Tuesday 1 November 2022 – Solemnity of All Saints
Holy Day of Obligation
Mass at 12:00 pm with Bishop Jacque Fabre-Jeune
Mass at 6:30 pm
Wednesday 2 November 2022 – Solemnity of All Souls
Mass at 9:00 am
Requiem Mass at 6:30 pm
Please submit your envelopes with the names of your loved ones no later than Monday 31 October to be included on the altar for intentions for these Masses.
All Souls’ Day 2 November:
Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed
On 2 November, All Souls’ Day, the Church gathers in solemn suffrage for the souls in purgatory that God may forgive them their sins and welcome them into the fullness of His presence. The color of the day is black or violet and the liturgy has a sense of sobriety and restraint. The Catholic Catechism defines the Dogma of Purgatory:
”All who die in God’s grace and friendship, but still imperfectly purified, are indeed assured of their eternal salvation; but after death they undergo purification, so as to achieve the holiness necessary to enter the joy of heaven. The Church gives the name ‘Purgatory’ to this final purification of the elect, which is entirely different from the punishment of the damned…Form the beginning the Church has honored the memory of the dead and offered prayers in suffrage for them, above all the Eucharistic sacrifice, so that, thus purified, they may attain the beatific vision of God.”
All Souls’
Prayers for the Poor Souls in Purgatory
The Apostolic Penitentiary dicastery has announced modifications to the Plenary Indulgence for the deceased for 2021. It is a great opportunity to help the departed by performing acts of devotion, repentance and charity. These acts provide remission from temporal punishment and are called indulgences. For 2021, during the month of November, the Church gives us a special opportunity to gain indulgences for the departed.
A plenary or full indulgence, applicable only to the souls in Purgatory, is granted to the faithful who,
- On any and each day in November devoutly visit a cemetery and pray, if only mentally, for the departed; or
2. On All Soul’s Day, or any other day in November, devoutly visit a church or oratory and recite an Our Father and Creed.
A partial indulgence, applicable only to the souls in Purgatory, is granted to the faithful who,
Devoutly recite lauds and vespers from the Office for the Dead or the prayer:
Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord and let the perpetual light shine upon them.
May they rest in peace. Amen.
It is also necessary to fulfill the following conditions for the plenary indulgence,
1. Make a sacramental confession; and
2. Receive Holy Communion; and
3. Pray for the intention of the Holy Father (no particular prayers are prescribed for the intention of the Holy Father, an Our Father and a Hail Mary are appropriate).
These conditions may be fulfilled several days before or after the visit to the Church. A plenary indulgence can only be acquired once in the course of the day; it is, however, fitting that Holy Communion be received and the prayer for the intention of the Holy Father be said on the same day the work is performed.
Prayers for the dead, especially offering the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass for their eternal repose, rests securely on this truth expressed so eloquently by St. Paul: “Christ died and came to life, that he might be Lord of both the dead and the living” (Romans 14:9).
