Familia The Newsletter of the Ascension Parish Family
IN THIS ISSUE 2012 Annual Giving Campaign Page 2 Ascension Family Spotlight Page 3
Thanksgiving Dinner: Food and Volunteers Needed! Page 4
St. Anthony of Padua Soup Kitchen & Food Pantry Update Page 5
Birthdays and Anniversaries Page 5
November Ordo Kalendar Page 6
November 2011
Bringing the Harvest Home All Saints, All Souls, and November
I
t is often pointed out that, although it is mostly part of what our Roman Catholic friends call “Ordinary Time” (that long stretch of “green” Sundays after Pentecost), the month of November has its own special liturgical character. We begin the month with the great festival of All Saints’ Day and, one day later, the solemn observation of All Souls’ Day with its requiem Masses. And we end November with the first Sunday of Advent. In between, comes the Feast of Christ the King (the second-tolast Sunday of the month) and Thanksgiving. Seen together, these observances have something in common: a focus on the “heavenly harvest” of redeemed souls. Whether it is All Saints’ Day, with its celebration of apostles, martyrs, prophets, all the great men and women of God … or All Souls’ Day, with its remembrance of those who have gone before us … or Christ the King’s and Advent Sunday’s heralding of the coming Kingdom of God, these holidays all deal with what theologians call “eschatology”—in simple terms, the study of “what comes next.” And maybe there is no better time than November to think about what’s next for all us. It is easy to proclaim the resur-
rection at Easter in April, when the whole world is coming to life. But in November, with its shortening days and grey skies? When the world around us is preparing for winter’s cold, it’s hard to sing “Now the Green Blade Rises.” And yet our faith tells us that it does—that the grave is not an end, but a passage to new life. And, despite the chilliness of death, we can anticipate the warm love of a new heaven and a new earth. Perhaps the hymn says it best: But lo! There breaks a yet more glorious day; The saints triumphant rise in bright array; The King of glory passes on His way. Alleluia. Alleluia! There are many opportunities to celebrate November’s hopeful vision here at Ascension: multiple observances of All Saints Day (a low Mass on November 1 and the festival celebration transferred to the following Sunday, November 6), two requiem Masses on All Soul’s Day (November 2), the Feast of Christ the King on November 20, a sung Mass on Thanksgiving Day, and, finally, Advent Sunday on November 27, with Masses in the morning and our great choir’s annual festival of Lessons and Carols at 4:00 pm. Please make plans to join us!