Death is merciless. It brings us face to face with the absence of a person who used to be part of our lives, sometimes for many years. We can no longer hear or hold them. It's no longer possible to ask for their advice, to give them affection or to receive it from them. Apparently, everything is cut off. Is that so?
Many bereaved parents whose infant died unchristened wonder about their outcome. Regardless of the cause of the death (miscarriage, abortion or stll-birth), can a child be saved if they were not christened? What is the Church's official position on the salvation of infants who died before they had a chance to receive baptism? We asked dom Jean Pateau, the abbot at Notre-Dame de Fontgombault, who wrote "Le Salut des enfants morts sans baptême" [The salvation of children who died unchristened"] (Artège, 2017).
Homilies and teachings given by Bp. Lalanne, Bp. Feillet, don Denizot, Bp. Gonsallo, Bp. Vuillemin at the pilgimages of Heaven 2024 can be accessed here.
The following is the full script of an homily given by Mgr Aristide Gonsallo, bishop of Porto-Novo in Benin, at the Mass of the pilgrimage on Nov. 3, 2024.
When we have lost a loved one, we often wonder where they are now, what they became. Is the person really where they are? We have interviewed don Thomas Lapenne for the program Sanctuaires normands on RCF.
Evelyne lives in the Essonne, near Paris. She comes very often to pray for her deceased family members. This time she came on a journey of forgiveness and explained how forgiving a deceased person can make you free.
What can we do for our deceased on the practical level, for our loved-ones who have departed? During the month of November which traditionally is devoted to praying for the deceased, Montligeon's suggests to do a pilgrimage. Why have a pilgrimage in November for a deceased?
Roxane: "Knowing that I had enrolled my late godfather at perpetual mass was a consolation for his mother."
The physical, sensitive bond with our loved-ones gets violently shattered when they die. When such destructive power hits, what then remains of our ties with the deceased?
Nowadays the feast of All Saints' Day often get mixed up with the Day of the Dead. What is the difference? What is the meaning of All Saints' Day? Why a Day of the Dead? Explinations by Rev. Fr. Paul Denizot.