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     Today is the commemoration of All Souls with special prayers set aside for the Mass of the Dead in which we remember all those who have passed from this earth. Tomorrow we observe the Thirty-first Tuesday in Ordinary Time and the Feast of Saint Martin de Porres, Religious and South American missionary. For the readings, liturgy, meditations and vignettes on these feasts, click on LITURGY FOR THE DAY.

Monday November 2:
COMMEMORATION OF ALL SOULS

White, Violet or Black vestments

First Reading: Daniel 12: 1-3
Psalms: Psalm 103: 8, 10, 13-18
Second Reading: Romans 14: 7-9, 10-12
Gospel Reading: Matthew 25: 1-13

     The Feast of All Souls is a continuum of the Triduum of the Communion of Saints with this day set aside to remember the Church Suffering, the poor souls in Purgatory who desperately need the Prayers of the Church Militant here on earth for the Church Suffering in Purgatory - the Poor Souls. Through our prayers the souls in Purgatory can be released into Heaven and, having joined the Church Triumphant, can then intercede before the Throne of God for those on earth, especially remembering those who remembered to pray for them. This feast originated in the 7th Century in the Benedictine abbeys of Europe. Saint Odilo around the end of the first millennium, instituted All Souls Day be celebrated immediately after All Saints day and by the 14th Century Rome had established November 2 as the official feast for the universal Church. A century later the Dominicans began the custom of saying three Masses on that day to accommodate all the requests but this privilege was not extended to the entire Church until August 10, 1915 when Pope Benedict XV gave permission to all priests to celebrate three Masses on this day - one for the faithful departed, one for the intentions of the Holy Father and the third for the priest's own personal intentions. The main reason for his actions were to accommodate and pray for all those who had died during World War I. Today if All Souls Day falls on a Sunday, then the day is transferable to November 3rd. Also, the difference today in the Novus Ordo Mass vs. the Latin Tridentine Mass is that the Mass of the Dead is not commemorated with black vestments in the former, rather white vestments and purple vestments are used celebrating "our resurrection through the Victory of Christ."

Tuesday November 3:
Thirty-first Tuesday in Ordinary Time and
Feast of Saint Martin de Tours, Religious

Green or white vestments

First Reading: Philippians 2: 5-11
Psalms: Psalm 22: 26-32
Gospel Reading: Luke 14: 15-24

      Born on November 9, 1579 in Lima, Peru Saint Martin de Porres was brought into this world illegitimately by a black unmarried Panamanian slave woman Anna who had been impregnated by Spanish landowner John de Porres. Martin would not let his illegitimate birth deter him from following God's Will, which was to become a Dominican lay brother at the Rosary Convent in Lima in 1603. There, where he had first entered in 1594 at the age of 15, he became a contemporary and close friend of Saint Rose of Lima, Saint Turibius, Saint John Macias, and Saint Francis Solano. His mother had made sure Martin had a firm rooting in Catholicism and had hoped he would become a pharmacist or a surgeon, but his concern and love for the poor beckoned him to forego that career in favor of caring for hundreds of thousands of sick and black slaves who were brought to Lima in chains. His reputation as a holy man, healer and mystic, as well as his tremendous efforts in helping the downtrodden made him legend in Lima and throughout South America. He was gifted with the supernatural gifts of bilocation and aerial flights and had knock-down fights literally with the devil, but he would never give in. He gained his strength from spending all his free time before the Blessed Sacrament just as another holy person did during this century as the "Saint of the Gutters" - Mother Teresa. At the age of 60, Martin contracted the fatal fever and died at the Dominican's Rosary Convent on November 3, 1639. His death was mourned throughout the land as the patron of social justice. His deeds were officially recognized in 1962, when Pope John Paul XXIII declared Blessed Martin the charitable a saint, proclaiming him patron saint of interracial justice.

     In honor of All Souls Day we presentwe present special Prayers for the Souls in Purgatory. Click on PRAYERS FOR ALL SOULS.

     The following verse, taken from 2 Machabees 12: 46 affirms what Our Lady said that if we pray the prayer "we'll deliver many souls": "It is therefore a holy and wholesome thought to pray for the dead, that they may be loosed from sins." The Blessed Mother asks that we pray the words "I BELIEVE IN GOD" five times, and then say a Hail Holy Queen, Our Father, Hail Mary and Glory Be once followed by the prayer: Grant eternal rest unto them, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon them that they may rest in peace. Amen.

FATIMA PRAYER FOR SOULS

O My Jesus, forgive us our sins, save us from the fires of hell.
Lead all souls to Heaven, Especially those most need of Thy Mercy.

     There is also the special prayer that in honor of the poor souls in Purgatory. When one prays this prayer from the heart countless souls are released from Purgatory at God's will. It is an excellent way as members of the Church Militant to fulfill our role in the Communion of Saints:

Eternal Father, I offer Thee the Precious Blood of Thy Divine Son Jesus in union with all the Masses said throughout the world today; for the holy souls in Purgatory, for sinners everywhere, for sinners in the Universal Church, in my home and in my family. Amen.

