Communion of Saints tapestry by John Nava. Courtesy of the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angles, Los Angeles.

As part of the Mystical Body of Christ, it is our responsibility to pray for the earthly church, to pray for those who await eternal union with God and to pray for the intercessions of the saintly church in heaven.

As one of the faithful and a Sister, it is our privilege to call upon the Blessed Virgin Mary and all the saints in heaven for guidance and help.  As members of the Church, we profess our belief in the communion of saints and the resurrection of the dead to life everlasting.  The first two days of November remind all the faithful of this responsibility and this blessing.

On the first of November we remember all the saints in heaven, from the most important to the very least.  In our monastery, we gather in our historic Relic Chapel and pray the litany of saints the night before the solemnity and before we process into our Adoration Chapel for First Vespers of All Saints.

We recall all those who have given their lives to the Church throughout her history and have been canonized by the Church, giving them special honor and recognition as “saints.”  In professing belief in the communion of saints, we acknowledge the heavenly church’s union with the  universal church on earth.

Each Eucharist celebrated on earth is celebrated at the same time in heaven; there is no disunity.  We pray to the saints to intercede for us and ask them for their help.  Many of us are named after a patron saint; many countries have patron saints; many saints have been given patronal causes based upon their earthly lives.  The Blessed Virgin Mary, is the queen of all saints.

On the second of November, we recall our dearly departed loved ones and pray for their souls.  It is comforting to know that believers around the world are praying for this part of the Mystical Body of Christ as we all have loved ones who have died with the hope of rising again.

The efficacy of our prayers will never be known to us in its entirety, but let us have faith in the grace of God to bring all things together, united by the bonds of love and sustained by its flow.

All the saints in heaven, pray for us.

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