Absolution over the Catafalque

The Absolution of the dead is a series of prayers for pardon and remission of sins that are said in the Catholic Church over the body of a deceased before burial. Sadly, this beautiful rite has gone into serious lack of use since the second Vatican Council.

From Wikipedia-

"In the Catholic Church the Absolute are said over a deceased Catholic following a Requiem Mass and before burial. The absolution of the dead does not forgive sins or confer the sacramental absolution of the Sacrament of Penance. Rather, it is a series of prayers to God that the person's soul will not have to suffer the temporal punishment in purgatory due for sins which were forgiven during the person's life.
The absolution of the dead is only performed in context of the Tridentine Mass. Following the Second Vatican Council, the absolution of the dead was removed from the funeral liturgy of the Mass of Paul VI."

Very happily - I came into possession of an early 1900's pocket missalette called "Manna of the Soul" This is the little gem I've been bringing with me to Mass. I have taken to the practice of reading from the Mass of the Dead at differing times before and during mass. The prayers are so beautiful, so uplifting - at times they cause my soul to soar. Although these are prayers for the dead, I have found them among THE most consoling prayers ever written.

I encourage anyone - everyone to obtain an old missal, or simply download them from the internet and try them out. Pray for the Holy Souls in Purgatory, they desperately need our charity - especially now during the month of the dead.

Plenary Indulgences for the Dead

"Saint Gregory Delivers the Soul of a Monk" by Giovanni Battista Crespi

1. On All Souls’ Day (Nov. 2) a plenary indulgence, applicable only to the Poor Souls, is granted to those who visit any parish church or public oratory and there recite one Our Father and one Credo.
2. On all the days from November I though November 8 inclusive, a plenary indulgence, applicable only to the Poor Souls, is granted to those who visit a cemetery and pray even if only mentally for the departed.
Conditions for both indulgences:
~ Only one plenary indulgence can be granted per day.

~ It is necessary to be in the state of grace, at least by completion of the work.

~ Freedom from attachment to sin, even venial sin, is necessary; otherwise the indulgence is only partial. (By this is meant attachment to a particular sin, not sin in general.)

~ Holy Communion must be received each time the indulgence is sought.

~ Prayers must he recited for the intentions of the Holy Father on each day tire indulgence is sought. (No particular prayers are prescribed. One Our Father and one Hail Mary suffice, or other suitable prayers.

~ A sacramental concession must he made within a week of completion of the prescribed work. (One confession made during the week, made with the intention of gaining all the indulgences, suffices.)

It is really not that hard of a thing to do, but so great is the reward for the souls in purgatory, please in your mercy do some good for them and the Lord will reward you in Heaven.

Incredible Artwork

Title: The Trinity with Souls in Purgatory

Artist: Corrado Giaquinto

Date: c. 1743

Medium: Oil on canvas

The original of this painting hangs in the Minneapolis Institute of Arts and is an amazing example of "purgatory art". I have never seen the Holy Trinity depicted with Jesus dead before. I was completely captivated by this painting during my visit there last weekend. My husband and I deducted that this is Jesus, offering His death for the sins of the these souls to the Father who holds His hand over the Holy Souls in benediction.

Two other images of particular beauty: There is a soul grasping the foot of the cross who cannot be seen in this image so well. The face of the man in the lower right is the most striking combination of peace and resignation. As I stood before this important piece of art, I felt I could look at all day.

Works such as these ought to serve and holy reminders to pray for the Church Suffering as is our duty. Eternal rest grant unto them O Lord, let eternal light shine upon them, may they rest in peace. Amen+

Purgatorian Archconfraternity

“Oh no! That is not sufficient. It is the Blood of Jesus Christthat is needed to extinguish the flames by which I am consumed;it is the August Sacrifice that will deliver me from these frightful torments.”
(A Soul from Purgatory to Bl. Henry Suso)

By request, I have posted here a link to the Transalpine Redemptorists who have organized the Purgatorian Archconfraternity. Here can be enrolled the souls of your beloved dead who can be greatly assisted by their prayers and masses!

They also have a blog here. Check them out! They also have a periodical magazine here - pictured above.

