November – A Month of Prayer and Sacrifice for the Holy Souls in Purgatory

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Diary of St. Faustina, 1226

“Bring to me THE SOULS WHO ARE DETAINED IN PURGATORY and immerse them in the abyss of My mercy. Let the torrents of My Blood cool down their scorching flames. All these souls are greatly loved by Me. They are making retribution to My justice. It is in your power to bring them relief. Draw all the indulgences from the treasury of My Church and offer them on their behalf. Oh, if you only knew the torments they suffer, you would continually offer for them the alms of the spirit and pay off their debt to My justice”.

During this month of November, we remember the Holy Souls in purgatory. They can do nothing to help themselves or to shorten their time in purgatory. However, we can be a tremendous help to them. Let us consider the following ways in which we can help release souls to Heaven and faithfully apply our prayers and sacrifices on their behalf. Here are some of the ways we can help our dear brothers and sisters in purgatory.

Have Holy Masses offered for the Holy Souls 

There is nothing more powerful than the offering of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. When this sacrifice is offered for a soul in purgatory the graces of the mass become like a river of mercy flowing directly to the soul for whom the mass has been offered.

St. Nicholas of Tolentino is considered a patron saint of the Holy Souls due to a vision where a soul from purgatory appeared to him, requesting that he celebrate masses for the departed. Nicholas complied, and the liberated soul returned with many others to thank him.

Offer our Holy Communions for the Holy Souls

Saint Gertrude had a deep empathy for the Church suffering, the holy souls in purgatory. At every Holy Communion she beseeched Jesus for His mercy to be bestowed on them. During one Holy Communion she experienced the descent into purgatory with Our Lord. She heard Him say: “At Holy Communion I will permit thee to draw forth all to whom the fragrance of thy prayers penetrates.” After Holy Communion Our Lord customarily delivered more souls than she had dared to ask for.

Making a Holy Hour of Eucharistic Adoration for the Holy Souls

Praying during Eucharistic Adoration is considered a powerful act of charity that can help the holy souls in purgatory to be released into heaven sooner.

One day before her holy hour, Jesus showed Blessed Dina Belanger a multitude of souls on the precipice of hell. After her holy hour, Jesus showed the same souls in the hands of God. He told her that through holy hours of prayer a multitude of souls go to heaven who otherwise would have gone to hell as one person can make up for what is lacking in the lives of others by winning precious efficacious graces for their salvation.

Gaining plenary indulgence for the Holy Souls

Every year on these eight days the Church grants plenary indulgence that can be applied only to the souls in purgatory. The faithful can receive this indulgence each of the eight days to apply to a particular soul — a parent, spouse, relative, friend, or anyone even unknown.

On each day from Nov. 1-8 a person seeking a plenary indulgence for a soul must devoutly visit a cemetery and pray, if only mentally, for the departed. This should include on All Souls’ Day a visit to a church or an oratory and recite an Our Father and the Creed and pray for our Holy Father’s intentions. (Please note there are numerous other ways to obtain indulgences.)

We can also offer the Chaplet of Divine Mercy or the Chaplet of the Holy Souls, the Holy Rosary etc. 

The most well-known prayer attributed to St. Gertrude the Great for the holy souls in purgatory is: “Eternal Father, I offer You the Most Precious Blood of Your Divine Son, Jesus, in union with the Masses said throughout the world today, for all the Holy Souls in Purgatory, for sinners everywhere, for sinners in the universal Church, those in my own home, and within my family. Amen.”

Offering our daily trials

Let us also offer our daily trials, for example, the inconveniences, mistreatments, difficulties with people, pressures at work, sickness, etc.  Whatever it may be, rather than following any inclination to complain or feel sorry, we can peacefully accept it as an offering for the holy souls. Therefore, every trial we bear can be like a drink that quenches a soul’s thirst and helps them on their way to heaven.

I will be offering the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass each day during the month of November for the holy souls in purgatory. If you would like to include the names of your departed loved ones please send me their names to: fr.declanj@gmail.com.

I wish you a very blessed and spiritually fruitful month of prayer and sacrifice for souls and I pray that souls will be released to heaven in droves.

With my prayers for all of you and my blessing,

Fr. Declan