Faithful told: Observe All Saints’ Day with prayers, joyful celebration
-A A +AThursday, November 1, 2012
FR. CHARLES Jayme encouraged the faithful to observe All Saints’ Day today with prayers and joyful celebration, following the recent canonization of San Pedro Calungsod and the six other new saints.
“In a joyful and prayerful mode are the best ways to celebrate it,” said Jayme, the official custodian of the San Pedro Calungsod pilgrim image.
“We have to be joyful because we give honor and we venerate the saints who are now in heaven. Saints don’t have to be those who are canonized like San Pedro Calungsod and others. There are those saints who are not recognized by the Church, but for us they
lived their lives according to the will of God,” he added.
Jayme is in town for a short respite before he will join the ongoing Duaw Nasud, or
the visit of the pilgrim image to various dioceses around the country.
The image is at the official residence of the Archbishop of Manila and will be leaving
for Vigan in Ilocos Norte on Saturday, Nov. 3.
The image will begin its Visayas area visitation on Nov. 13, in Catarman, Samar province.
“Secondly, we have to celebrate it prayerfully because it is our responsibility to pray for ourselves,” he said, adding that prayers should also be offered for the poor souls in purgatory.
Jayme, who is a parochial vicar of the Sto. Rosario Parish, said that through this practice, the people are upholding the tenets of the Church on being one with the departed loved ones and the saints in heaven.
The Roman Catholic Church encourages the offering of prayers and mass for the souls of the departed in purgatory. According to Catholic doctrine, the faithful on earth can assist these souls in purgatory in entering heaven through their prayers, good works and the offering of mass.
For those who are unable to visit their loved ones in the cemeteries, the Barkada ni Pedro Facebook account offers online prayer petitions.
The account visitors are directed to write the names they wish to be prayed for in the
comment box and the “kabarkadas” will be praying for them.
The barkada, however, encouraged those who can visit cemeteries to do so and to offer a mass for their departed loved ones.
Published in the Sun.Star Cebu newspaper on November 01, 2012.
Local news
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