All Saints
1 November 2026
From my own experience of having loved ones die, as well as from what others have shared with me, I have found that usually, after a time, we sense that our deceased loved ones no longer need us to pray for them. Now they just want us to connect with them. Prayer for the dead does that and even though our prayers might still have to be formulated as if we are praying for them we are now simply connecting with them and what was formerly a cold, cutting absence now becomes a warm, comforting presence.
Ron Rolheiser OMI
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Thirty-Second Sunday in Ordinary Time
8 November 2026
Often we light candles as a sign of remembering and as we light the candle we say a prayer for that person that they may be enjoying the marvellous light of heaven. The candle light reminds us that we too have the opportunity to share the light of hope, that we carry, with others.
When you are in a dark place, the warmth of a smile or a kind word can mean a lot.
It may feel that our own light is very small and insignificant in times of much darkness but each time it is shared, it is not halved but doubled. Together we really can make a difference.
Dr Lynn Bassett
artofdyingwell.org
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Thirty-Third Sunday in Ordinary Time
15 November 2026 • World Day of the Poor
Week of Witness
We often think of the martyrs in the early Church as a thing of the past, but it is sobering to recall that more Christians were killed for their faith in the last hundred years than in the entire history of Christianity. Today, over 360 million Christians experience high levels of persecution and discrimination worldwide. This includes violent oppression, government-imposed restrictions, societal discrimination, and social exclusion. Remember them in a special way this Week of Witness and Red Wednesday. Whether in Gaza, Lebanon or Ukraine – knowing that they are not forgotten by their brothers and sisters in the faith means the world to them.
Aid to the Church in Need (ACN)
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Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe
22 November 2026
Red Wednesday
The fact that persecution and martyrdom of our fellow Christians continues today in many parts of the world invites us to consider how we ourselves witness to our faith in Irish society. We are all called to be prophetic in shining the light and truth of the Gospel into the world, even when it brings ridicule, insult, criticism or leads to our being ostracised in public discourse.
On this Red Wednesday, I invite you to pray for the gift of courage, the grace of witness and loyalty to Christ for Christians here in Ireland and all over the world, and especially for those who continue to be challenged, attacked, displaced or even murdered for what they believe in.
Archbishop Eamon Martin
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First Sunday of Advent
29 November 2026
It is the beautiful task of Advent to awaken in all of us memories of goodness and thus open doors of hope.
(Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger – 1984)
Into this world, this demented inn in which there is absolutely no room for him at all, Christ comes uninvited.
(Thomas Merton)
May our slowing down this Advent be our gentle protest against the violence of our rushing world. May our slowing down give quiet, steady witness to the values of attentiveness, carefulness, patience, receptivity, stillness. May our slowing down enable us to make real and meaningful connections with people, nature, work, art, and (most importantly) with God.
(Melannie Svoboda, SND)
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