Month

of the

Holy Souls

The Church sets aside the month of November, and calls us to pray for those we know, and for all, who are in the purifying fires of Purgatory, and who await the day when they will join the company of the saints in Heaven . . .

. . . The Sacrifice of The Mass is the highest means of prayer for our deceased loved ones, but we can also relieve their sufferings through our prayers, sufferings and penances. We help the Holy Souls through acts and prayers that have indulgences attached to them.

What is an Indulgence?

An indulgence is the remission before God of the temporal punishment due to sins already forgiven. An indulgence can either be partial or plenary. It is partial if it removes only part of the temporal punishment due to sin, or plenary if it removes all punishment.

To obtain this remission certain conditions must be met, predetermined by the Church, which has the power "to loose and bind" granted through Jesus Christ.

                       Click here for:     SPECIAL ARRANGEMENTS FOR THIS NOVEMBER (2020)

In normal times, here were the instructions on:

How to gain an Indulgence

To attain a plenary indulgence at this time, four conditions must accompany the prescribed act:

1. the faithful must receive the sacrament of confession, either eight days before or after the act is performed,

2. receive Holy Communion at any time between November 1st and 8th

3. and recite prayers for the intentions of the Holy Father (one Our Father and one Hail Mary is the minimum).

4. Pray an Our Father and Apostles' Creed for the souls in Purgatory

One can acquire one plenary indulgence a day. These indulgences are for the benefit only of the Souls in Purgatory.

A plenary indulgence is granted when the faithful visit the church or an oratory, such as our Blessed Sacrament oratory, on November 1st and 2nd. (See 3. and 4. above). One could also gain a plenary indulgence by visiting a cemetery each day between November 1 and November 8.

A prayer for the release of many souls . .

Eternal Father,
I offer You the most precious blood of Your Divine Son, Jesus,
in union with the Masses said throughout the world today,
for all the souls in Purgatory,
for sinners everywhere,
for sinners in the universal church,
those in my own home and within my own family.

[The above prayer, for mercy for the souls in Purgatory, is the prayer of St. Gertrude the Great. It was recited by
St Faustina, the apostle of God's mercy, canonised in 2000 by John Paul II, who had chosen St Gertrude as one of her patrons. ] Partial Indulgence.