November 2025: Month of the Holy Souls
This month begins with the Solemnity of All Saints on November 1, followed by the Feast of All Souls on November 2. "All Saints" day honors all the souls who are already in Heaven, while "All Souls" day commemorates those in Purgatory who are being purified on their way to Heaven.
Throughout November, we are encouraged to pray especially for our departed loved ones, the Holy Souls in Purgatory. This is one of the best ways to fulfill the Fourth Commandment to honor our parents and the Great Commandment to love our neighbors. Many souls remain in Purgatory because they have no one to pray for them, making this an important opportunity for us to assist them.
A "plenary indulgence," which is essentially the release of a single soul from Purgatory into Heaven, can be obtained by visiting any cemetery—Catholic or not—on any day between November 1 and November 8, and praying devoutly for the departed.
Additionally, offering prayers during November, particularly by celebrating a Mass or offering your Holy Communion for the sake of the departed, will aid in their swift journey to Heaven.
How can married couples and families keep engaged with parish life throughout the different liturgical seasons?
Married couples have so many opportunities to engage in the life of the parish. The liturgical seasons are a privileged time to engage in activities and celebrations that will inspire us to live our lives as a domestic church, the church at home.
Here are some ideas that will help in planning and implementing creative ways to engage married couples throughout the liturgical seasons of our Church:
The Season of Advent: Advent is not only the beginning of the liturgical year, but it is also the season that prepares us for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
- Spiritual Goals: Why wait for January 1st to set goals or resolutions? The beginning of the Church calendar is a great opportunity to create our spiritual resolutions. As a married couple/family, what is it that we want to achieve spiritually? What are the areas where we need to grow in our faith as a couple?
- Four weeks, four acts of generosity: The season of Advent lasts four weeks. Each week when you hear and meditate on the Gospel for that week, think of an act of generosity you can do towards your spouse, it could be preparing his/her favorite meal, helping him/her relax after a busy day at work. Let the Gospel guide your acts of generosity and prepare your heart for the coming of the Lord by being more generous towards your spouse.
Ordinary Time: This season is the perfect time to focus on our spiritual growth and to strengthen our relationship with Jesus Christ. Provide couples with plenty of opportunities to grow their individual relationship with Christ, but also to grow together in their faith as a couple. This is the perfect time to offer retreats, days of reflection, date nights, etc.
The Season of Lent/Holy Week: Probably one of the strongest seasons of the Church calendar, it is also an opportunity for couples to reflect on concepts like sacrifice, new life, etc.
- Lenten sacrifices: Invite couples to find one area in which they can offer small acts of sacrifice for their spouses during the season of Lent. It can be simple things like putting their phones down to have more quality time with their spouses, increasing their prayer time together, offering an act of mercy together as a couple, etc.
- Celebrating new life: Easter is the perfect time to invite couples to celebrate new life in their relationship. Invite couples to celebrate their spiritual achievements: invite them to plant and cultivate a garden that will represent their life as a couple.
- Celebrations of Saints' days: Throughout the year, the celebrations of saints’ days remind us of those individuals who set an example for our faith and our relationship with Christ. Invite couples to find a special saint they will celebrate together as a couple. On the feast of that saint, invite them to hold a special dinner or a special prayer at home to honor that saint and ask for their intercession.
As you can see, there are countless ways in which we, as a Church, can motivate ourselves and other couples to stay engaged with our faith throughout the Church year. Most importantly, keep engaged and remind others that they are the domestic church, the church at home.