Great Article

Great article here by Susan Tassone who is a "purgatory warrior" I highly recommend reading it, printing it out and re-reading it often if this helps you to offer sufferages on behalf of the souls who suffer so very much. Anything you do in assistance for the members of the Church Suffering will result in an increase of merit for you.

Private Prayer for the Dead

Praying for the dead is an act of charity. This is not only a pious practice, but is indeed a duty for us all. The more you assist the holy souls with your alms, the more you help yourself. We especially have the duty to pray for our loved ones and relatives.

In addition to having a Mass said on the anniversary of a loved one's death, there exists an old Christian custom of fasting, burning a candle for 24 hours, and praying for them on this day (this custom was adopted by Jews in the Middle Ages; they call it "Jahrzeit" as did the medieval German Christians.) Any orthodox traditional or improvised prayer can be prayed at this time, but the Rosary is always appropriate and can be prayed now (or any time) for the dead, offered in the same way it is at Catholic funerals -- i.e., with the Fatima Prayer replaced (or in addition to) the Eternal Rest Prayer. The Eternal Rest prayer is also prayed by itself, offered any time for the dead, when visiting grave sites, and when passing cemeteries. It is a prayer every Catholic should know by heart:

Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord; and let perpetual light shine upon them. May they rest in peace. Amen.

Réquiem ætérnam dona ei (eis) Dómine; et lux perpétua lúceat ei (eis). Requiéscat (Requiéscant) in pace. Amen.

We may also pray for our dead every time we eat if we pray the After Meal Blessing, another prayer every Catholic should know by heart:

We give Thee thanks for all Thy benefits, O Almighty God, Who livest and reignest forever. And may the souls of the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen.

Agimus tibi gratias, omnipotens Deus, pro universis beneficiis tuis, qui vivis et regnas in saecula saeculorum. Fidelium animae, per misericordiam Dei, requiescant in pace. Amen.

The Penitential Psalms -- i.e., Psalms 6, 31, 37, 50, 101, 129, 142 -- are also prayed for the dead, especially the 129th Psalm, known as De Profundis.

About Prayer for the Dead

Below is an excellent and consise decription in laymen's terms of the Catholic teaching regarding prayer for the dead.

II Maccabees 12:43-46: "And making a gathering, he [Judas] sent twelve thousand drachms of silver to Jerusalem for sacrifice to be offered for the sins of the dead, thinking well and religiously concerning the resurrection, (For if he had not hoped that they that were slain should rise again, it would have seemed superfluous and vain to pray for the dead,) And because he considered that they who had fallen asleep with godliness, had great grace laid up for them. It is therefore a holy and wholesome thought to pray for the dead, that they may be loosed from sins."

Those who've died in a state of grace are not truly "dead"; they are our beloved in Heaven or in Purgatory (on their way to Heaven) and will forever be, world without end, part of the Communion of Saints -- the Church Triumphant (the Saints in Heaven, whether or not they are beatified or canonized), the Church Suffering (the saints in Purgatory), and the Church Militant (the saints on earth).

Because we can't know, aside from those the Church has beatified or canonized, who is already in Heaven, who is in Purgatory for a time, or who is damned, we pray for the dead for the rest of our lives -- assuming they are in Purgatory, while hoping they are in Heaven and not damned.

We also ask those who've died to pray for us. While those whom the Church has deemed to be of the Church Triumphant (the canonized Saints) are in Heaven for certain and are, therefore, in no need of our prayers for them, we've always asked for them to pray for us. As to the Church Suffering in Purgatory, Aquinas teaches that they are not able to know, by themselves, our prayers; however, it is piously believed, and taught by St. Alphonsus Liguori, that God makes our prayers known to them -- not directly, as they are deprived of the Beatific Vision until they enter Heaven, but by infusing this knowledge into their souls. St. Bellarmine teaches that because the Church Suffering is so close to God -- much closer than we are and having the great consolation of knowing they are saved -- their prayers for us are very effective. So, as you pray for your dead loved ones, ask them to pray for you, too!

