Funerals and Praying for the Dead

How the Family Feels

By Fr. Jeff | 03/12/2024

I don’t know how many funerals I have done since I was ordained a priest almost seventeen years ago.  Depending on the parish, I have done anywhere from ten to fifty funerals a year (including Masses and services without a…

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Mass of Remembrance

By Fr. Jeff | 11/02/2023

Mass of RemembranceWisdom 3:1-9Psalm 23Romans 6:3-9John 6:37-40November 2, 2023 Tonight we gather to offer this Mass of Remembrance for our loved ones who died in the last year.  Some died as the result of an accident.  Some died of old…

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More on Respecting the Dead

By Fr. Jeff | 03/28/2023

Last Sunday (5th Sunday of Lent Year A), the first reading began, “Thus says the Lord GOD: O my people, I will open your graves and have you rise from them.” This points us to a future resurrection. In the gospel, we…

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Annual Mass of Remembrance – Homily

By Fr. Jeff | 11/02/2022

It is our tradition, as it is in many parishes, to offer an annual Mass of Remembrance for those who died in the last year. Here is my homily for our Mass of Remembrance this year. All Souls’ Day –…

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Respecting the Dead

By Fr. Jeff | 05/03/2022

God has given us life.  “God formed the man out of the dust of the ground and blew into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being” (Genesis 2:7). God made us body and soul. …

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Hope, Death, and Suffering

By Fr. Jeff | 01/11/2022

I recently finished reading After Suicide: There’s Hope for Them and For You by Fr. Chris Alar, MIC and Br. Jason Lewis, MIC (Stockbridge, MA: Marian Press. 2019). As indicated by the title, the book is specifically written for those…

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Can the Holy Souls in Purgatory Pray for Us?

By Fr. Jeff | 11/08/2021

In my homily this weekend, I spoke about Purgatory and praying for the dead. Purgatory is an important part of our Catholic faith and understanding of what happens to us after earthly death. Unfortunately, it is not talked about much.…

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32nd Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year B – Homily

By Fr. Jeff | 11/07/2021

32nd Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year B1 Kings 17:10-16Psalm 146:7, 8-9, 9-10 (1b)Hebrews 9:24-28Mark 12:38-44November 7, 2021 Today we hear of people who contributed to the temple treasury.  There are the rich people who put in large sums from their…

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Homily for Mass of Remembrance

By Fr. Jeff | 11/02/2021

Mass of Remembrance for Those Who Died in the Last YearWisdom 3:1-91 Thessalonians 4:13-18Luke 23:44-46, 50, 52-53; 24:1-6aNovember 2, 2021 Each person that we pray for by name tonight died in the last year.  It may have been a year…

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New Website Article “Allowing Ourselves to Grieve”

By Fr. Jeff | 02/17/2021

I just added a new article on grieving, “Allowing Ourselves to Grieve” to my website at http://nebula.wsimg.com/22738ff69d3fc9af70ad3467a683114e?AccessKeyId=F465FCE598BCE1CD661B&disposition=0&alloworigin=1. It discusses “grieving” and “mourning” as it relates to the death of a loved one. However, much of what it says about grieving…

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Purgatory and Indulgences

By Fr. Jeff | 07/23/2020

Last Fall I mentioned Purgatory in Part I of my series, Our Saints and Intercessors. I again mentioned Purgatory in the introduction to my series, Sacraments: Channels of God’s Grace. In both cases, people expressed interested in hearing more about…

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Why Do We Celebrate Funerals?

By Fr. Jeff | 02/07/2020

While I have written in the past about funerals, as customs seem to be changing regarding funerals, I would like to offer some understanding of what funerals are about and how we do them in our Catholic faith. Ecclesiastes 3:1…

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32nd Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A – Homily

By Fr. Jeff | 11/12/2017

32nd Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A Wisdom 6:1-16 Psalm 63:2, 3-4, 5-6, 7-8 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 Matthew 25:1-13 November 12, 2017 Today we hear the parable of the ten virgins who were waiting for the bridegroom.  Five of them…

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