All Souls Day

Crucifixion scene overlooking our monastic cemetery.

The Feast of All Souls’ has its roots with St. Odilo, an abbot of Cluny who died in 1048.  He had ordered the commemoration of the faithful departed to be celebrated annually in the monasteries belonging to his congregation.  (Cluny was a reform that began in 910 as a new and somewhat stricter form of Benedictine monastic life.)

This commemoration of the faithful departed later extended to Benedictine and Carthusian monasteries and then to the Church in general.  Before the end of the 13th century, it was almost universally celebrated on the day following All Saints.

We would be honored to remember your deceased loved ones in our prayer during the month of November.  We read the names we received aloud to the community and then place them before the Sacred Heart statue in the Atrium.  Not only will we keep the names in mind, but we also have a visual reminder on our way to and from the Cor Jesu Chapel to lift your loved ones to the Lord in our prayer. 

To send us your loved ones names to remember in pray, please email them to vocations@stemma.org and put "All Souls Prayer Request" in the subject line.  Thank you!