The Creeds are considered the official teaching of the Catholic Church. Indeed, all Christians recognize the authority of the Creeds. The Creeds are a reliable summary of Biblical teaching. In the Creeds--the Nicene Creed which we recite at Sunday Mass and the Apostles Creed which begins the rosary--we profess our faith in the “communion of saints”. We believe that we continue to exist even after death and that we who live in Christ have a relationship with those who have died in Christ.

My mother died in 2004 and my father in 2011. Perhaps I did not appreciate this doctrine until I lost people who were close to me. Death is hard, but our Christian faith assures us that death is not the end for those who believe in Christ.

The doctrine of the communion of the saints assures us that Christian fellowship and other bonds of love don’t end with death. Those who believe in Christ are in a spiritual union with those who are with Christ in heaven or who are on the way to heaven but still in purgatory.

Ina few weeks it will be November, for Catholics the “month of the dead”. November begins with the Feast of All Saints, in which we are assured that ordinary people-- mothers and fathers, bankers and plumbers, students and teachers--are all called to live with Christ forever in heaven. Saints are not just canonized well known people, but ordinary people like you and me. On November 2, we have the Feast of All Souls which assures us that imperfect people, sinners, are still called to salvation through an after death purification in purgatory.

Here at Saint John’s we offer two ways to remember and pray for our beloved dead in November. Beginning on the Feast of all Souls, we will offer a novena of Masses (nine days) for those whose names are submitted. And during the month of November, you can place names of your deceased love ones on a cross which will be displayed in our cemetery. Remember your deceased relatives and friends at Saint John’s during November.