It was due in large part to St. Odilo, a Benedictine abbot and monk, that we Catholics celebrate a feast day to pray for the dead. He ordered the commemoration of the faithful departed to be celebrated annually in the monasteries he governed. By the end of the 13th century this practice was extended and celebrated in the universal church as All Souls Day on November 2. This holy day follows the feast of All Saints Day which is celebrated on November 1.

All Souls Day established the month of November as a time to remember the faithful departed in prayer.

"If we had no care for the dead," Augustine noted, "we would not be in the habit of praying for them."

Here at Assumption Abbey, the monks have a Book of the Living in which we invite people of all faiths to offer the names of their loved ones so we can remember them in our prayers throughout the month of November. The open book, flanked by a burning candle, is placed at our entrance to the church as a visual reminder of our prayers for our deceased loved ones listed therein.

You are invited to offer up your own personal list of names you would like the monks of Assumption Abbey to remember at prayer.

Someone once said that we live in the land of the dying and we go to the land of the living. May those loved ones who have gone before us marked with the sign of faith, rest in peace and be welcomed into paradise. And may you enjoy God’s blessings in this life and his peace in the next.

Thank you for assisting us in our life of prayer.