Oh When the Saints

Come marching in. All Saints Day is a Holy Day of Obligation within the Universal Church. As luck would have it, this year All Saints Day just happened to fall on a Sunday, also a Holy Day of Obligation.

Simply put it means that we can fulfill both obligations in a single attendance. Every now and again, we get a break, if you want to look at things that way. Personally, I am filled with joy at every Mass, so it’s really not a burden. As Catholics we are encouraged to attend Mass daily, but only obligated to do so on Sundays and those few other Holy Days. If you were to attend Mass on a daily basis over time you would have heard the entire Bible in the daily readings, Responsorial Psalms, Alleluias and Gospel Readings.

All Saints Day is more than just a day dedicated to the lives and sacrifices of the saints. It is a day of reflection as well. Saints are simply ordinary people who answered God’s call and by His divine power accomplished amazing things. Perhaps not great and lofty things, but amazing none the less. This Holy Day is a profound reminder that every baptized Christian is called to share in the glory of the saints that have gone before them. They serve as both examples and reminders that we are all sanctified by our encounters with God, the Creator of the Heavens and the Earth. If that doesn’t fill you with immense joy, I don’t know what does.

One last little “Faith” business before we march into the kitchen. Each month the Church dedicates itself to a particular devotion. With All Saints Day on the 1st of November, and All Souls Day celebrated on the 2nd of November, it’s only natural that November be dedicated to praying for those souls in Purgatory.

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New Orleans Jambalaya
2 Celery Ribs
4 Garlic Cloves
1/2 Yellow Onion
1/2 Orange Bell Pepper
1 tablespoon Butter
1 (16 oz) can Diced Tomatoes
4 cups Chicken Stock
3 cups White Rice
1 teaspoon Tabasco Sauce
1 teaspoon Worcestershire Sauce
1 teaspoon dried Thyme
1 teaspoon Celery Salt
1/2 teaspoon File Powder
1/2 teaspoon Cayenne Pepper
4 Andouille Cajun Sausage
2 boneless Chicken Breasts
12 large Shrimp

Trim and slice the celery. Peel and chop the garlic. Cut onion in half from root to tip, reserve half for another purpose. Peel and dice remaining half. Stem bell pepper, remove seeds. Cut pepper in half, reserve half for another purpose, dice remaining half.

In a large pot, sauté celery, garlic, and onion in butter until onion is soft. Add bell pepper, tomatoes, chicken stock, rice, Tabasco, Worcestershire, and spices. Stir. Bring to a boil.

Reduce heat and cover the pot. Gently simmer until liquid is almost all absorbed and rice is cooked, approximately 15 – 20 minutes. CHECK the rice after 10 minutes, and again after 20 minutes. If liquid is mostly absorbed before rice is cooked, add 1/2 cup to 1 cup of additional broth or water. Jambalaya is “mostly dry” when finished – the rice should be a little bit saucy, but not drowning in liquid like soup.

While the rice is cooking, slice the sausage. Cube chicken into bite-size pieces. Spread a little oil in a large skillet. Cook chicken until almost cooked through. Add sausage. Continue to cook until meat is ready. Season to taste with Cajun Seasoning. Keep warm.

When rice is tender, gently fold in the sausage and chicken. Ladle into bowls, top with shrimp. Serve with warm bread.

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And he cried out, in a great voice
To the four Angels to whom it was given
To harm the earth and the sea, saying:
“Do no harm to the earth, nor to the sea,
Nor to the trees,
Until we seal the servants
Of our God on their foreheads”
Revelations 7:2-4