Looking back at the weekly messages of Father Paul Counce, first published in The Carpenter, our weekly Parish Bulletin
Published: October 25, 2020
Before anything else I need – on your behalf – to thank the men of our Knights of Columbus Council No. 13632, who last weekend provided jambalaya lunches for everyone on Sunday morning! (Oh, and desserts were provided by the Ladies of the Cathedral and others, so they’re included in our gratitude!) With cooler weather comes the opportunity to get back to our sharing food and laughter again with each other, while still staying “socially distanced” and safe from coronavirus germs.
I also have to give special thanks to the Grand Knight of the Council, parishioner Mr. Michael Moss, for his groundskeeping help. In the absence of a full-time maintenance man, he’s been taking the lead in handling the grass-cutting and leaf-blowing to keep Cathedral Square looking beautiful. Some of the other Knights have also helped, and I don’t want to forget them either, but Michael has been leader of the helpful pack.
On that note I’ll throw it out there: if you know of anyone who might be interested in a part-time or even full-time job as janitor and yard-man around the Cathedral, please let me or Ms. Lorie Watson, our Director of Administration, know. The work is very routine – mainly setup and takedown and cleaning in the Hall and church, and all the outside work of mowing and sweeping and so forth – but it’s very necessary. Since the death of Mr. Willie Rhines in June of 2018 we’ve had difficulty finding the right “fit” for this important position on our small staff “team,” but we’re still on the lookout for someone. Perhaps in these pandemic times we’ll find the right person who has that right combination of dependability, courtesy, and eagerness to get every task, large or small, done well.
The Solemnity of All Saints is coming up on Sunday, November 1. It’s followed the next day, November 2, by the annual Commemoration of All Souls.
All Saints’ Day recalls all whose victory in Christ is complete. While many saints are known, and have been formally recognized as such, we know many others also enjoy eternal reward. The traditional name for this blessed state of life is “heaven,” in which the completely satisfying “beatific vision” of God Himself is enjoyed forever.
The second observance, of All Souls, is more somber. Catholic doctrine (and simple logic!) teaches that not every believer is worthy of heaven at death, even if he or she has led a generally good life. Sin happens. And the guilt and consequences of sin remain, and even if already forgiven by God and others we must make up for our sins and be purified or purged of our imperfections. God in His mercy offers us a final chance to do this after death: this is the doctrine of purgatory. The traditional understanding is that most believers enter heaven only after experiencing this time of final purification.
While in most parts of the world All Souls’ Day is observed as the more focused “day of the dead,” in south Louisiana this focus over time gradually shifted to the All Saints’ feast. I’m not sure why – perhaps we’re just more optimistic: surely OUR relatives and friends did less wrong and more right during their lives on earth! In any case, this is the annual favorite week for visiting cemeteries and cleaning gravesites and tombs.
I will bless our own St. Joseph Catholic Cemetery on Main Street at 4 pm on November 1. Then, at 7:00 pm, I will bless the graves in our other Parish cemetery, the historic Highland Cemetery off of Oxford Avenue south of LSU. Everyone is invited to these two brief – and safe – outdoor events. Come if you can, but in any case please remember those who have gone before us in the faith and ask God to have mercy on them and give them eternal rest!
Still always yours in Christ,
Fr. Paul Counce