As to the damned, there is no hope; no prayer can help them and we can't pray formally for those in Hell. The problem, of course, is that we can't know who is damned, and so we pray generally for "all the faithful departed." For those who've died outside of visible Communion with Christ's Church or for those Catholics who've died seemingly without repentance and in scandal, public prayer cannot be offered, but we can most certainly still pray privately with the hope that they've died in a state of grace (i.e., those who are denied a Catholic funeral can't be prayed for liturgically, publicly, but they can most definitely be prayed for -- and should be prayed for -- privately). Priests can even offer Masses for such people privately, without naming them.

(source)

Days of the Dead

The entire month of November is devoted to the Poor Souls in Purgatory, and Rosaries for the dead are offered during this time (with the Eternal Rest prayer replacing the Fatima prayer as above). The month-long devotion to the Souls in Purgatory begins with the three consecutive "Days of the Dead" at the end of October and early November: The Days of the Dead are:

All Hallows' Eve: 31 October, the day on which we unofficially recall the realities of Hell and how to avoid it;
All Saints Day, or All Hallows' Day: 1 November, the day on which we officially honor God's Saints of the Church Triumphant; and
All Souls Day: 2 November, the day on which we officially commemorate and pray for all the faithful departed of the Church Suffering.

Some Catholics might pray a Novena for the Holy Souls, the All Souls Novena, or some other such Novena beginning on 24 October and ending on All Saints Day (the eve All Souls Day). Then, after sunset on All Saints Day, we light a candle (preferably one that that had been blessed at Candlemas) and pray the Rosary for the dead. The next day, 2 November, being All Souls Day, we can offer public prayer for the dead by attending one of the three Masses offered for the dead on that day. We also visit the graves of our family members, seeking those special indulgences for them that are only offered on All Souls Day and during the Octave of All Saints:
A plenary indulgence, applicable only to the souls in Purgatory, may be gained on the 2nd by making a pious visit to a church to pray a Pater and the Creed, and
A plenary indulgence, applicable only to the Souls in Purgatory, may also be gained fron 1 November to 8 November by visiting loved ones' graves and praying the Eternal Rest prayer for their peace.
We are not limited to indulgences for the dead on these Days of the Dead, however. Indulgenced works, prayer, votive offerings, alms-giving, etc., may always be offered for the dead, at any time of the year. Note that those in Purgatory are also especially remembered on Ember Days. Also note that because those in Purgatory are no longer under the jurisdiction of the Church Militant, all the above prayers, indulgences, and works for the dead are offered by way of beseeching God to apply them for the relief of the Church Suffering.

On Growing in Virtue

There are many and diverse ways to pray for the relief of the souls in purgatory. Of course, they cannot pray for themselves, but rather they suffer the full penalty in order that they may pay "to the last farthing" their debt owed to God due to their sins. In confession, our guilt is forgiven (assuming a good confession) but our entire debt remains. In order to pay this debt we must do penance in this life. What we do not pay in this life, we will pay in the next in purgatory. This is a truth of our Catholic faith, a dogma which all Catholics are bound to believe.

In assisting the suffering souls in Purgatory, we are in a manner paying their debts for them. We can pray for them, offer sacrifices for them, receive Communion, even simply offer our daily work and tasks on their behalf. In helping them, we do in a sense visit God's prisoners - if we practice a regular devotion in paying down their debts, we may hear our Lord on the last day say to us..."Come ye into the house of my Father, for I was in prison, and you visited Me." It is the greatest hope of my life to hear those words from Jesus' lips.

Also, don't forget!....In helping them pay their debts - you pay yours! Many theologians have said this is far more efficacious then great fasting and austerities because you add charity to prayer!

Here are some other ways we can help them who suffer night and day, without the slightest rest or relief:

1. What is this sin/weakness/fault from which you suffer the most? Impure thoughts? Pray for the souls who suffer due to sins of impurity. Overly attached to the pleasures of the table? Overweight? Pray for those who suffer due to sins of gluttony! Are you a secret thief? Pray for thieves! And so on...you get the idea. God will not be outdone in charity. If you help others who suffer from sins like yours, He will speedily come to your aid. Also - the souls whom you help, you are assured of their prayers as well. They will fly to heaven because of your charity, bow down before the throne of God and never cease to pray for you until you are right there beside them.

