In this month of November, the Church remembers all of the faithful departed, commonly known as the month of All Souls. It is a month when we pray in a special way for all of those who have died, and particularly for those who have need for purification before being united to the Lord in heaven, traditionally known as purgatory.

Today, on the Solemnity of All Saints, we begin National Vocation Awareness Week—a special time to focus on vocations and to help young people listen for God’s call. This year our Church also celebrates the Year of St. Francis, whose life reminds us that holiness begins by listening to Christ and responding generously. Francis wrote, “Incline the ear of your heart and obey the voice of the Son of God.” That invitation is meant for every Christian.

The Litany of Patience (also known as The Choleric’s Prayer, inspired by the Litany of Humility by Rafael Cardinal Merry del Val y Zulueta) was written by Catholic writer and speaker Christina Jaloway. May this prayer offer you food for reflection and a source of many graces.

Last Saturday, Pope Leo declared capital punishment “inadmissible” as he marked the World Day Against the Death Penalty. He was using the same term Pope Francis used in 2018, when he revised the Church’s teaching on the death penalty in the Catechism of the Catholic Church, # 2267, which states:

Next weekend, we will celebrate the 100th Anniversary of World Mission Sunday, a special day that unites Catholics worldwide in prayer, solidarity, and support for the Church’s mission efforts, which is crucial for sustaining the Church’s outreach in over 1,150 mission territories throughout the world. World Mission Sunday reminds us that we belong to a worldwide Church, which is not often in the forefront of our minds.

Today is Respect Life Sunday, the beginning of a month dedicated to promoting the reverence and respect due all human life from conception to natural death. And so, I share with you a thought-provoking article prepared a few years ago by the Pro-Life Office of the Archdiocese of Boston.