Longtime readers of the About.com Catholicism GuideSite know that I have always strongly encouraged devotion to, and prayers for, the Holy Souls in Purgatory, especially in the month of November.
Last year, I decided to take my advocacy for the Holy Souls a step further, by announcing the About.com Catholicism Purgatorial Society.
You may be unfamiliar with the concept of a purgatorial society, because they're not that common today. (For some background on purgatorial societies, see What Is a Purgatorial Society?) Simply put, they are associations of Catholic laypeople, religious, and/or priests who work together to assist the poor souls in Purgatory.
In recent years, some parishes have begun to revive purgatorial societies, usually in the form of a series of Masses offered during the month of November. (Saint Mary's Oratory in Rockford, Illinois, where my family and I are members, does this.) But purgatorial societies don't need to be based around a parish; thus the idea for the About.com Catholicism Purgatorial Society.
By enrolling your departed friends and family in the About.com Catholicism Purgatorial Society, you can seek for them the prayers and Mass intentions of your fellow readers of the About.com Catholicism GuideSite. And, in turn, you can offer your own prayers and Mass intentions for all of those enrolled in the About.com Catholicism Purgatorial Society.
As we head toward November, the month of the Holy Souls in Purgatory, and especially toward All Souls Day (one week from today), please take a moment to enroll your departed loved ones in the About.com Catholicism Purgatorial Society, and feel free to add additional names whenever necessary. Please also consider having your parish priest offer Masses for the About.com Catholicism Purgatorial Society. (Simply list the Mass intention as "The About.com Catholicism Purgatorial Society.") And if you are a priest who is willing to offer Masses for those enrolled in the About.com Purgatorial Society, please e-mail me your name and your parish affiliation, and I will list you on the About.com Catholicism Purgatorial Society page.
Together, we can assist the Holy Souls in Purgatory and hasten their entrance into Heaven.
(The gravestone of George and Grace Richert, Saint Peter's Lutheran Church graveyard, Corydon, Indiana. Photo © Scott P. Richert)
More on Purgatory, Purgatorial Societies, and the Holy Souls:
- November: The Month of the Holy Souls in Purgatory
- Prayers for November: The Month of the Holy Souls in Purgatory
- On the Last Things and Hell, Purgatory, and Heaven - Lesson Thirty-Seventh (from the Baltimore Catechism No. 2)
- What Is a Purgatorial Society?
- Reader Question: What Happened to Purgatory?
- Reader Question: Does the Church Still Believe in Purgatory?
- Reader Question: Is There a Scriptural Basis for Purgatory?
- Reader Question: Prayer for the Dead
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This is a great idea ! I will be glad to join in . Blessings to you and to the souls of purgatory .
Thank you, Linda. I hope that this catches on. Please share this with your friends.
Scott,
I am so extremely comforted by this idea and by those in the Catholicism Purgatorial Society. What a wonderful way of helping those in purgatory see the face of God and feel the consuming love of Christ in Heaven that much sooner!! Thank you on behalf of my family and I. Again, I can’t begin to describe how wonderfully peaceful it is knowing that my departed loved ones are being remembered by those in this online community of believers and knowing I can pray for other’s departed loved ones to provide them with comfort as well! WOW!! Thank you…
Should you need any type of assistance, please let me know how I can help. I will be sure to share this site with my parish and Priest on Sunday! Peace be with you and yours!!
I have always loved the holy souls in purgatory and often prayed for them. But this idea of a society dedicated to them it’s a blessing in disguise. It couldn’t have come at the right time! We have a long list of loved ones who have departed and when one tries to ask for the Mass on their behalf one doesn’t even know where to begin! Now I know that my great great grandparents, my beloved ones and all the poor souls in purgatory are remembered. I am going to sell this idea to the Cathedral Administrator where I attend Mass. I’m sure he will buy it.
Thank you