All Change… On Sunday 25th October 2015
Today the change to the Village Life of the City of Soller really begins. The clocks have gone back meaning lighter mornings and darker afternoons and this heralds the Soller Valley in winter mode.
Important Fiestas take place this week and are all part of the Church calendar.
Debra Reynolds has kindly written the information on All Saints Day and All Souls Day and we are grateful to her as always for her knowledge.
All Saints’ Day – Sunday 1st November
All Saints’ Day (also known as All Hallows or Feast of All Saints) is a Holy Day of Obligation in the Catholic Church. It is the day on which the Church honours all the saints, known and unknown. More specifically, at this time, Catholics commemorate all those who have attained the beatific vision in Heaven. It is the following day, All Souls’ Day, when they commemorate the departed faithful who have not yet been purified and reached Heaven. Those that celebrate All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day do so in the fundamental belief that there is a prayerful spiritual bond between those in Heaven and those living on earth and we can ask for their prayers and intercessions. In faith, we believe we remain united with all the saints, including our loved ones, because the Kingdom of God is not bound by death.
In Mallorca, and throughout Spain, All Saints’ Day is a national holiday. On this day, and the days leading up to it, people will visit the towns where their deceased loved ones are buried in order to remember and honour them. As such, Soller, like other towns, is very busy, as people come to take flowers to the graves in the cemetery at the top of Carrer de Pau Noguera. I live on this road and it is a very beautiful and humbling sight to watch the seemingly unending line of people making their way up to the graveyard.
The cemetery in Soller is set high up above the City. The views from there are breathtaking. It is a place of great beauty throughout the year but, at this time of the year, with all the flowers, it is wonderful. An extra special event is that the Mass for the day is celebrated at the cemetery in the open air. At every Mass, we believe Heaven touches earth and it therefore seems very fitting that Mass is said in the cemetery on this day so that the people are reminded of the grace they can receive through the doctrine of the communion of saints. The Mass will begin at 4.00 p.m. and everyone is invited to attend, even if your loved ones are buried elsewhere.
All Souls Day
All Souls’ Day is the day the Catholic Church commemorates all those who have died and are now in Purgatory, being purified/cleansed /atoning for their sins before they can enter fully into Heaven and take their place among the angels and saints. Catholics apply their efforts, through prayer and the Mass, to release them and fit them for the vision of God in Heaven. It is a time to pray for all departed souls, not just those of your loved ones. Indeed, the Church devotes the whole of the month of November to prayer for the Holy Souls in Purgatory.
This too is a very wonderful feast day: one in which Catholics are reminded of the beautiful responsibility we have to actively pray and help those who have died – especially, of course, remembering all those who have no one to pray for them.
Mass will take place at 7.00 p.m. on Monday 2nd November in the Church of Sant Bartomeu in the main square in Soller. Everyone is welcome.
