01 November 2008

Bonne FĂȘte de la Toussaint


Now that all of you, being the good Catholics you are, have spurned Reformation Day (which appropriately falls on the day the Church recalls the souls of the damned) by your various festivities, you can set the candy corns aside for a moment, put on a nice suit, and attend Mass in honor of all those nameless saints in heaven. In the United States, All Saints is normally a holy day of obligation, unless it falls on a Saturday (like today); if so, the obligation is abrogated. Nonetheless, all are encouraged to attend if possible.

You can gain several plenary indulgences today (an exception from the normal rule which limits it to one per day) for the poor souls in Purgatory each time you visit a church and recite the Pater Noster, the Ave Maria, and the Gloria six times (of course, after having having gone to confession and Holy Communion).