All Souls

A serene cemetery with gravestones and trees in autumn colors, featuring a bright yellow leaf on the ground. The scene is bathed in warm sunlight, creating a peaceful atmosphere.

Spring a Friend — the All Souls Day way

“Not by weeping,” says St. John Chrysostom, “but by prayer and almsgiving are the dead relieved.”  Know anybody that passed away this past year? Time to visit their grave and pray for them, because you can get a soul out of purgatory today due to that wrinkle which permits a plenary indulgence to be gained for…

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A priest and an altar server in green vestments at a Catholic altar with candles, ornate decorations, and religious artifacts. The setting is richly adorned in gold and red tones with intricate designs.

All Souls Day

Ah! that day of tears and mourning, From the dust of earth returning, Man for judgment must prepare him, Spare, O God, in mercy spare him. Lord, all-pitying, Jesus blest, Grant them Thine eternal rest.

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A detailed religious icon depicting the Last Judgment with Jesus at the top, surrounded by saints and angels. Below, souls are separated into heaven and hell with vivid reds, golds, and dark tones. Catholic themes of judgment and salvation are prominent.

All Souls Day – One key to a clean heart – The Beginning of Memento Mori

Praying for the dead was ordered by the apostles, according to St. John Chrysostom. But how can praying for dead help us? Why do it when they are out of sight, out of mind? Are there special persons for whom we should pray today?

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A weathered wooden cross and bench surround a grave in an open, arid landscape with sparse vegetation. The scene is serene and isolated under a clear blue sky.

In memoria aeterna erunt justi: Remembering the Holy Souls

One of the curiosities of the Roman Calendar (or more properly, the calendar of the Roman Rite) is the dedication of the month of November to the Holy Souls in Purgatory.  For many of us, these souls are also known as the Poor Souls in Purgatory–“poor” because of the sufferings they endure as the result…

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