7 Catholic Family Devotions for the Holy Souls in Purgatory
November is here, the month the Church devotes to remembering the Holy Souls. Catholics believe that the souls of those who die in a state of grace but imperfectly cleansed of venial sin require a final purification before entering the Beatific Vision, a state known as Purgatory.
Fortunately, the souls in Purgatory are not beyond our aid. Through our pious works and prayers, we can assist them on their journey toward God. During November in particular, it is fitting for all Catholic families to keep the pious dead before our eyes and pray for them regularly.
How can Catholic families pray for the Holy Souls in Purgatory? Families can pray the Rosary, offer novenas and sacrifices, request Masses for the deceased, spend time in Eucharistic Adoration, and visit cemeteries to pray for the dead. November, especially All Souls’ Day, is a traditional time for these devotions.
In this article, we will discuss piety for the dead and more ways we can enter into the spirit of the month of the Holy Souls in our homes.
Piety for the Dead in Catholic Tradition
Catholics have always had many colorful ways of remembering the Holy Souls. In the early Church, the names of the departed were inscribed on diptychs, paired tablets of wood, ivory, bone, or metal that kept the dead in remembrance at Mass. By the early Middle Ages, commemorative Masses for the faithful departed had appeared, usually around Pentecost or shortly after Easter. These became the precursors of our All Souls’ Day. Medieval Christians often wrote such Masses, called obits, into their wills. In 1416, for example,
Sir Thomas de Skelton of Hinxton left his parish a rental property so that the rents would pay for Masses on the anniversary of his death for twenty years. Guilds, colleges, and confraternities kept obits for their members, and Masses were commonly offered on the third, seventh, and thirtieth days after a death and again on the first anniversary. Some wills also provided a funeral dole, a meal of bread, cheese, ale, and herring often set aside for the poor, who symbolically represented the dead at the feast.
How Medieval Catholics Honored Their Dead
This bond between the living and the dead even shaped the parish property’s physical layout. Medieval churches were surrounded by graveyards, and everyone hoped to rest as close to the altar as possible. Burial inside the church was generally reserved for clergy and laymen of notable piety. So the next best spot was sub stillicidio, “under the eavesdrip,” where rainwater sanctified by contact with the church would fall on the grave as a kind of residual blessing. The dead were laid with their feet to the east, the direction from which Christ was expected to summon them on the last day.
In France, Poland, and Germany, some churchyards had a lanterne des morts, or “lantern of the dead,” a stone pillar topped with a light that was lit on All Souls’ Day while Mass was said at its foot. In Brittany, as late as around 1930, the faithful believed the Holy Souls were released from Purgatory for 48 hours beginning on October 31. A bell warned the living to get indoors before the souls came streaming home at midnight; singers went door to door asking for prayers, and the next morning families went to Mass believing their dead were beside them. In each of these customs, our ancestors treated the dead as members of the community, still joined to the living through prayer and the liturgy.
How Can Catholic Families Pray for the Holy Souls?
We can perpetuate this tradition of piety in our homes during the month of November. Here are some ideas that incorporate the entire family:
Offer Rosaries for the Holy Souls
November is a great time to offer your family rosaries for the Holy Souls. Most parishes read the names of the year’s deceased before every Sunday Mass. Consider getting a copy of this list and offering one rosary for each departed soul throughout the month to personalize this devotion.
Say the Novena for the Holy Souls
There is a special novena for the Holy Souls in Purgatory. You can find it online at the super-helpful website Pray More Novenas. However, it is widely available elsewhere as well. This beautiful novena includes nine days of prayers for souls in Purgatory. Assign different kids different parts of the novena.
Set Up Pictures of the Deceased
If you have deceased family members or friends, display their pictures prominently at your family prayer space. Make the sign of the cross and say a little prayer for them each time you pass by and teach your kids to do the same.
Offer Sacrifices for the Beloved Dead
All Catholics are taught to “offer it up” when it comes to those little sacrifices and inconveniences of life. During November, be more deliberate about offering up your sufferings for the beloved dead. Teach your children how sacrifices can become occasions of prayer and encourage them to remember the Holy Souls.
Have a Mass Said
Load the kids up in the van, head up to the parish office, and have a Mass said for a deceased person or the beloved dead in general. It’s good for your kids to see you procuring Masses, as this is a wonderful act of charity. Take home the little card and display it on your prayer table.
Special Adoration Times for the Holy Souls
Consider making special trips up to the Blessed Sacrament as a family and devote that prayer time to the Holy Souls.
How to Gain an Indulgence for the Holy Souls
One of the coolest parts of November devotion to the Holy Souls is the special indulgence the Church makes available. From November 1 to 8, the Church offers a plenary indulgence each day for those who visit a cemetery and pray for the dead, applicable only to the souls in Purgatory. This is a wonderful practice to do together as a family. Here are the conditions for the indulgence:
- Devoutly visit a cemetery and pray for the dead, even if only mentally.
- Go to Confession within about 20 days of the visit, either before or after.
- Receive Holy Communion for each indulgence, ideally on the same day as the visit.
- Pray for the intentions of the Holy Father (one Our Father and one Hail Mary are sufficient).
- Be completely detached from sin, even venial sin. If this detachment is imperfect or the other conditions are unmet, the indulgence is partial.
Whether you adopt one of these devotions or several, make this month an opportunity to practice mercy toward those who have gone before us. It’s a beautiful way to strengthen your family’s faith while helping the souls in Purgatory.
What are your thoughts on this topic? I invite you to join other homeschooling parents and me in the Homeschool Connections Community or our Facebook group.
