Calendar Class of November 7, 2025

A Carpe Diem Snapshot:

Carpe November! The liturgical devotion for the month of November is prayer for the souls of the faithful departed. This lends a "flavor" to the entire month, kickstarted by the Autumnal Triduum of Halloween, All Saints' Day, and All Souls' Day. Tonight we held our November minor feast and belated Halloween party with students and friends at Villa Magnolia, giving each guest a "soul cake" along with their saint of the year (saints who have relics here in Rome). On the back side of the little piece of paper that they draw from a bowl, they can write the name of a deceased to pray for through the intercession of the chosen saint.

Liturgical: Friday of the 31st Week in Ordinary Time

“Those who have never been told of him shall see,    and those who have never heard of him shall understand.”

Romans 15:14-21

Sanctoral: November 7th is the Feast of All Saints of the Order of Preachers, also known as the Dominicans. Founded by a Spaniard, St. Dominic de Guzman, in France in the early 13th century, the order has 14 canonized saints and 215 beatified among its mendicant friars, cloistered nuns, active sisters, lay members, and fraternities. The special charism of the Dominican order is to study and preach for the salvation of souls. Over the centuries, the unnamed Dominican martyrs are counted in the tens of thousands, including many among the Martyrs of Nagasaki and the Martyrs of Vietnam. Some of the most famous Dominican saints include St. Thomas Aquinas, St. Catherine of Siena, St. Rose of Lima, St. Martin de Porres, Pope St. Pius V, St. Vincent Ferrer, St. Hyacinth, St. Louis de Montfort, St. Albert the Great, St. Louis Bertrand, St. Catherine de Ricci, St. Margaret of Hungary, St. Peter Martyr, and Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati.

Human: 1917 October Revolution in Russia; Lenin and the Bolsheviks seize power, capture the Winter Palace and overthrow the Provisional Government [OS Oct 25]

Natural: Authentic Soul Cakes Recipe

Italian: Squadra (team)

Quote: "In the physical world, natural law describes how matter and energy behave—the laws of gravity, growth, and decay. In the moral and spiritual sense, it points to a deeper pattern: love, justice, truth, generosity—virtues that correspond to the way we are created.

When we live according to natural law, we cooperate with the life of the universe. When we resist it, we experience disorder and loss of peace."

--Sheila Carroll, from her Nature Notes