November is the Month of the Holy Souls in Purgatory

Of course, November begins with the glorious All Saints Day.  The Triduum of Death, beginning with the All Saints Day vigil, encourages us to meditate upon the Four Last Things:

Death  +  Judgement  +  Heaven  +  Hell

However, Holy Church always calls us to be joyful and at peace.  At every traditional Holy Mass we hear the words, “May the peace of the Lord be always with you” or “Pax Domini sit semper vobis cum.”  All Saints Day is truly wondrous as we honor the entire Heavenly host and hope for our eventual union with them.  This feast originated with the Church’s desire to honor the martyrs whose bones were kept at a particular church which was dedicated to all the saints, as this location was previously dedicated to “all the gods.”  The Litany of the Saints, invokes both human saints and angels.  All Souls Day, on the 2nd, is also a happy feast, as we know our prayers for the Holy Souls resound to God and expiate some, if not all (if a Plenary Indulgence is performed) of their cleansing in Purgatory.

See our previous 2 posts on the Plenary Indulgences which are so easy to obtain during the first week of November.  Holy Church opens the Gates of Heaven this week in an incredible way!

What else can we do for the souls in Purgatory this month?  After November 8th, you may still visit a cemetery with mental prayer for the Holy Souls, but the indulgence will be partial (you may do this any time of year).  Other partial indulgences could be the recitation of the Office of the Dead or the De Profundis.  Here’s also a well-known prayer by Saint Gertrude the Great, whose feast we celebrate on the 16th:

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.

We have 2 more “Greats” this month:  Saint Leo on the 10th and Saint Albert on the 15th. 

Let us not forget the feast of Christ King of the Universe, on the 24th, a Sunday.  We celebrate 2 Marian feasts:  The Presentation of Mary on the 21st and Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal on the 27th.  The following day, the 28th, we honor the seer of the Miraculous Medal, Saint Catherine Laboure. 

On the 13th, we honor Mother Frances Cabrini, a 20th century saint.  I had the privilege of viewing her body in New York City some years ago at her shrine.  The body is filled out with wax.  The saint’s heart remained incorrupt and was transported to Codogno, Italy, where she founded the Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus.  It is appropriate that her heart was preserved from corruption, as she was so devoted to the Heart of Our Lord.

We celebrate the Apostle Andrew on the 30th and December 1st begins Advent.  If you plan to perform Advent exercises, think about preparing in advance. 

Heavenly blessings to all in this month of the Holy Souls!

We discuss both trad and new feasts.  Please consult your own calendar sources for further details.

November Plenaries, Part 2

Some Suggestions (what I do:)

I try to get as many plenaries as I can each year (I’ve only been doing this for a few years now)…in other words, I visit a lot of cemeteries! Visiting various cemeteries is an adventure unto itself. Sometimes, with all the hills, it feels like hiking. Many have interesting historic elements. I find it is always intriguing, educational and spiritually beneficial. Bringing young ones helps them to confront the reality of death, hopefully before experiencing the loss of a loved one. I lost my father suddenly from a heart attack, when I was barely 7 years old. Needless to say, this was a deeply traumatic first experience with death. We should not seek to shelter our children from death, as they will certainly deal with it eventually. When a neighbor passed, when my son was little, I brought him to the wake, so he could have that experience. He dealt very well with it. After all, death is a natural part of life and God gives us the grace to handle it with His help, however terrible it may be.

Each year, I make a plan for visiting cemeteries in my area, or where loved ones are buried….and I make a list of the next 8 people I would like to attempt to get into Heaven. I keep a running list of those I have already performed the plenary for. For those I feel especially indebted to, I may perform it more than once. I have a set of prayers that I say, in addition to the requirements.

Do not take these plenaries lightly, as it is without saying, a truly extraordinary thing that is being done. Of course, our own unworthiness to expiate punishment for sin and be the vehicle through which a soul enters the eternal bliss of the Beatific Vision, is foremost in our minds. But we trust in what Holy Church teaches. As we accept God’s mercy in Confession, we also accept His willingness to bring His children in Purgatory unto Himself, through our profoundly small efforts. So…one must enter into this spiritual effort with the utmost of piety, humility and unspeakable awe. This spirit should follow you from the moment you enter the cemetery, to the moment you leave…and even for the rest of the day. This first week of November is truly blessed and rare in our journey through the Liturgical Year. And it changes you.