Pious Prayers for the Poor Souls
Pious Prayers for the Poor Souls
The prayer for holy souls in the purgatory can help them to ease the troubles and punishments. The Mass is the most effective means to help the holy souls in purgatory. It’s the highest form of worship, the highest act of prayer. It’s the source and summit of our faith. We pray for the holy souls because we’re part of the Communion of Saints. The church consists not only of those now alive on earth but also those alive to God in heaven and purgatory; something marked out by the twin feasts of All Saints and All Souls on 1 and 2 November. In particular, the prayers we offer are for those souls still in purgatory. Whatever one may think of the theological basis for the doctrine of purgatory, it offers a psychologically realistic parallel between those gone and those left behind. We endure suffering because of their passing, so they suffer before reaching the goal of the beatific vision. They and we are in solidarity, the solidarity of both pain and hope. The Catholic Church dedicates the entire month of November to the Holy Souls in Purgatory. We pray for the souls of the faithful departed during this entire month, especially those we have known and loved. November 2nd is All Souls Day, also known as the Day of the Dead.
PRAYERS FOR THE HOLY SOULS IN PURGATORY
1. Pray the Novena to the holy souls 2. Offer up your Holy Communions for the souls in purgatory. 3. Have Masses said for your departed loved ones, especially on the anniversary of their death. 4. Pray the way of the cross for souls in purgatory 5. Pray the special holy souls’ rosary. After the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, the Holy Rosary is the most powerful prayer. 6. Obtain indulgences: Indulgences reduce or cancel the temporal punishment that we incur through sin.* There are many ways to obtain indulgences through pious actions, and we can apply their merits to the dead. You can find a partial list of indulgences here. Visit a church or oratory on All Souls Day and recite the Lord’s Prayer and the Apostle’s Creed. You can earn a plenary (full) indulgence applicable only to the souls in purgatory (under the usual conditions).* 7. Give alms: Giving material assistance to the poor has always been considered a penance that can be offered for the Holy Souls. “For almsgiving saves from death and purges away every sin” (Tobit 12:9). 8. Pray the divine mercy chaplet for the intention of the Holy Souls. 9. The prayer is attributed to St. Gertrude the Great and was the prayer by which she released many souls from purgatory. 10. Sprinkle holy water on the ground: St. John Macias, a great friend of those in purgatory, would often sprinkle holy water on the ground for the spiritual benefit of the suffering souls. 11. When passing by a cemetery, pray the short Eternal Rest prayer. This prayer carries a partial indulgence applicable to the poor souls: “Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord. And let the perpetual light shine upon them. And may the souls of all the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen.” 12. Practice the tradition of praying the Eternal Rest prayer (above) and after your meals as an easy way to remember to pray for the holy souls every day. You can also pray the prayer between the decades of your daily rosary. 13. Visit a cemetery: Pray over the graves of your departed loved ones, or visit a random graveyard and pray for those who may have no one to pray for them. Simply doing this gains a partial indulgence for those in purgatory.* While you’re there, sprinkle holy water on the graves. If you make this visit during the first eight days of the month dedicated to the Holy Souls (November 1-8), you can gain a plenary indulgence applicable to the souls in purgatory 14. Eucharistic Adoration: visit the Blessed Sacrament to make acts of reparation to the Sacred Heart of Jesus on behalf of those in purgatory. 15. Sacrifices: practice small acts of self-denial throughout your day and offer these penances up for the poor souls.
List of Powerful Prayers for the Poor Souls in Purgatory
Prayer of St. Gertrude the GreatEternal 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. Prayer to Have a Merciful Heart Towards Others by St. Faustina O Jesus, I understand that Your mercy is beyond all imagining. I ask You, therefore, to make my heart so big that there will be room in it for the needs of all the souls living on this whole earthly globe. O Jesus, my love reaches beyond the world to the souls suffering in Purgatory, and I want to exercise mercy toward them using indulgenced prayers. God’s mercy is unfathomable and inexhaustible, just as God Himself is unfathomable. Was I to use the strongest words for expressing this mercy of God, they are nothing in comparison with what it is in reality. O Jesus, make my heart sensitive to all the sufferings of my neighbour, whether they be of body or of soul. O my Jesus, I know that You act toward us as we act toward our neighbour . My Jesus, make my heart like unto Your merciful Heart. Jesus, help me to go through life doing good to everyone. Amen. Eternal Rest Prayer V. Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord. R. And let the perpetual light shine upon them. And may the souls of all the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen.
Pray the Rosary for the Holy Souls
The Rosary for the holy souls is the standard rosary, but it specifically mentions and remembers the souls in purgatory. Here is an example of how this is beautifully done. “ The Agony in the Garden Lord Jesus Christ, through Your bloody sweat of fear that You shed on the Mount of Olives, we ask You to have mercy on the Holy Souls in Purgatory. Bring to completion their purification and console them with the Cup of heavenly comfort.”
