In our Catholic tradition of remembering the dead we are living out our faith in the fact that we belong to a community that goes way beyond our family, or our parish. We belong to a community that reaches beyond the grave and which reminds us that: Lover never ends (1Cor 13:8). We belong to the Communion of Saints, the Mystical Body of Christ.

This is a community that invites to know that in times of great sadness we are never alone, that we are linked to one another through an unbreakable bond of love. The month of November begins with the two days of remembering which give us a chance to recall this – All Saints Day and All Souls Day. These are days of great hope and love because they invite us to think about how blessed we have been in the family members and friends who have gone before us. They have given us so much and taught us so much and these are treasures that are not lost with the passage of time.

These days also allow us to feel the pain of our loss, something we must do if we are to grieve properly. Jesus knows our pain and wants us to find our peace in him. These days also encourage us not only to pray for our departed friends but also to pray to them, knowing that through our faith we are linked by a love that never ends. They also remind us of how we in our parish community might support and encourage one another at times of suffering and loss. We are not only a community of teaching and learning we are also a community of care and compassion. So in that spirit let us pray now in faith.

For the first week of November, the Book of the Names of the Dead will be available for parishioners to write the names of their beloved family members and friends who have passed away since last year. We also will collect envelopes with the name of loved ones who passed away.

Oh, how we long to have our loved ones next to us ... and even more so when they have passed away. We all desire to express in a physical way the longing of our hearts. So, the Church in her infinite wisdom granted us this tradition of writing their names in a book and praying for them as a community.

We pray for the dead by name because their name identifies them as a person and brings forth memories. Names are important. Otherwise, what

one word can fully describe someone? You can say she had a great sense of humor or he was very generous with his time, but those adjectives are not enough. The person's name comes as close as possible of describing the many facets of a person.

The names in the book are not just ink on a piece of paper. Their names are a reminder of who they are in our minds and hearts. And when we see their names, we pray for them. We pray and hope that they are in the light of God's face; we hope that they are rejoicing with the saints and angels in the heavenly Jerusalem.

One day we will have our names written in the book by someone who remembers us.