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October 26, 2008

Praying for our dearly departed

By Father William Saunders

CONTRIBUTOR

What is purgatory?

“A state of final purification after death and before entrance into heaven for those who died in God’s friendship, but were only imperfectly purified; a final cleansing of human imperfection before one is able to enter the joy of heaven” (Catechism of the Catholic Church, No. 1031).

Both the Feast of All Saints and the Feast of All Souls evolved in the life of the Catholic Church independently of paganism and Halloween. However, elements of pagan practices were perhaps “baptized” by some cultures or attached themselves to the celebration of All Saints and All Souls.

Along with the Feast of All Saints developed the Feast of All Souls. The church has consistently encouraged the offering of prayers and Mass for the souls of the faithful departed in purgatory. At the time of their death, these souls are not perfectly cleansed of venial sin or have not atoned for past transgressions, and thereby are deprived of the beatific vision (what we understand as the clear intuitive vision of God granted to those in heaven). The faithful on earth can assist these souls in purgatory in attaining the beatific vision through their prayers, good works and the offering of Mass.

In the early days of the church, the names of the faithful departed were posted in church so that the community would remember them in prayer. In the sixth century, the Benedictine monasteries held a solemn commemoration of deceased members at Whitsuntide, in the days following Pentecost. In Spain, St. Isidore (d. 636) attested to a celebration on the Saturday before Sexagesima Sunday (the second Sunday before Lent, the eighth before Easter in the old calendar). In Germany, Widukind, Abbot of Corvey (d. 980) recorded a special ceremony for the faithful departed on Oct. 1. St. Odilo, the Abbot of Cluny (d. 1048), decreed for all of the Cluniac monasteries that special prayers be offered and the Office of the Dead sung for all of the souls in purgatory on Nov. 2, the day after All Saints. The Benedictines and Carthusians adopted that same devotion, and soon Nov. 2 was adopted as the Feast of All Souls for the whole hurch.

Other customs have arisen over time in the celebration of All Souls Day. The Dominicans in the 15th century instituted a custom of each priest offering three Masses on the Feast of All Souls. Pope Benedict XIV in 1748 approved this practice, and it rapidly spread throughout Spain, Portugal and Latin America. During World War I, Pope Benedict XV, recognizing the number of war dead and the numerous Masses that could not be fulfilled because of destroyed churches, granted all priests the privilege of offering three Masses on All Souls Day: one for the particular intention, one for all of the faithful departed and one for the intentions of the pope.

Cleaning the graves

Other customs have developed regarding All Souls. In Mexico, relatives make garlands, wreathes and crosses of real and paper flowers of every color to place on the graves of deceased relatives the morning of All Souls. The family will spend the entire day at the cemetery. The pastor will visit the cemetery, preach and offer prayers for the dead and then bless the individual graves. “Skeleton” candy is given to the children.

Similar practices occur in Louisiana. The relatives whitewash and clean the tombstones and prepare garlands, wreathes and crosses of real and paper flowers to decorate them. In the afternoon of All Saints, the priest processes around the cemetery, blessing the graves and reciting the rosary. Candles are lit near the graves at dusk, one for each member of the deceased. On All Souls day, Mass is usually offered at the cemetery.

In the Middle Ages, superstitious belief, probably influenced from Celtic paganism, held that the souls in purgatory appeared on All Souls Day as witches, toads, goblins, etc. to persons who committed wrongs against them during their lives on earth. For this reason, some ethnic groups also prepared food offerings to feed and to appease the spirits on this day. These practices are probably remnants of the Celtic Samhain festivities.

Nevertheless, All Souls Day as well as All Saints Day are rooted in Christian belief and arose in this life of the church through a healthy spirituality, despite some pagan trappings that may have survived and have remained attached to their celebration.

Reprinted with permission of the Arlington Catholic Hearld.

Have a Mass said for the dead

It’s a longstanding tradition for Catholics to pray for their dead. One of the best prayers is the Mass. The archdiocese’s Catholic Missions Office offers Mass intentions for the dead for a stipend. There are different ways you can honor the dead:

Gregorian Masses:

Gregorian Masses are celebrated for 30 consecutive days for the repose of the soul of a particular person. It was Pope St. Gregory the Great who popularized the practice during his pontificate and hence they are named for him.

The office offers these because it has contact with a number of monastic communities, religious houses and seminaries in mission countries where Mass is celebrated daily. These communities are able to celebrate the Masses on consecutive days. When you have Masses celebrated in mission countries you help support the missionary efforts of the church. The suggested stipend for Gregorian Masses is $130.

Triduum Masses:

Three Masses for the same intention either the living or the dead or for a special intention. Suggested stipend is $15.

Novena Masses:

Nine Masses for the same intention either the living or the dead or for a special intention. Suggested stipend is $45.

Individual Masses:

Mass intentions for you, your family, children or special needs or celebrations. Suggested stipend is $5.

Send your stipend to:

Catholic Missions Office, 640 N. La Salle St., Suite 390 Chicago, IL 60654- 7027, or call (312) 382-3382.

All invited for day of prayer at local Catholic cemeteries

The Catholic Cemeteries of the Archdiocese of Chicago invites the public to join them for a day of faith, prayer and remembrance at one of the 15 cemeteries on All Souls Day, Nov. 2 between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. There will be a prayer service at each location including the recitation of the rosary, at 2 p.m. For more information please visit www.CatholicCemeteriesChicago.org or call (708) 449-6100.

In addition, Catholic Cemeteries will celebrate Cemetery Sunday that day. They will have an information tent set up in front of the offices to provide information folders, while staff will be available to answer questions or concerns, locate burials and fill out service requests. There will be greeters, from surrounding parishes, at the cemetery entrances to offer a fresh carnation with a prayer card to each car that comes through the gate. The flower can be placed on the grave or kept as a memento of the day.

Learn more about Holy Souls

  • “Rosary for the Holy Souls in Purgatory”
    by Susan Tassone
    $6.95
    Publisher: Our Sunday Visitor
    St. Paul Books & Media (312) 346-4228
  • “The Way of the Cross for the Holy Souls in Purgatory”
    by Susan Tassone
    $6.95
    Publisher: Our Sunday Visitor
    St. Paul Books & Media (312) 346-4228
  • “Praying in the Presence of the Lord for the Holy Souls in Purgatory”
    by Susan Tassone
    $7.95
    Publisher: Our Sunday Visitor
    St. Paul Books & Media (312) 346-4228
  • “Purgatory”
    by Father Martin Jugie
    $21.95 (hard cover)
    Publisher: Roman Catholic Books
    Aquinasandmore.com (866) 428-2820
  • “Death and Life: What you need to know about death and the afterlife... in order to live this life as you should”
    by Father Martin D’Arcy, SJ
    $16.95 (hardcover)
    Publisher: Roman Catholic Books
    Aquinasandmore.com (866) 428-2820