2. Do you pray the rosary? At the end of each decade, I suggest this simply prayer: "Eternal Father, I offer all the blood which your Divine Son shed in the Garden of His Agony, together with all the masses said throughout the world today, in payment of the debts of the souls in Purgatory, especially those (suffer from their sins of gluttony/my family/my dear mother/etc). Eternal rest grant onto them/him/her, O Lord, may eternal light shine upon them. May they rest in peace.

As you pray the sorrowful mysteries, offer the Blood of Jesus to the Father, the joyful mysteries offer the Father hands of Mary who held her Son, etc. I especially like offering the footsteps of Jesus as He walked to Bethany before the Ascension. Be creative and let this add to your contemplation of God's wondrous deeds.

3. When you approach the holy water font, splash a few drops on the floor for those suffering fire.

4. When you are insulted, mistreated by others, resolve to suffer with patience and offer this in payment and atonement for them. You gain merit for your patience, but how much for in giving away the penitential portion of your suffering to others?

5. This is one I do alot - if you have children, at the end of the day, when you're tired and just want some peace but they want your attention or need your help with some task, instead of sighing and refusing or doing their bidding with reluctance, resolve to be joyful exteriorly (though you may be griping and shrinking interiorly) and offer this for the suffering souls! They will repay you a hundredfold!

6. Do you do housework? Try this one: as you clean the floor, scrub your toilet/tub/sink/etc - act as if you are cleaning the dwellings of those in purgatory. Offer every movement of your hands and feet, every effort and drop of sweat for them. You get your house clean, and you do great charity at the same time.

7. Do you drive long distances? Ask the Lord with every mile marker/town/state/etc to release a soul from purgatory. Pray the rosary while you drive/fly/etc and ask Jesus to release a soul for every Hail Mary - the possibilities are endless.

There are many, many other small and various ways in which we can help them. We simply need to be mindful and the Holy Spirit will guide us. With time and practice you may find that every single thing you do, every thought, every step - you can be helping those who need you so much! If you have other practices for assisting those in purgatory, please leave them in the combox.

Amen+

Mass for the Holy Souls

Nabbed this great picture from Hallowed Ground. I invite you to closely examine this image. The mass is being said with great reverence and solemnity. The altar boys are kneeling in prayer, one is reading from a missal. All are totally unaware of the unseen souls being lifted up and delivered from Puratory. The painter lifts up the corner of the veil between the seen and the unseen works of the Mass. We would do well to be mindful the of miraculous events which are invisible to us. Have masses said for the dead, pray for them and remember them in your communion intentions.

Another Suggestion to Shorten Your Own Purgatory

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Blessed incense is a sacramental. If you read the Old Testament God ordered the Jews to burn sacred Frankincense incense before the Ark of the Covenant. In fact, when two of Aarons' sons burned incense not exactly according to God's directions, they were burned alive before their father's eyes. They had acted profanely. Anyway, what I wanted to say is this, we light candles for the dead, burn wax or oil for them, we remember them at the holy water font, we pray for them, have masses said for them, but we can also burn blessed incense for them.

Incense is in part a symbol of our prayers rising up to Heaven. We have such richness in Catholicism! Such beauty! Small home incense burners can be purchased, along with the incense and the charcoals. Have the stuff blessed and burn it at home as you say your prayers. Even if you only remember the dead in a general way as you pray, wishing to assist them, this suffices! They are only separated from us, they live on! The souls in purgatory suffer day and night without the least respite. Please have mercy on them!

Great Quotes About Purgatory

"A soul in Purgatory sees very clearly on the day of his funeral if we really pray for him, or if we
have simply made an act of presence to show we were there. The poor souls say that tears are no good for them: only prayer! Often they complain that people go to a funeral without addressing a single prayer to God, while shedding many tears; this is useless!" -Maria Simma (Will post more about her later!)