It is recommended we pray this after every decade of the Rosary. Our Lady also imparted to Hungarian visionary Mrs. Elizabeth Szanto Erzebet, (mother of six who died in 1985), the following message on October 13, 1962 on the occasion of the 45th anniversary of the last apparition at Fatima. Proclaiming herself as "The Flame of Love", Our Lady said: "My Daughter, your compassion for suffering souls moved my Motherly heart so much that I will grant the grace that if anyone anywhere will say Three Hail Mary's in reference to my Flame of Love, then on each occasion a soul will be freed from Purgatory. Furthermore, "In the month of the Holy Souls (November) TEN SOULS WILL BE FREED FROM PURGATORY FOR EACH HAIL MARY...Suffering souls will also feel the effect of the grace coming from my Motherly Flame of Love."

This is our opportunity to storm Heaven with our Rosaries during this month. Think of the number of souls you will all be able to deliver from Purgatory into the Glory of Heaven through your Hail Mary's. They won't forget you!!!

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WORLDWIDE NEWS & VIEWS with a Catholic slant

provided by Catholic World News Service

HEADLINES:

Holy See reaffirms Divine Revelation of "Thou art Peter and upon this rock I will build My Church and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it."

      Signed by Cardinal Josef Ratzinger, the Vatican released this weekend a nine-page document verifying the Papal Primacy to clarify to all the authority of the Pope as the successor of Saint Peter as Jesus Christ affirmed. It is vital that this is established in the Holy See's efforts at ecumenism, especially with the Orthodox Church which balk at the idea of the Pope's primacy. Rather than water it down and compromise, the Vatican is standing strong in the traditions handed down. For more, click on Papal Primacy

NEW VATICAN DOCUMENT ON PAPAL PRIMACY

      VATICAN (CWNews.com) -- The Vatican today released a 9-page document, signed by Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, explaining papal primacy as a guarantee against arbitrary judgments, and an assurance of the Church's unity and "fidelity to the Word of God."

      The new Vatican document picks up the theme of a theological symposium on the papacy which was held in December 1996. The proceedings of that symposium will soon be published by Librairie Editrice Vaticana. Cardinal Ratzinger explained that the document released today summarizes "the essential points of Catholic doctrine on the primacy."

      The question of papal primacy has crucial implications for ecumenical progress, as Pope John Paul II acknowledged in his 1995 encyclical Ut Unum Sint, in which he called for new reflections on how the papacy could be exercised in ways that would encourage ecumenical progress while preserving its essential role.

      The Vatican document points out that the primacy of Peter can be traced directly to the Gospel, and the Christ's command. Thus "the primacy is different, in its essence and its exercise, from the roles of government in human society," the Ratzinger document explains. The Pope's role is not one of coordinating affairs, nor is it merely a place of honor. Rather, "The Successor to Peter is the rock which, against all arbitrariness and conformism, is the guarantee of a rigorous fidelity to the Word of God." The document goes on the emphasize that this fidelity must be preserved even to the point of martyrdom.

      The document also reaffirms that it is only the Pope-- or the Pope with an ecumenical council-- who can make a final judgment on how the papal ministry should be exercised. On the other hand, it notes that the papal primacy is not a matter of absolute power, since the Pope, like Peter, makes his decisions in a collegial setting, after consulting with the bishops of the world. Against that background, the document suggests that all Christians should pray for a favorable resolution of the discussion on papal primacy-- a resolution that would allow Church unity and the exercise of papal primacy as Christ intended it.

      Cardinal Ratzinger, the prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, signed the new document along with the secretary of that dicastery, Bishop Tarcisio Bertone.

It's a fine line between politics and moral responsibility but Illinois Catholics opt for the latter in getting the word out while IRS tries to pin former on a New York church




      With the election a day away, the Catholic non-profit organization Catholic Citizens of Illinois are intensifying their efforts to educate Catholics throughout the state that they have a moral obligation not to vote for someone who advocates policies that not only go against Catholic teaching, but God's law. Such is the case with Carol Mosely Braun, who claims she is Catholic but her voting record belies that fact. The organization has aligned her with another dangerous cafeteria Catholic Ted Kennedy in hoping to defeat Braun's relection bid for the Senate. Meanwhile, in Washington a New York church is facing harassment from the IRS because they spoke out against Bill Clinton's moral character in the last election. For more, click on Drawing that fine line in the sand.

      CHICAGO (CWNews.com) - Catholic Citizens of Illinois (CCI) launched a new media campaign this week to educate Catholic voters in the state of their moral obligations as they cast their ballots in next Tuesday's local, state, and national elections.

      The group has taken out ads in major Chicago-area newspapers to be printed over the weekend. "The Roman Catholic Church has stated repeatedly and unequivocally that Catholics who vote for 'pro-choice' politicians are knowingly propagating and advancing abortion, said CCI President Mary Anne Hackett.

