Toward November 2
Peace and Blessings!
From the Basilica of the Saint, we friars invite you to join us on a journey of prayer and reflection in nine steps toward November 2: the Commemoration of Our Deceased Loved Ones. Father Giancarlo will guide us in remembering those who loved us, prompting us to reflect on our choices, on love, on forgiveness, and on the beauty of family bonds. Praying for our loved ones helps us become better people… while there’s still time!
Subscribe to the channel to follow all the steps of the Novena and share your thoughts in the comments.
THE FACES WE CARRY IN OUR HEARTS.
Sometimes it takes very little to feel close to those who are no longer with us: a photograph held in our hands, a song, or that smile etched in our minds that we miss so much today...
Missing our departed loved ones hurts, yet there is something that not even death can erase: the love that bound us to them. Even Jesus wept for his friend Lazarus; He knows our tears well, but he also promised us that death is not the end of everything and that every life is safeguarded forever in God’s hands.
Today, on All Souls’ Day, Fr. Mario and Fr. Fabio, in their video- message-, invite us to rediscover hope and gratitude for the goodness we received from those who loved us🙏
Share a prayer and light a candle for your departed loved ones to entrust them to the intercession of St. Anthony here: https://bit.ly/4ioHCOG
👉
Peace and blessings!
There's a hug waiting to be given!
We have reached the end of our novena leading up to November 2. Sometimes even the closest bonds can be strained by life’s circumstances. Asking for forgiveness and taking the first step toward those we have pushed away is the greatest gift we can give to ourselves and to those we love.
Tomorrow’s Holy Mass here in the Basilica will be dedicated to our beloved departed, whom we will entrust to the intercession of Saint Anthony. At 6:00 p.m.CET , you can follow it on our social media. Together, we will remember all those we have commemorated over the past few days.
I am certain that our loved ones have helped us become better people… while there’s still time!
Share your thought in the comments!
What can a hospital bed teach us?
The eighth day of our novena leading up to November 2.
Fr. Giancarlo shares his memories of encounters with people who, in the face of illness, rediscovered the immense value of every single day. Jesus and Saint Anthony never leave us alone: even through the hardest trials, they guide our steps to make our hearts bigger and more capable of love.
Let’s love our lives and take care of those who are suffering… while there’s still time!
Share your thoughts in the comments.
“I'll call you tomorrow”... and time just flies by.
The seventh day of our novena leading up to November 2.
We’ve all put off calling an old friend or a family member.
But “I’ll do it tomorrow” isn’t a date on the calendar!
When someone needs us, the best thing we can do is be there for them.
Today I’m going to make that call I’ve been putting off… while there’s still time!
Share your thoughts in the comments.
That dear voice we hold close to our hearts.
The sixth day of our novena leading up to November 2.
Giovanna still keeps the voice messages from her late husband and listens to them again in moments of sadness. A simple gesture that reveals a profound truth: love and the bond with our loved ones do not end with death, but continue to accompany us in our memories, in our hearts, and, one day, in Heaven.
There’s a special memory of my loved ones that I want to cherish in my heart… while there’s still time!
Share your thought in the comment!
Beyond Conflicts … The Canticle of Peace.
The fifth day of our novena leading up to November 2.
Today, fr. Giancarlo tells us about a special episode in the life of St. Francis. As he neared death, he added a verse on forgiveness to his Canticle as a call for peace directed at the bishop and the podestà of Assisi. Pride and arguments fade away, but forgiveness remains forever.
Today, I’ll take the first step toward restoring peace with those around me… while there’s still time!
Share your thoughts in the comments.
“What did you argue about the last time you were at your place?”
Sometimes we confuse the important things with the things that annoy us a little.
The people we live with won’t be around forever, and neither will we. Is it worth ruining an evening, a day, or a week over things that, in the end, are just insignificant?
Share your thought in the comment.
How long has it been since you gave a sincere compliment?
The third day of our novena leading up to November 2.
We often take those around us for granted, forgetting how much a kind word can warm the soul. A simple “I’m proud of you” within the family can bring immense joy—and it costs us nothing.
So let’s say it to those we love… while there’s still time!
Share your thoughts in the comments.
What will truly remain of us?
Second day of our novena leading up to November 2.
The main character is a poor widow: on one side are the rich people flaunting their great wealth; on the other is she, with her two small coins—all she had to live on. This story teaches us that we will not be remembered for what we have accumulated in life, but for the love we have been able to give.
Today I commit to giving a little of my heart to those around me… while there’s still time!
Share your thought in the comments!
Towards November 2, together with our beloved departed.
Peace and Blessings!
From the Basilica of the Saint, we’re sharing with you a special novena in preparation of the celebration on November 2, when we’ll remember our beloved departed.
Guided by fr. Giancarlo, each day we will reflect on the legacy of faith and love they’ve left us, always entrusting them to the intercession of our beloved St. Anthony.
Remembering those we have loved through prayer helps us become better people… while there’s still time!
Share with us - in the comments- something beautiful that your beloved departed taught you for your life.