From the archives...

I am reposting our All Souls Mantle from last year in case anyone wanted to try it for themselves or change it to suit their needs. I haven't put ours together for this year but I will post a picture when it's up.

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Each month, we have been trying to introduce the kids to new prayers and devotions. It started back in May with our May Crowning Devotion and continued into June with our nightly decade. July was the month of the the Precious Blood and we said this prayer that we found at Aussie Annie's lovely website. August, September and October have seen the continuation of the nightly decade (with a good amount of focus on all of the mysteries in rotation) which has become our weekly rosary. We say the beginning prayers of the rosary on Sunday, one decade each day of the week and then finish with the ending prayers on Saturday. Well, I would like to focus our prayers for November on the Holy Souls in Purgatory and had an idea to help us in that task.

I was the recipient of my grandmother's holy card stash when she passed away. Inside the homemade pouch were many holy cards, some poems, but also, the Funeral Mass cards of various friends and family members. She even had one from her own mother's funeral saved in a plastic bag, separate from all the others. Some are old and faded, some are written in Czech. The ones that can be read are for people I have never met. Anyway... I wanted to use these as our inspiration to remember the Holy Souls and to pray for them throughout the month of November.

First, I painted a square 36" dowel black to blend in with my fireplace mantle. Then I took 20 gauge bead wire and cut it into varying lengths. I twisted one end into a spiral formation and folded 1 inch of the other end in half. Using the smallest drill bit, I drilled semi-evenly spaced holes in the dowel and inserted the crimped end into the hole. My smallest bit made the wires a little wobbly; that's why I folded the ends. They ended up nice and snug. I used Grandma's funeral cards and added a few pictures of my own (Pope John Paul II, my papa's grave marker, Grandpa's obituary picture). Tea lights and a pretty garland really framed it well I think.

I am posting this now on the off chance that someone might want to try it. All in all...it only took me about an hour to put together and that includes watching the paint dry. I realize that this wouldn't be so easy for someone not comfortable with power tools, but it really wasn't very complicated. You could even do everything in advance and let hubby drill the holes.

O gentlest heart of Jesus ever present in the Blessed Sacrament, ever consumed with burning love for the poor captive souls in purgatory, have mercy on the souls of Thy departed servants. May the souls of the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen.