The Communion of Saints
The Church’s liturgical year draws to a close in November which fits in well with the Northern Hemisphere’s autumn. As nature prepares for winter it prompts people’s thoughts to turn to the end times: to death and the afterlife. The Church’s liturgy, mirroring the natural cycle, centres its prayers throughout November on the faithful departed. In particular, we pray for the souls in Purgatory who are undergoing purification “so as to achieve the holiness necessary to enter the joy of heaven” (CCC 1030).
November then brings forth a splendid display of prayer from the Communion of Saints. All the members of the Body of Christ, whether part of the Church Penitent, Triumphant, or Pilgrim pray for the souls of the faithful departed who dwell in Purgatory awaiting their entry into the heavenly kingdom. This “washroom of heaven” (as C.S. Lewis put it) cleanses the soul of any earthly attachments or sins, readying it for the joys of heaven. How long they stay there is unknown to us, and so we pray that their time passes swiftly and that their suffering, born from their longing for Christ from whom they are separated, is mixed with the joy of hope at their impending entry into the blessedness of heaven.
Our prayers for the Church Penitent in turn bolster their prayers of intercession for us, the Pilgrim Church, as we fight the good fight against sin and the presence of evil on earth. Watching on from heaven in the role of cheer squad are the saints who have already been crowned with glory and who wait for us to join them. They celebrate with us, just as they mourn and suffer with us, because we are bound together in the Body of Christ. As Saint Paul says “God has so composed the body. . .that the members may have the same care for one another. If one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honoured, all rejoice together” (1 Cor 12:25-26). This is the Communion of Saints. Death does not break our union with other faithful souls. This union is in fact reinforced with the exchange of spiritual goods.
November, therefore, is not a sorrowful month. The mournful elements of our November prayers are juxtaposed with the celebration of Christ’s triumph over death and the knowledge that heaven awaits those who die in righteous relationship with God. This is why the Church first celebrates their glory on All Saints Day before we turn our thoughts and prayers to the Holy Souls in Purgatory. Our veneration of the saints is different to the worship we offer God to whom belongs our cries of “Lord, have mercy on us!” We venerate the saints because we find God in them and so we can be confident of their help. Their intervention elevates our prayers and manifests their longing that the will of God be accomplished on earth as it is in heaven.
So while you continue to pray for the faithful departed this month, remember that your prayers are supercharged by the Communion of Saints and that the whole Church participates in your supplication.
This piece was original published in the St Patrick’s Cathedral, Ballarat newsletter on the 33rd Sunday in Ordinary Time, 16 November 2025.