The month of November is traditionally a time in which the Catholic community remembers those who have died. The Church then uses this end of the year period as a time to think of the end of life and the end of all things and the great hope that our earthly end is transition into a new life in God’s heavenly reality. We give thanks for those who have gone before us and we look with prayer and hope to their new life in heaven and our desire to join them there one day.
We have a special practice as a part of this month of remembrance. A stack of cards and a basket are placed at the altar. Those whose names are placed there are prayed for daily at Mass and at Evening Prayer.
St Thomas More in “The Supplication of Souls”, affirmed that the souls in Purgatory “have been recommended unto God and eased, helped, and relieved both by the private prayers of good virtuous people, and especially by the daily Masses and other spiritual suffrages of priests, religious, and folk of Holy Church”.
Love brings healing and comfort amid sorrow and suffering. In this month of the Holy Souls, therefore, let us pray for the dead in the hope that, as St Thomas More said, “We will merrily meet in heaven.”
From November 2-8 a plenary indulgence can be gained for them, so long as one visit a cemetery and says a prayer for the dead.
What is a plenary indulgence?
A plenary indulgence is a grace granted by the Catholic Church through the merits of Jesus Christ to remove the temporal punishment due to sin. It is not a forgiveness of sin but the remission of punishment for sins already forgiven. It may apply either to oneself or to souls already in purgatory.
In order to obtain a plenary indulgence (November 2-8), the faithful must
- Visit a cemetery: Go to a cemetery and pray for the deceased.
- Pray mentally: The prayer for the dead can be mental, and the indulgence is applicable to the souls in purgatory.
- Meet the standard requirements:
• Go to confession have sacramentally confessed their sins
• Receive communion (either within or outside of Mass),
• Pray for the intentions of the Holy Father.
• Be free from all attachment to sin (even venial sin),
Additional options
- On November 2 (All Souls’ Day):
You can also gain a plenary indulgence by visiting a church or oratory and reciting the Our Father and the Creed.
- On other days:
You can obtain a partial indulgence by visiting a cemetery and praying for the dead, or by reciting the Office of the Dead or the prayer “Eternal rest”.
“Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon them.
May their soul and the souls of all the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace.
Amen.”
