As Christians our motivation to respond is hope-filled, because of the conviction that the risen Christ reconciles all creatures to himself. As Pope Francis says, “The world sings of an infinite Love: how can we fail to care for it. He asks us not to shy away from the reality that we are facing but to “accompany this pilgrimage of reconciliation with the world that is our home and help to make it more beautiful.”
We all have a role to play in creating processes of transformation and continuing to care for our common home, while also putting pressure on those with the power to make changes.
There is a sense that groups coming up from below are stepping in where political leadership is failing, and yet they are often negatively portrayed as “radicalized” (#58). In light of Pope Francis’ exhortation, Christians could instead see in this “radicalization” the very “ecological conversion” we are called to.
Can parishes and faith groups join more closely with those who are derided for seeing, like St Francis of Assisi, fellow creatures as “companions along the way” (#15)? Can we grow deeper in our conviction that “everything is connected” and “no one is saved alone” (#19). Are we ready to turn the world upside down, moving away from an obsession with power and wealth, and towards a greater care for our common home? The challenge is undeniably urgent, we cannot hide or turn away from it. The lives of our children and their children depend on our actions now. We do not need to be afraid, because we have faith and hope. But it is time to join together with all people of good will to demand change from those with economic and political power. Please see link to CAFOD – Laudate Deum explained https://cafod.org.uk/pray/laudate-deum-explained
As Pope Francis says, “the world in which we live is collapsing and may be near breaking point” (#2).
The effects of climate change and loss of biodiversity on the poorest and most vulnerable people continue to unfold and have been made worse by conflict and exploitative practices. CAFOD partners have seen flooding in Pakistan and Bangladesh, famine and drought in East Africa as well as extreme weather and heat in Europe. Inflation of prices of basic goods and loss of livelihood are also chronic. As this continues, progress towards limiting pollution, greenhouse gas emissions, deforestation and soil erosion has been slow. World leaders still chase quick, profitable solutions in new technologies, or through off-setting or off-shoring environmental harms cynically. We still haven’t learnt the Biblical truth that human beings and the earth are not replaceable commodities.
Time is running out and “Climate change is one of the principal challenges facing society and the global community.” (#3) Laudate Deum is therefore an urgent plea for us all to take action before it is too late.
How to Donate to the Parish
We are encouraging parishioners to pay their collection by direct debit or through online banking. Please do consider paying your weekly collection by direct debit if you do not already do so. If you bank online, you can round up whatever you pay weekly into a monthly figure or make one off payments. You can also set your own frequency. The HSBC are now charging us for banking cash so the less cash the less charges. Bank details as below:
HSBC, Account Name: St.Peter & All Souls R C Church, Account no. 51333151, sort-code: 40-36-34
Alternatively,
you can download a standing order mandate (below) to fill in and hand
to your bank or to the parish office. Also, if you pay tax please
consider gift aiding your collection, this will not be at any extra cost
to you.
STANDING ORDER MANDATE.pdf
New Fundraising Events Web Page – Fundraising newsletter with information for future and past events please click on the link.
Fundraising events (stpetersallsouls.com)
Help us to raise £1.3m to repair St Peter and All Souls Roman Catholic Church and help prevent it from closure. Our church has been at the heart of Peterborough's diverse community for over 125 years, and we need your help
Charity Registration No. 278742
If you would like to help raise money towards the building work at All Souls, you can pay directly into the fundraising account at HSBC Sort code: 40-36-15 Account number: 72401436. Account Name: St Peters & All Souls RC Church.
If your Alive in Faith has come to an end, please consider donating to our Building Fund.
If you do not bank online you can print off the standing order, complete the details, hand in to the parish office and we can set this up for you.
Standing Order Mandate building fund.pdf
If you have anything you would like to contribute to the website, or any questions or suggestions, please contact the web editor
It is during the month of November that the Church meditates on the Communion of Saints, which is the link with the faithful who have already reached heaven (the Church Triumphant), the faithful departed who are still expiating their sins in Purgatory (the Church Suffering) and of the pilgrim faithful still here on earth (the Church Militant). As Pope St. Paul VI describes it in his Credo of the People of God:
We believe in the communion of all the faithful of Christ, those who are pilgrims on earth, the dead who are being purified, and the blessed in heaven, all together forming one Church; and we believe that in this communion, the merciful love of God and his saints is always [attentive] to our prayers (CCC, 962). On the first of November the Church celebrates the Solemnity of All Saints, a Holy Day of Obligation, honouring all those faithful in heaven, the known and unknown saints. The feast began the traditional Octave of All Saints, November 1-8. November 2nd is the Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed, also known as All Souls Day, a day set aside to pray for all the dead. All Souls Day shifts the Church's focus on praying for the Faithful Departed throughout November. The need and duty of prayer for the dead has been acknowledged by the Church. It is recommended in the Scriptures of the Old Testament: "It is therefore a holy and wholesome thought to pray for the dead, that they may be loosed from sins" (2 Macc. 12: 46). This duty is expressed in public and private prayers but especially in the offering of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass for the repose of souls.
The prayers are particularly directed for the souls who are being purified in Purgatory, waiting for the day when they will join the saints in heaven. The celebration of Mass is the highest means the Church can provide for charity for the dead, but we can also relieve their sufferings through our prayers, sufferings and penances. We can particularly help the Poor Souls by doing acts and prayers that have indulgences attached to them.
Indulgenced Acts for the Faithful Departed - There are many indulgences, applicable only to the Souls in Purgatory, that can be obtained during the month of November. From the fourth edition of the Enchiridion of Indulgences, 1999:
A plenary indulgence, applicable only to the souls in purgatory, is granted to the faithful who,
on any and each day from November 1 to 8, devoutly visit a cemetery and pray, if only mentally, for the departed;
on All Souls' Day (or, according to the judgment of the ordinary, on the Sunday preceding or following it, or on the solemnity of All Saints), devoutly visit a church or an oratory and recite an Our Father and the Creed.
A partial indulgence, applicable only to the souls in purgatory, is granted to the faithful who,
devoutly visit a cemetery and at least mentally pray for the dead;
devoutly recite lauds or vespers from the Office of the Dead or the prayer Requiem aeternam (Eternal rest).
Incorporating Indulgences Acts Through November and the Year
A partial indulgence can be obtained by devoutly visiting a cemetery and praying for the departed. The "Eternal Rest" prayer gains a partial indulgence and can be prayed all year. Passing a cemetery and praying the "Eternal Rest" can help out the souls in need.
Eternal rest grant to them, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon them.
May the souls of the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen.
Library : Praying for the Dead and Gaining Indulgences During November | Catholic Culture
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