"If it were but known how great is the power of the good souls in Purgatory with the Heart of God, and if we knew all the graces we can obtain through their intercession, they would not be so much forgotten. We must, therefore, pray much for them, that they may pray much for us." - St. John Vianney

Prayer

O Lord God Almighty! I beseech Thee, by the Precious Blood which Thy divine Son, Jesus, shed in the Garden, deliver the souls in Purgatory, especially the most forsaken one, and bring it into Thy glory, there to praise Thee and bless Thee forever. Amen.

Chaplet of All Souls

(Prayer book touched by as actual soul in purgatory who appeared asking for prayers. Photo credit)

Let us never forget all the poor souls in purgatory who suffer without rest, without the slightest respite and who depend so very much on our charity! Have mercy upon them, think of them often. Offer up small sacrifices, accept all sufferings and humiliations on their behalf. I urge you to print off this simple prayer and say it, if even once! Your reward will be great in Heaven. May the Lord say to us all "I was in prison and you visited me. Come, enter into the joy prepared by my Father!"

This devotion is prayed using the Marian Rosary of 59 beads.

On the Crucifix: Psalm "Out of the Depths."

On the Our Father beads: Our Father.

On the decade beads: "O good Jesus,have mercy on the souls in purgatory or (mention name)and grant to them eternal rest.

First decade: "I offer You, my Saviour, this first decade for the souls of all of my relatives,through the Precious Blood which You shed for them in Your Agony in the Garden of Gethsemane.

Second decade: "I offer You, my Saviour,this second decade for the souls of all those who have shown me kindness, through the Precious Blood which You shed for them in Your Scourging. O good Jesus,have mercy on them!"

Third decade: "I offer You, my Saviour, this third decade for the souls of those whom I have at any time offended, or scandalized through the Precious Blood which You shed for them in carrying Your Cross to Calvary.O good Jesus,have mercy on them!"

Fourth decade: "I offer You, my Saviour, this fourth decade for the souls of my friends, companions and benefactors through the Precious Blood which You poured forth upon the Cross, and through the sorrows which Mary, our tender Mother, endured at the foot of the Cross. O good Jesus, have mercy on them!"

Fifth decade: "I offer You, my Saviour,this fifth decade for the soul of my father and/or Mother and/or relative. I offer You, for this soul so dear to me, the Precious Blood and the sacred water from Your Heart, pierced by the lance. O good Jesus, open to this soul the gate of heaven, and grant me the grace to be reunited with them forever in the bosom of Your goodness."

Final prayer: "O good Jesus, have mercy on the soul or souls in purgatory or (mention name)and grant to them eternal rest. May eternal light shine upon them. May they rest in peace. Amen+

Blessed Candles

An Offering for the Dead

"And you shall command the people of Israel that they bring to you pure beaten olive oil for the light, that a lamp may be set up to burn continually." (Exodus 27:20)

Candles have always played an important role in the church. Lit candles are part of the Mass, adoration, and may be utilized in processions, night prayers and other liturgies. In the early Church, candles were kept burning on the graves of martyrs as a sign of honor and remembrance.

In Medieval times it was in common practice to make offerings to maintain lamps that were kept burning on the graves year round in order to comfort the dearly departed. The lights signify the light of Christ - the Eternal Light - to whom all prayers are raised on behalf of the dead. These candles kept silent vigil and began to be called "vigil lights." The offering of a lighted candle for a particular soul, or for a catagory of souls is a worthy offering which will comfort the members of the Church Suffering.

Let’s not forget the poor souls in purgatory who have no one to pray for them. The thought that someone would have no one to pray for them is indeed a chilling thought, but one we must be aware of. Many relatives and friends too soon canonize thier loved ones and cease to pray for those who had died. We must realize the truth: Many people leave behind relatives and friends who neglect to pray for them, perhaps because they forget. Or perhaps because they are no longer believers themselves.

We should continue to truly love our dear dead. When we shall die, they shall remember us at death’s hour with the same love with which we commemorate them during our lives. Light a candle, it entails but a small offering and takes but a moment. Be generous!

"Though the deceased is buried in the earth, thou must not omit to burn oil and wax on his grave, for this is pleasing to God and merits great reward." ~St. Athanasius

St. Gertrude's Prayer for the Holy Souls

"Eternal Father, I offer Thee the most precious blood of Thy 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. Jesus, Jesus, Jesus "