Ireland: Bishops dedicate November to Remembrance of the Dead

This Sunday 1 November, the eve of All Souls' Day, the bishops and priests of Ireland will lead a short service of prayer at 3pm to dedicate the month of November to 'Remembrance of the Dead and Prayer for the Bereaved'. Bishops invite the whole country to unite in this moment which will be followed by parish liturgies throughout the month of November, reaching out as much as possible to those who cannot be physically present.

The bishops said: "November is a time for remembering and praying for our loved ones who have gone before us and whose loss we feel. It is a time when we are particularly conscious of those in our parishes who are grieving and all those families who have lost loved ones in the past year. More than most years, this November will be especially poignant as we remember all those who have died during the Covid-19 pandemic.

"We mark this time of year in our parishes with events like the blessing of the graves, the celebration of remembrance services as well as commemorating All Saints' and All Souls' Day. As a result of the current Covid-19 restrictions, it will not be possible for us to gather together for these annual events. We will still reach out in November, a month we traditionally pray for our dead, to offer spiritual support to the bereaved."

Those wishing to join in the prayer service on Sunday are invited to tune in to their local Cathedral or parish webcam.

Remember in November resources have been made available for use in parish, schools and in families on:

www.catholicbishops.ie

including:

- The liturgy for use by bishops and priests on Sunday
- A Prayer Service for Families to use throughout the month of November
- A resource for use in primary and post-primary schools
- Reflections from hospital chaplains
- Prayers, poetry and reflections on the theme of remembrance

This feature will be updated to include homilies, pastoral letters and other resources as they become available.

Follow news and updates for the month of November on our social media hashtag #RememberInNovember.