THE FEAST OF ALL SOULS2nd November ◆ information sheet

Honouring our brothers and sisters� e Church, a� er celebrating the feast of All Saints on 1 November, today prays for all who, undergoing puri� cation in purgatory, await the day when they will join the saints. More properly called “� e Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed”, this feast is celebrated in the Catholic Church on 2 November. East-ern Churches observe several All Souls’ Days throughout the year.

� e origins of this feast and its adoption in the Western Church on 2 November are fascinating. According to tradition, a pilgrim returning from the Holy Land took refuge on a rocky island during a storm. � ere he met a hermit, who told him that among the cli� s was an opening to the infernal regions through which � ames ascended, and where the groans of the tormented were distinctly audi-ble. � e pilgrim told Odilo, Abbot of Cluny, who appointed the following day (2 November 998) to be set apart for “all the dead who have existed from the beginning of the world to the end of time”. � e day purposely follows All Saints’ Day in order to shi� the focus from those in heaven to those in purgatory.

In his second letter to Timothy (1:18), St. Paul prays for Onesiphorus, who has died. � e earliest mention of prayers for the dead in public Christian worship is by the writer Tertullian in AD211. While the question of purgatory and praying for the dead was a major issue between Catholics and Protestants in the 16th century, the Council of Trent’s 1563 decree rea� rmed its existence... (see over)

A PRAYER FOR ALL SOULS

O God, glory of the faithful and life of the just,by the death and Resurrection of your Son we have been redeemed,look mercifully on your departed servants,that, just as they professed the mystery of our resurrection, so they may merit to receive the joys of eternal happiness.� rough our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.Amen.

READINGS FOR ALL SOULS

For this feast any readings from Masses for the Dead can be used, that said, today, you might hear one or two of the following: Isaiah 25:6-9 or Wisdom 3:1-9

Romans 5:5-11Matthew 11:25-30 (Year A)“Come to me and I will give you rest”

Mark 15:33-39; 16:1-6 (Year B)� e death and entombment of Jesus

Luke 7:11-17 (Year C)� e raising of the dead young man at Nain

� e skull, symbol of death.

� e liturgical colour is normally purple on All Souls’ Day (sometimes black is worn).

St Ambrose of Milan (d.397)On the Death of his Brother Satyrus

Who will set me free from this body of death? � e grace of God, through Jesus Christ, our Lord... We have a doctor to heal us; let us use the remedy he prescribes. � e remedy is the grace of Christ, the dead body our own. What more need be said? It was by the death of one man that the world was redeemed. Christ did not need to die if he did not want to, but he did not look on death as something to be despised, something to be avoided, and he could have found no better means to save us than by dying. � us his death is life for all. We are sealed with the sign of his death; when we pray we preach his death; when we o� er sacri� ce we proclaim his death. His death is victory.

...and the usefulness of prayers for the deceased, yet it cautioned against “a cer-tain kind of curiosity or superstition...” about it.

Catholic teaching on purgatory re� ects its understanding of the communion of saints. We are connected to the saints in heaven, the saints-in-waiting in purgatory and other believers here on earth. Sin may have bad e� ects even a� er the sinner repents and sincere repentance includes a desire to repair the damage done by one’s sins which may or may not be complete before the person dies (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1030-32).

In his Death and Resurrection, Jesus has conquered death for all those who believe in him. � is is the profession of faith we continue to make, and it is the promise on which we base our joyful hope in eternal life for ourselves and for all those who have died. We therefore pray for the souls of the faithful departed, who are journeying through purgatory, preparing for eternal life with God the Father Almighty.

Have a Sing!

Here are just a couple of suggestions of hymns you may wish to sing to commemorate the feast of All Souls:

O Lord, my God (CFE 568, HON 404, L 721)� e King of love my shepherd is (CFE 699, HON 528, L 804)

Celebration Hymnal for Everyone (CFE); Laudate (L), Hymns Old and New (HON)

ALL SOULS AROUND THE WORLD

Have a Go!

Before the Reformation, it was customary for poor Christians to o� er prayers for the dead, in return for money or food (soul cakes), from their wealthier neighbours. Perhaps, as a family or youth group, we could o� er cakes or biscuits to our neighbours along with the o� er of prayers for their intentions?

Agency for Evangelisation46 Francis Street

SW1P 1QN020 7798 9152

evangelisation@rcdow.org.uk

ItalyIt is traditional, on this day, in Milan, to bake Pan Dei Morti (Bread of the Dead or All Souls’ Bis-cuits). � ey contain pine nuts to represent tiny bones. Varia-tions include cookies � avoured with cloves from Sicily, a version from the Piedmont made with almonds and hazelnuts, and one from the Veneto region made with cornmeal. Also in Italy, Ro-man men any announce their engagements on All Souls’ Day - packing their engagement ring in a box � lled with biscuits!

CroatiaAs in other nations around the world, Croatian Catholics place � owers on the graves of loved ones. � is is con-tinues through November, the month traditionally associated with praying for the dead.

around the world, Croatian

In Joyful Hope