Novena for the Holy Souls in Purgatory
Join us for nine days of prayers with St. Alphonsus Liguori for the Holy Souls in Purgatory, to lessen their suffering and hasten their entrance into Heaven.
St. Alphonsus Liguori (1696-1787) - bishop, founder of the Redemptorist order, patron saint of moral theologians, and Doctor of the Church - considered prayer for the Faithful Departed as one of the most important duties of Christian charity.
The Holy Souls in Purgatory (or the Faithful Departed) are members of the Church who are undergoing the purification of their souls before entering Heaven. They are dubbed "the Church Suffering", in opposition to "the Church Triumphant" - the Saints in Heaven - and the "Church Militant" - the Saints on Earth.
The souls in purgatory are unable to pray for themselves, nor can they do anything to lessen their sufferings and shorten their stay in purgatory. That's why they depend on us to pray for them. Praying for them is a great act of charity that diminishes their suffering, and allows them to complete their purification process faster.
Consider the Communion of Saints, with its three intertwined entities: The Church Triumphant prays for the Church Militant, and we - the Church Militant - pray for the Church Suffering. It works both ways, as the Holy Souls will pray for us in return to express their gratitude. As thus, while we are praying for the Holy Souls in Purgatory, we can request that they pray for us: during this novena, we will mention the favor we hope to obtain from God through their intercession.
If you feel inclined to do so, please share in the comments section the name of your departed beloved ones, relatives, friends, acquaintances. We will pray for each one of them by name.
November is a good time of the year to pray this novena, since we are remembering the Faithful Departed on November 2nd. But you can pray this novena anytime during the year as part of a special devotion to the Holy Souls.
Content of the novena:
Everyday, you'll receive:
- A Bible verse,
- A short meditation,
- A daily prayer,
- The recurrent prayers (Our Father, Hail Mary, O Most Sweet Jesus).
Prayers to be said everyday as well as the novena:
Eternal Rest
Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon them. May they rest in peace. Amen. May their souls, and the souls of all the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen.
Prayer of Saint Gertrude the Great
"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."