‘One Day, Ready or Not, You Are Going to Die’: Priests Launch a Special All Souls Novena

The Canons Regular of St. John Cantius in Chicago have launched a special All Souls Novena to prepare the faithful for the upcoming annual celebration of Mozart’s Requiem Mass. This nine day program of prayer and guided reflections focuses on the Catholic understanding of death and the concept of memento mori.

The religious community designed the novena to encourage people to confront the reality of mortality through spiritual courage rather than dread. The program uses the Church's liturgical heritage to explore how death is viewed through divine hope and the promise of eternal life. The community noted that Mozart’s Requiem serves as a powerful musical expression of this mystery, combining sorrow with the hope of life everlasting.