To: Clergy and People
From: The Bishop
1st November, 2017

Greetings!

All Saints Day and All Souls Day

Collect for All Saints Day

Let us pray:

Almighty God, you have knit together your elect in one communion and fellowship in the mystical body of your Son Christ our Lord: Give us grace so to follow your blessed Saints in all virtuous and godly living, that we may come to those ineffable joys that you have prepared for those who truly love you; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who with you and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns, one God, in glory everlasting. Amen

November 1st and 2nd are All Saints day, and All Souls Day Respectively.

This Wednesday and Thursday

On the 1st November we celebrate All Saints Day which is a Christian Feast that honors and remembers all Christian Saints, known and unknown. In the Western Church it is kept on November 1. The Orthodox Churches observe it on the first Sunday after Pentecost.

All Saints is a day to remember, thank God for, venerate and pray to the Saints in heaven for various helps.

While we have knowledge of many Saints, and we honor them on specific days, there are many unknown or unsung Saints, who may have been forgotten, or never given much honor to begin with. On All Saints Day, we celebrate these Saints of the Lord, and ask for their prayers and intercessions. The whole concept of All Saints Day is tied in with the concept of the Communion of Saints. This is the belief that all of God’s people, in heaven, earth, and the departed are connected in a communion. We believe that there is a relationship, a connection between the Church triumphant in heaven – The Saints, The Church expectant in paradise, prison or purgatory – The dead in Christ and the Church militant on earth – the church alive and present in the world today. For we believe that the Body of Christ cannot be divided for we are in communion with one another. We human beings do things for each other and especially for those whom we have a relationship with in a similar way the church triumphant in heaven prays for the Church militant on earth, the Church militant on earth prays for the church expectant in paradise.

There are thousands of canonized Saints, that is those individuals officially recognized by the Church as holy men and women worthy of imitation, because of their virtuous and holy living as followers of Christ. They are good examples of faithful Christian living, their lives and work give courage and inspire those who seek to follow our Lord.

The day after All Saints day is called All Soul’s Day, a day to remember and offer prayers up on behalf of all of the faithful departed. In many cultures the two days share many customs, in the Diocese of the Windward Islands on All Saints Day many people go to church for the celebration of the Holy Eucharist/Holy Mass with hymns commemorating the Saints. On All Souls Day we go to church for the celebration of the Holy Eucharist/Holy l\1ass during which prayers are said for the faithful departed. In some places the names of departed relatives and friends of members of the congregation are called individually during the celebration. In addition there is the tradition of going to the cemetery to light candles on the graves of our loved ones, those who are not able to go to the cemetery light candles on their verandahs or front door steps, as we pray for them and express our love for them, even though dead, we are still in relationship with them, for as St. Paul reminds us ”whether we live, or whether we die, we are the Lords.”

Some people mistakenly assume that celebrating the Saints means somehow worshipping them. The Church has always held that worship is to be given to God alone, and that we give veneration to the Saints. The Saints of God do have a role in our lives. The Saints are continually praying for us and interceding on our behalf. In Holy Scripture we read of the saints forming part of the heavenly host in the presence of God. Just as we celebrate outstanding people in our community, Christians, on All Saints Day celebrate the lives of all the great heroes of the Christian faith, the communion we have with them as they intercede for us. May we ever be conscious that we are all called to be Saints.

Collect for All Souls Day

Let us Pray:

Eternal Lord God, you hold all souls in life: Give to your whole Church in Paradise and on earth your light and your peace; and grant that we, following the good examples of those who have served you here and are now at rest, may at the last enter with them into your unending joy; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever and ever. Amen.

Stewardship Sunday

Sunday 12th November, 2017 is Stewardship Sunday. I invite you to have exchange of pulpits and to arrange some activity in your Parish to promote Christian Stewardship.

CHRISTIAN STEWARDSHIP is the response of Christians to the love, goodness, mercy and graciousness of God, in which we show our thankfulness to God and commit ourselves to express through our lives that the gospel is the way, the truth and the life. It is our response of love and thankfulness to the redemptive love of God in Jesus Christ.

This can be expressed in the following ways: A life consecrated to the service of God:

  1. by a life committed to the Worship of God, and to the study of His will for us as this is revealed in the Holy Scripture;
  1. by giving of our time and talents to expressing love of God through service to our fellow human beings;
  1. by a responsible use of the earth and the rest of creation, so that neither human nor animal life is endangered.
  1. by using our money and other material possessions prudently in providing for our families, and inpromoting the Church’s Minis1Iy to the world

I invite you to reflect on this statement:

“what a person does with their money, time and talent how they think about them, where they spend their money & time and use their talent, what they will do to earn it, and the things to which they will give them are some of the real clues to who they are inside, to what is essentially important to them, to what is really in their hearts.”

All that we have belongs to God and we are called to return all of it to God, in service, in prayer, in the quality of our relationships, in our talents, in a life consecrated to him and material gifts of money.

Hurricane Appeal

This is a kindly reminder to send monies collected from your appeal to Diocesan Office to be sent to Bishop Errol Brooks, Bishop of the Diocese of the North Eastern Caribbean and Aruba to assist those who were affected by the recent hurricanes.

Thank You

Lois, Marcella, Malaika, Mikayla and me invite you to join us in giving thanks to God for God’s sparing mercies.

We give thanks for the young men from Sion Hill and all others who assisted Lois and I after the accident on Sunday 151h October, 2017, the clergy, Mr. John Horne and all others who expressed your love and care, through your prayers, visits, calls, emails, WhatsApp messages, cards, fiuits, and flowers. We are most grateful.

Lois hopes to go to theatre on Thursday morning 2nd November, 2017. The doctors are expected to attend to her broken ankle. I am doing better than I was before just a few aches and pains in my back and discomfort in my right knee on occasions. Your prayers are requested.

Canada

I hope to travel to Toronto, Canada for the Bishops Basil Tonks and Arthur Browne Dinner and Lecture/Address on Saturday 4th November, 2017. I have been invited by the Friends of West Indian Christians to deliver the Lecture/Address. In addition I hope to attend a fund raising concert for the St. George’s Cathedral on Sunday 5th November, 2017, organized by Vincentians living in Canada. During my absence the Venerable Christian Glasgow will have oversight of the Diocese.

Advent Mission Service 2018

The annual Advent Mission Service in the Archdeaconry of St. Vincent and the Grenadines is scheduled for Advent Sunday 3rd December, 2017 at the Amos Vale Playing Field. The focus will be on Discipleship and the Theme: “Empowered by the Spirit- We Renew! Transform! Sustain! Proclaim!”

Obituary

I received the following from Archdeacon Christian Glasgow:

“Ms. Deloris Simon of Carriacou went to England earlier this year for medical attention. She succumbed to her illness and died. She will be buried in Carriacou on Friday 3rd November, 2017, 2:00pm. Funeral service will be at Christ the King parish church.

Ms. Simon was the current secretary to the Parish Church Council, Christ the King. We extend our deepest sympathy to the relatives and friends of Ms. Simon and to the Parish of Christ The King, Carriacou. May they experience the comfort of God’s Holy Presence and know the consolation of God’s love. Amen.

Rest eternal grant unto her 0 Lord. And may light perpetual shine upon her. May she rest in peace. Amen.

With every good wish and God’s blessings!

Yours sincerely

The Rt. Rev’ d C. Leopold Friday
Bishop of the Windward Islands