From the Desk of Father Jason - October 26, 2025
Dear Saint Francis Xavier Parishioners,
Death will come for us all. Time is short.
November is the month that Catholics have traditionally thought about the four last things: death, judgment, heaven, and hell. All Saints and All Souls Days kick off the month.
All Saints Day is usually a Holy Day of Obligation in the United States, but because it falls on a Saturday this year, it is not obligatory. Saint Francis Xavier Parish will celebrate All Saints Day with a Mass on Saturday, November 1 at 7:30 am. On All Saints, we remember, venerate, and ask for the prayers of all the souls that are in heaven. All Saints Day is the feast day for our relatives and friends who have died and are now in Heaven.
All Souls Day, November 2, is a commemoration of the dead. Because it falls on a Sunday this year, we will be celebrating it next weekend. All Souls Day is for prayers for those who have died and are not yet in heaven. Purgatory is the name given to the final purification of souls on their way to heaven. Those still on Earth can help those souls to go through Purgatory with our prayers, most especially the Mass. When a Mass is offered for a deceased person, the merits of that Mass are being used for their purification. Christians have been praying for the dead since ancient times. Inscriptions found in early Christian catacombs demonstrate that the faithful prayed for the dead as early as AD 190.
What about the four things?
Death. In death, the soul is separated from the body with the hope of the resurrection at the end of time, when body and soul will be reunited forever.
Judgment. Immediately after death, each person comes before God and is judged individually and enters heaven, Purgatory, or hell. At the end of time, a final judgment will occur when all are raised from the dead and their relationship to God is made public.
Heaven. “Heaven is the ultimate end and fulfillment of the deepest human longings, the state of supreme, definitive happiness” (CCC, 1024). Jesus Christ opened heaven to us by his death and Resurrection. Perfect love makes possible entrance into heaven, imperfect love requires purification, Purgatory.
Hell. “The chief punishment of hell is eternal separation from God” (CCC, 1035). It is for those who have refused to love God in this life. We do not accidentally get sent to hell.
Sincerely through Jesus,
Fr. Jason