International Catholic Family Newsletter
November 2026

Blessings to All:

By: Richard Pickard

Our sorrow is real. So is our hope in Jesus.

As we grow older, we think about those in our lives who have passed away—our parents, other family members, and close friends. I believe it is important to remember our loved ones. Each holds a place in our hearts that no one else can fill. Remembering them in prayer is one way we continue to love them.

We remember their familiar voices, their laughter, and the ordinary moments we wish we could have again. Sometimes those memories bring a smile. Sometimes they bring tears. Often, they bring both.

There may be an empty chair at Thanksgiving dinner. We may catch ourselves wanting to tell someone about our day before remembering that we cannot call them anymore. Even after many years, a photograph or a familiar song can bring their memory close.

November invites us to bring these loved ones before God—with gratitude for their lives, sorrow at their absence, and hope in the mercy of Jesus.

Jesus understands our sorrow.

When Jesus came to the grieving family of His friend Lazarus, He shared their sorrow. Scripture tells us simply, “Jesus wept” (John 11:35). Yet He also told Martha, “I am the resurrection and the life” (John 11:25). His tears and His promise remind us that sorrow and faith can dwell in the same heart.

We can believe in eternal life and still ache for another conversation, another embrace, or one more afternoon together. Our tears do not mean that we have forgotten God’s promises. They reveal how deeply someone mattered to us.

We can bring that ache to Jesus. We need not find perfect words. Sometimes our prayer is simply, “Lord, I miss them. Help me through today.”

The Old Testament offers words we can hold close: “The souls of the righteous are in the hand of God” (Wisdom 3:1). We entrust our loved ones to those loving hands, asking God to receive them into His peace.

Prayer is a continuing act of love.

Sometimes grief carries regrets. We remember a visit we postponed, a harsh word, or something we never had the chance to say. We wish we had thanked our parents more often or told a friend how much their kindness meant.

We can bring those unfinished words to God. We can ask forgiveness for our failings and entrust what we cannot now repair to His mercy. We can also give thanks for the love we received and carry it forward in how we treat others.

Scripture gives us an early example of prayer for the dead. In Second Maccabees, Judas Maccabeus arranged an offering for fallen soldiers, with their resurrection in mind. The passage calls this “a holy and pious thought” (2 Maccabees 12:45).

The Catholic Church teaches that purgatory is the final purification of those already assured of heaven. This purification comes entirely through the saving work of Jesus. Some readers from other Christian traditions may understand prayer for the departed differently or may not share the Catholic belief in purgatory. What we share is our hope in Jesus Christ, who died and rose again for our salvation. In praying for our departed loved ones, Catholics entrust them to His mercy.

The Church teaches that our prayers can help the faithful departed undergoing this purification. We ask God to forgive their sins, purify them, and welcome them into His presence. The offering of the Holy Mass is especially important in this prayer for the dead (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 958, 1030–1032; Compendium, 211).

We may no longer be able to hold their hand or sit beside them, but we can still offer them this act of love.

Remembering them at Mass

Near the end of her life, Saint Monica asked to be remembered at the Lord’s altar. Her son, Saint Augustine, preserved that request, showing how deeply she valued prayer and the Eucharist (Saint Augustine, Confessions, Book IX, chapter 11).

Later, Augustine prayed for both his mother, Monica, and his father, Patricius. In his Confessions, he asked his readers to remember his parents at the altar too. Across the centuries, we hear a son asking others to pray for the parents who gave him life (Confessions, Book IX, chapter 13).

We can follow their example by asking our parish to have a Mass offered for a loved one. When we attend Mass, we can also bring their names and our intentions into prayer.

A birthday, the anniversary of a death, or a family holiday may remind us to do this. But we need not wait for a special occasion. We can remember them throughout the year.

A special gift of mercy in November

During November, the Church offers us another special way to help those we love who have died: indulgences for the souls in purgatory.

The Catechism explains: “An indulgence is partial or plenary according as it removes either part or all of the temporal punishment due to sin” (1471). A plenary indulgence offered for a soul in purgatory asks God to remit all the remaining temporal punishment due to that soul’s forgiven sins. Through this gift, we can help the departed in their final purification, entrusting them to God’s mercy (1479).

Imagine visiting a cemetery and quietly remembering your mother or father, a brother or sister, or a dear friend. Along with the flowers you may bring, you can offer prayer for their eternal happiness with God.

What a loving way to remember those who once cared for us. We ask Jesus to complete their purification and welcome them into the joy of heaven.

The Rosary and a silent prayer before sleep

We can also offer a Rosary for our loved ones, reflecting on the life, suffering, and Resurrection of Jesus while asking the Blessed Mother to intercede for them.

Before beginning, we might say: “Jesus, I offer this Rosary for my parents, my family members, and my friends who have died. Have mercy on them and bring them into Your peace.”

Some days we may pray the entire Rosary. On other days, illness, fatigue, or sorrow may make even a decade an effort. We can begin with what we are able to offer.

And sometimes prayer comes in the quiet moments before sleep. As the house grows still, we may remember a face, a conversation, or someone’s kindness. Without speaking aloud, we can pray: “Lord, remember those I love. Forgive their sins and welcome them into Your light. Thank You for the years we shared.”

A silent prayer as we fall asleep can become a gentle habit of remembrance. We place our loved ones in God’s care and ask Him to give us rest as well. Let us also remember those who died alone, those whose names we do not know, and those who have no one left to pray for them. We can include them in the same prayers we offer for our own families.

Our hope in Jesus

Jesus told His disciples, “In my Father’s house there are many dwelling places” (John 14:2). He spoke of preparing a place for them and bringing them to Himself. These words direct our hope toward life with Him.

We entrust our loved ones to His mercy and pray that we may one day share the joy of His presence together. Until then, we remember them. We offer Masses, pray the Rosary, and whisper their names to God before sleep. We give thanks for what they brought into our lives, and we care for those who are still beside us.

This November, I hope we will each take a little time to remember our parents, our family members, and our close friends who have died. Behind every name is a life that mattered and a love we still carry.

Our sorrow is real. So is our hope in Jesus.

Eternal rest grant unto them,

O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon them.

May they rest in peace. Amen.

1 Thessalonians 4:13–14

“We do not want you to be unaware, brothers, about those who have fallen asleep, so that you may not grieve like the rest, who have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose, so too will God, through Jesus, bring with him those who have fallen asleep.”