You’re welcome. Here is an example, from the Salvatorian religious congregation, that lists what were traditional times for novena of Mass enrollments…Christmas, Easter, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, etc. Parishes habitually did this, too, years ago.Thank you - - this is interesting to know the history! This is what I was hoping to get from this conversation, what this custom has grown out of.
That is interesting, Father. I can only speak to what is my own pastoral practice and, beyond that, the practices I have encountered, had related to me, or otherwise experienced. I am thus unfamiliar with placing a parish’s funeral register upon the altar for remembrance of those inscribed in it.With regard to the funeral register:
In my experience, we’ve usually placed the Funeral Register on the altar along with the Book of the Dead during November, when it can be done.
The two books serve different purposes, obviously. It is not that one replaces the other. Since they are both books that contain a list of the departed, it’s appropriate to place them both together as we pray for all the deceased.
I mention this because there seems to be some confusion here.
In my current parish, we have a combined Register—meaning that baptisms, confirmations, First Communion, weddings, and funerals are all recorded in a single volume. Since it’s not possible (by design) to separate the sections, and it would be inappropriate have a list of the living when the intention is to pray for the deceased, I don’t put the register on the alter during November. I’m not saying it would be wrong, maybe some parishes do that, and God certainly knows our intentions; it just feels inappropriate to me personally.
I only mentioned it in passing.That is interesting, Father. I can only speak to what is my own pastoral practice and, beyond that, the practices I have encountered, had related to me, or otherwise experienced. I am thus unfamiliar with placing a parish’s funeral register upon the altar for remembrance of those inscribed in it.
I, speaking personally, would not be comfortable removing the funeral registers from their safekeeping under lock and key in order to place them on the altar for the duration of the Masses of the month of the Holy Souls because of the danger, however remote, that something could happen to the registers.
Those who have the cura animarum would, I trust, have the habitual intention to pray for the souls of their own parishioners who have been called from this life and would have, therefore, a particular intention for them in the Masses offered during the month of November alongside and together with those whose names have been submitted for remembrance…whatever the fashion by which those names are consigned and memorialized. That at least is how I was formed.
Not to worry, dear Father. I did not take it as a norm but simply the relation of an experience – which was also all I meant my own posts to be.I only mentioned it in passing.
It is not something typically done in the U.S.
In my personal experience, in parishes where we had the separate registers (which already limits the number even more) we would put the Funeral Register on the altar for All Souls Day but not leave it there the entire month. In one parish we put it on the altar for every November Mass, but in that case, the Registers were kept in a safe in the sacristy and during November, the priest would put in on the altar before Mass then return it to the safe after Mass. I’ve never heard of a pastor leaving the Register on the altar during the entire month.
Again, I’m not saying it’s a typical practice. Just something I’ve personally seen done in places where I happened to be assigned.
I did not mean to give the impression that there’s some practice on this side of the Atlantic to just leave the Funeral Registers on the altars during the whole month of November. It was just an aside comment that I didn’t think needed more details at the time I posted it. Re-reading it, I can see how it might give that impression. Not intended.