Fr Paul reads from the Gospel of John (14: 1-6) in which Jesus says to his disciples ‘Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God still and trust in me. There are many rooms in my Father’s house; if there were not, I should have told you. I am going now to prepare a place for you.’ Today we celebrate All Souls Day. Fr Paul says this day is also known as the Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed and another name it is sometimes given is the Day of the Dead. It is a day of prayer and remembrance for all those who have died. This day, which is observed by our church and other Christian denominations, is held every year on 2 November.

The simple purpose is to pray and remember all those of our family and friends who have died. In closing, Fr Paul invites us to pause, to call to mind our friends and relatives who have passed from this life to the next, to call to mind their names and their faces, and to pray, simply, that they rest in peace.