Dear Parishioners of Mary Immaculate and Saint Rose,

During the month of November, Catholics remember to pray for the faithful departed. November 2nd is the commemoration of All Souls’ Day. On this day, and throughout this month, we pray for all the souls who are in Purgatory. Throughout most of the Catholic world, All Souls’ Day, or the Day of the Dead, is observed by attending Mass, visiting a Church to pray for the dead, or going to a cemetery to visit the graves of departed loved ones and praying for them.
Since our country celebrates a day to honor those who have died defending our freedoms in May, Memorial Day has been a day set aside to remember all those who have died. Since we observe this day along with everyone else, All Souls’ day seems to pass without much notice. This is unfortunate, as there are indulgences that we can obtain for our loved ones that are attached to All Souls’ Day. We believe that these remit sin and can assist our loved ones in their journey to Heaven.

The souls that we honor and pray for during November are in a temporary state known as Purgatory. All the souls in Purgatory will one day be in Heaven. Purgatory is all about the mercy of God. Most of us seem to have the notion that once we sin, all we need to do is ask forgiveness and then it is all taken care of. When we sin against another and betray a trust, the wronged person may grant us forgiveness as soon as we ask, but they will still be wary of putting their trust in us. We will have to earn that trust back again. In the same way, whenever we sin, there are consequences from that sin, no matter how small, and we have to do something to atone for that sin. We call that penance.

When we die, there are three possible outcomes. If we die in a state of serious, unrepented sin, we go to hell. If we die in a state of grace but with unfulfilled restitution for our sins, we go to Purgatory. If we die in a state of spiritual perfection, we go immediately to Heaven. For most of us, we will not achieve that spiritual perfection here on earth, so we will continue to strive for that in Purgatory.

We believe that we can still assist those who are in Purgatory, so we as Catholics still pray for our beloved dead. We can do penance in their name; we can have Masses offered for them.

Purgatory is not eternal. Since all the souls there will eventually be in Heaven, Purgatory will eventually cease to exist. However, it is still in the realm of the eternal, so we do not know how long individual souls will be there. What if I am praying for someone that I think is in Purgatory and they have already gone to Heaven? Well, the holy nuns used to tell us that no prayer is wasted, and if the soul for whom you are praying no longer is in need of your prayers, then someone else will receive the benefit of them.

So this month we remember to pray for our departed friends and loved ones. We also reflect that one day we will die and others will be praying for us. Let us pray that we will die in the state of grace and that we will continue to make restitution for our sins.

May the souls of all the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace.

Msgr. Cox
Purgatorio: the 24 elders in the procession,  Doré, (1868)