St. Jude, All Saints, All Souls

From the Pastor:    St. Jude, All Saints, All Souls

       This weekend in the Traditional Calendar, Sunday is the feast of Christ the King. This important feast won’t be found on the New Calendar until November 24. The New Christ the King (which falls on the last Sunday of the liturgical year) used to be the date upon which the Bishop of St. Petersburg bestowed the St. Jude the Apostle Award. But a few years ago he switched the award ceremony to the TLM date of Christ the King, which is always the last Sunday of October. You might remember that we used to have a Eucharistic Procession after the Mass of Christ the King until the change came. But it is too difficult for me to have a procession and still have time to get to the award ceremony to accompany those from our parish who are to receive the award, so we had to cancel the processions. The first year of the change they didn’t inform us in time to cancel the procession and I missed getting to the cathedral on time.
       For the sake of anyone new to the diocese, this annual award is given to one person (or a married couple, for the two are one flesh) in each parish. There are always people who do exceptional things in the parishes without getting much recognition for the hard work they put into their ministries or activities—except, perhaps, negative recognition from those who didn’t do the work complaining that it wasn’t done the way they wanted it done! Each year the pastor has to make a difficult decision to nominate someone, although many “someones” may truly deserve to receive the award. This year I am happy to announce that Richard and Deborah Owens are going to receive the St. Jude Award Medal from Bishop Parkes. Both of them are involved in too many activities to list, including the Catholic Enrichment weeks to the Troops of St. George, Knights of Columbus, Sunday coffee and donuts, Holy League, and many other things. Please congratulate them and offer a prayer of thanks for all they do!
       The actual Feast Day for St. Jude the Apostle (our diocesan Patron Saint, in case you didn’t realize his significance) is October 28 on both the old and new calendars. We celebrate his feast day along with that of another Apostle, St. Simon. Because he is our Patron, we are able to celebrate (according to the rubrics of the TLM) an “external solemnity” for him on either the preceding or the following Sunday for the sake of the Faithful who are unable to attend on the actual feast day. So next Sunday the External Solemnity of Sts. Simon and Jude will take the place of the Resumed 4th Sunday after Epiphany, although that feast will get its own commemoration, that is, we will include the Collect, Secret, and Post Communion prayers of that Sunday Mass after those of the two Apostles. The “Resumed” Masses are extremely difficult to follow in the hand missals and I don’t have enough space here to even explain what they are, let alone how to follow them, so just be glad that you have one fewer to be lost at this year!
       The end of this week also, lest you forget, contains a Holy Day of Obligation. Friday, November 1, is the day we show our respect and admiration on the feast day dedicated to All Saints. It is one of the few remaining days upon which it is obligatory to attend Mass outside of Sundays. The following day, Saturday, November 2, is the Commemoration of All Souls. While not a day of obligation, it is one of the most beloved and well-attended Masses regardless of which day it falls. I expect that the 8:00 am Mass will be packed! The Adult Catechism class that I normally teach after Adoration on Saturday mornings has been canceled so that we can have our annual Soul Cakes & Cider Celebration at that time. Due to the chaos caused by the hurricanes this year, we currently have only about half a dozen lists of souls to be prayed for at that Mass (and for the rest of the month), but it is not too late to get yours in!
       Also, remember that the whole month of November is dedicated to the Holy Souls, and the Church offers an octave of Plenary Indulgences to kick off these special thirty days of prayer for the souls in Purgatory. Each day from November 1 through November 8 (inclusive) those who visit a cemetery and pray, even if only mentally, for the departed can receive—to be applied to the Poor Souls—a Plenary Indulgence, that is, the complete remission of all temporal punishment due to previously forgiven sin. Requiem aeternam dona eis, Domini, et lux perpetua luceat eis. Requiescant in pace. (Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord, and let perpetual Light shine upon them. May they rest in peace.)
       Lastly, our Mass Book (for intentions for 2025) will be opening soon. Once again, with the larger number of parishioners clamoring for Masses (as it should be!) we are dropping the number of Masses each family can request to 5 (five). The Mass stipend donation, according to the diocesan standards revised a dozen or so years ago, is $20 per Mass. Watch for the official announcement. The book fills up within days.

With prayers for your holiness,
Rev. Fr. Edwin Palka