      The group noted that the most obvious example of the need for a Catholic conscience when voting is in the issue of abortion. As an example, CCI noted that Senator Edward Kennedy, D-Massachusetts, cast his vote against overriding President Clinton's ban on partial-birth abortions on the same day he attended a Catholic Mass and received Communion.

      "That Senator Kennedy and Illinois Senators Durbin and Moseley-Braun -- who also profess to be Catholics -- would vote to defend partial-birth abortions in total defiance of clear Catholic Church teachings is scandalous to the Catholic laity," said CCI Treasurer Karl Maurer.

      Meanwhile in Washington D.C., a New York church asked a federal judge this week to restore its tax-free status three years after the IRS revoked it because the church took out an ad critical of then-presidential candidate Bill Clinton.

      The Church at Pierce Creek in Vestal, New York took out the ad just before Election Day in 1992 bought full-page ads in two newspapers urging voters not to elect Clinton because of his moral failings and stances on issues, including abortion, condom distribution, and homosexuality. "Do we really want as president ... a man of this character who supports this type of behavior?" the ad asked.

      The Internal Revenue Service revoked the churches tax-exempt status in 1995 after Americans United for Separation of Church and State complained to the agency. The American Center for Law and Justice, a Christian legal group, sued the IRS saying it had violated the church's free-speech and equal-protection rights.

      On Thursday, Federal Judge Paul Friedman heard final arguments in a four-year series of hearings in the case. During the hearing, the judge asked what might happen if a church's pastor endorsed a political candidate from the pulpit on a Sunday. Government lawyer Alan Swirski acknowledged the difficulty facing an IRS agent who receives such a complaint. The judge raised the specter of undercover agents monitoring the content of Sunday sermons.

      Friedman will now make a decision in the case at an undetermined future date.

Michigan Catholics rallying to put death grip on Dr. Death and Suicide Referendum on ballot

      On the other side of Lake Michigan, Catholics in Michigan are energetically working on not only educating the people as to the wrongs of assisted suicide, but raising the funds to defeat the nefarious measure on the state ballot which has been spawned from the activities of the man known as "Dr. Death" - Jack Kervorkian. All the dioceses in the state have donated to the campaign to crush the referendum which, as of the last poll, thankfully looks like it will go down to defeat. For more, click on Assisting the vote against assisted suicide .

      LANSING, Michigan (CWNews.com) - The Michigan group campaigning against a November 3 ballot measure to legalize assisted suicide in the state has raised over $5 million, while supporters of the referendum called Proposal B said they have added less than $1 million to their coffers.

      The pro-assisted suicide Merian's Friends announced the funding comparison this week, even as it faced mounting penalty fees for failing to file its campaign finance statements. The group said most of the money it raised was spent on collecting signatures to put the question on the ballot. They added that Catholic charities and groups have donated at $2 million of the more than $5 million collected by their rival, Citizens for Compassionate Care.

      The Archdiocese of Detroit has donated $1.08 million itself, while the diocese of Lansing, Grand Rapids, Kalamazoo, Saginaw, and Gaylord gave an additional $1.29 million.

      Meanwhile, the Detroit News released a new poll this week that showed 61 percent of likely voters oppose the proposal to legalize assisted suicide. "It's encouraging, but at the same time, we're guarding against overconfidence," said Tom Farrell, a spokesman for Citizens for Compassionate Care.

Third World countries setting the pace as Vocations multiply while in America and Europe the calling is waning fast!

      While America and Europe would seem to be on life-support in their fight to maintain vocations to the priesthood, Asia and Africa are showing a tremendous increase in vocations led by India, Nigeria, the Congo, Philippines and Korea - all countries that have experienced tremendous hardships. From those conditions the fruits of the call to serve God has borne great dividends. Maybe the only way for the established, modern and spoiled countries in Europe and America need to undergo more hardships in order to produce more vocations. For more, click on Vocations .

      VATICAN (CWNews.com) -- With 28,782 seminarians preparing for missionary work in 1996-1997, the pontifical missions are enjoying a steady growth in vocations, according to the Vatican agency Fides.

      During that same academic year, there were over 80,000 students in minor seminaries, and 1, 716 priests were ordained for the pontifical missions-- 742 in Africa, 206 in the Americas, 730 in Asia, 20 in Europe, and 19 in Oceana.

      That figure represents an increase of 16 over the previous year's ordinations. The number of seminaries and seminarians also increased. The increases were most notable in Africa and Asia, with the greatest numbers of candidates for the priesthood coming from India (with 4,434) Nigeria (2,970), Congo (2,318), the Philippines (1,430), and Korea (1,249).

For more headlines and articles, we suggest you go to the Catholic World News site. CWN is not affiliated with the Daily CATHOLIC but provides this service via e-mail to the Daily CATHOLIC Monday through Friday.

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November 2 1998 volume 9, no. 214   DAILY CATHOLIC