At the end of this week we celebrate two special feasts, All Saints Day and All Souls Day.  I remember being a young novice and asking one of the wiser women in our community about saints.  The definition she gave for a saint was,  “Someone who never quits trying.” With this definition, I felt relieved, because possibly I could be a saint one day.  Perhaps sainthood wasn’t just for the few whose lives were so outstanding. I also found comfort in thinking about my dear loved ones who have passed on. Their relationships were lived out in fidelity, compassion and care and they, too, could be included in the silent list of saints. These were people who made mistakes, but who none the less remained an inspiration to my life. They were models of courage, determination, love and sacrifice.  They include my parents, my brother, my sister, and my Benedictine sisters whom I have loved and continue to cherish their memories. They were men and women (who in the words of St. Benedict), “Faithfully observing God’s teaching…until death, through patience share in the sufferings of Christ that they may deserve also to share in the eternal presence.” Prologue RB

May we honor the ones who have preceded us through our cherished memories in these coming days.

Clare Carr, OSB