, which call to mind not only loved ones and friends who have died, but also the end of our own lives.
In most parishes, All Souls Day will coincide with Sunday this year, and thus will be marked with particular attention and solemnity. But for all who wish to participate, a particular opportunity exists in the Diocese of Madison to celebrate All Souls Day and to remember all the deceased priests and bishops who have served the faithful here, by way of the traditional Latin Requiem Mass.At 7 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 3 (the day to which this commemoration is transferred in the ancient calendar of the Church), Bishop Robert C. Morlino will celebrate a Pontifical Requiem Mass in the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite. The location of the Mass, the Bishop O’Connor Catholic Pastoral Center in the Bishop O’Donnell Memorial Chapel, holds particular significance as the building and chapel are named, respectively, in honor of the first and second bishops of the diocese and were the place of formation of so many diocesan priests.
A Requiem Mass, which is seldom seen anymore, is always offered for the repose of the soul or souls of the deceased and mirrors in its ritual the Catholic funeral Mass. This Requiem Mass, which has been organized by the Madison Tridentine Mass Society, will be marked by particular ceremony as it is a Pontifical Requiem, celebrated by the bishop. The Mass will be accompanied by Tomás Luis de Victoria’s Requiem for four voices.
All are invited to join in the ancient prayer of the Church, as we commend to God the good priests and bishops who have gone before us, even as we pray as a diocese for our “Priests for the Future.”