On November 1st the Church celebrates the Solemnity of All Saints and on the next day, the Feast of All Souls. In doing so, we are immediately reminded that the Church is “bigger” than St. Patrick Parish. Our parish is part of the Archdiocese of Boston and the Archdiocese of Boston is part of the Universal Church. The Church herself, however, is “bigger” than the world in which we inhabit. The Church also exists in Heaven where the saints–those holy men and women throughout the centuries–now live in beatitude. The Church also exists in Purgatory. In that place, those brothers and sisters of ours who left this world in the state of grace but needing further purification are preparing for Heaven. By praying for them and offering sacrifices for them, we help them on their way to Heaven. In return, they will pray for us and help us on our pilgrimage. We are one with all of them. These two feasts assist us in remembering that we are all in this together. We are given to one another to help each other on the path to the Beatific Vision. I sometimes like to imagine the saints looking down at us as though we were running a race and they are cheering us on and encouraging us. “Don’t give up! We did it and you can too! The race is worth running! The prize is too good to surrender!” Not only do they cheer us on, but they assist us with their prayers. We also do that for the souls in Purgatory. These souls are those who will indeed make it to Heaven, but when they died they were not yet ready to see God face to face. In God’s mercy, He provides to them a place of purification. Our prayers, Masses, and sacrifices assist them in this process. The most loving thing we can do for those who have died is to dedicate ourselves to assisting them. The souls in Heaven and in Purgatory have passed beyond our sight. Some of them we can imagine, recall from memory, or come to know through our study of their lives, but we cannot look upon them with our eyes. They are very much, however, part of our life as Catholics. They are part, in a sense, of the invisible Church. I recall many years ago, while doing training with the Navy, we had a Marine Corps Gunnery Sergeant as our instructor. One day, we went on a run that felt like it would never end. While the rest of us were just trying not to die, he would run ahead to the front of the pack and give instructions as to where they needed to turn etc. Then, he’d run all the way back and encourage everyone along the way. He’d give helpful hints, dance around you in circles and say all sorts of funny things, and would menacingly add, “Don’t you dare quit.” That was thirty years ago and I remember it like yesterday. He was good at his job. He was good at getting people to give their all and their best. That experience has always been for me an image of the Church and us together. We are all here helping one another finish the race. Some are quicker and some are struggling along, but we are meant to help one another and encourage one another. This past week, I was encouraged by many examples. Let me share a few: While bringing the Sacraments to the home of two of our very faithful parishioners, I noticed a plaque on their wall with a blessing from the Pope on the occasion of their Wedding. The Pope? Pius XII who died the year they were married, 1958! They just celebrated their 67th Anniversary. Am I encouraged by their example? Absolutely. Two Sundays ago, while I was distributing Holy Communion, I was struck by how many young people in their twenties and thirties were at the Noon Mass. Am I encouraged by them? Absolutely. Who else? People who work from home and use their lunch hour to come to the Noon Mass. The twenty guys of all ages who showed up at 7am for Men’s Group. For the mentors in our Youth Ministry. For the parents whose children serve at our Masses. For the people who are so committed to the formation of our young people in religious education. For the example of our teachers and administrators at St. Patrick School who have been doing amazing work to bring Christ to the children there. For the St. Vincent DePaul Society members and for the St. Patrick Parish Food Group who tirelessly labor on behalf of God’s poor. For those who are in our parish who are preparing to enter into the Catholic Church at Easter and for those who assist them in this process. For the parishioners who participate each week in various small prayer groups or who participate in one of our bible studies. For the people who come to Confession. I cannot tell you how beautiful it is as a priest to hear so many confessions each week. One more: This past Monday, as I was greeting students and parents at school drop-off, one little boy walked towards me with a huge smile on his face. I said, “Wow, you look happy!” His Mother said, “Tell him why.” The boy replied with great excitement, “We are going to Mass today!” Encouraging!! There are many other examples. My point is simply this: Your fidelity and witness are for me like that crazy Marine Gunnery Sergeant running all over the place. Your example of fidelity is inspiring and it encourages me. I thank you for that. (Lastly, on a side note, last week I joked about adding a 4:30am Mass and some folks thought I was serious. For the record, there is no 4:30am Mass coming our way)! Your Brother in Christ, Fr. David Barnes