Many parishes will create a sacred space within the church. This is usually a suitable place in the sanctuary area which will be left in place for the whole month of November. The use of Autumn leaves in the sacred space can be effective as they reflect the sense of dying and letting go.

As Pope Francis says, remembering and praying for our dead enables us “to have a truly realistic vision of the lives they lived, to understand the meaning and the value of the good they accomplished, their strength, their commitment and their generous and unselfish love,”  It also helps us, he believes to, “understand the meaning of a life that aspires not to an earthly homeland, but to a better, heavenly homeland.”

During November there are different ways we can call to mind our loved ones who have died. We can pray for them, attend Mass, visit their graves and have hope that Jesus gives us through his death and Resurrection. These gifts and ideas provide families, schools, parishes, those at home, to take some time to remember in a special way those family members and friends who have died.