October 31, 2024
Opening the Floodgates of Mercy for Deceased Loved Ones
Praying for the dead is one of the oldest Catholic traditions, especially in November, when the Church honors the dead and prays for the relief of the holy souls in purgatory, encouraging the faithful to visit their graves and have memorial Masses said.
From All Saints Day on November 1 to the 8th, which includes All Souls Day on November 2, the Church offers Catholics an opportunity to open the floodgates of mercy for those who need our prayers.
During this time, it is possible to gain plenary indulgences for our deceased family members and friends by performing pious works that will remit all the temporal punishment due to sin. Through prayerful acts, Catholics can help their deceased loved ones who have died in God’s grace yet not achieved the fullness of Heaven.
Catholics may gain a plenary indulgence for them by:
- Visiting a cemetery and praying for the faithful departed from November 1 to 8. On other days, it is a partial indulgence. (Only one indulgence is granted a day.)
- Visiting a church or oratory on All Souls Day, November 2, the preceding and following Sunday, or All Saints Day, November 1, and praying one Our Father and the Apostles Creed.
In order to obtain these indulgences, one also must:
- Have the interior disposition of complete detachment from sin, even venial sin.
- Sacramentally confess their sins 20 days before or after receiving the indulgence.
- Receive the Holy Eucharist.
- Pray for the intentions of the pope by saying one Our Father, one Hail Mary, and one Glory Be.
The Catechism of the Catholic Church says: “An indulgence is a remission before God of the temporal punishment due to sins whose guilt has already been forgiven, which the faithful Christian who is duly disposed gains under certain prescribed conditions through the action of the Church which, as the minister of redemption, dispenses and applies with authority the treasury of the satisfactions of Christ and the saints.”1471
On All Souls Day, Masses will be celebrated at these six Diocesan Cemeteries at 11 a.m. and holy water from Lourdes, France will be distributed after Mass.
St. Peter Cemetery
71 Lake Avenue Ext., Danbury
Principal Celebrant: Bishop Frank J. Caggiano
St. Mary-Putnam Cemetery
399 North Street, Greenwich
St. John Cemetery
25 Camp Avenue, Darien
St. Michael Cemetery
2205 Stratford Avenue, Stratford
St. John Cemetery
223 Richards Avenue, Norwalk
Gate of Heaven Cemetery
1056 Daniels Farm Road, Trumbull
For more information on this event contact 203.742.1450 or [email protected]
Sign Up for Healing Journey Messages
Receive a daily message to your email address.