November is the Month of the Holy Souls - please pray for our beloved dead during this special time. The Archdiocese has produced a lovely prayer card of the Prayer of St. Gertrude for the Holy Souls. They are available at the entrance to the Cathedral for use during the month of November.

From the very beginning of the Church, Christians have believed that when we die, we will either go to hell, or to heaven directly, or to heaven after our soul is cleansed of any non-mortal (venial) sins. That third option is what we mean by purgatory: it is the spiritual “place” where we are cleansed of any and all spiritual flaws which remain, so that we can enter into heaven in a state of perfection, as Revelation tells us. The Church teaches that we, the church militant, can hasten the souls in purgatory to God through our prayers. That is why November is such an important month in the life of the church - we pray for our beloved dead that they might soon see the face of God.

The 11:00am Masses during the month of November will be for the Holy Souls in Purgatory. If you would like certain loved ones remembered by name, please supply their names to the parish office and their names will be given to the priest celebrant before the Masses.