Praying for the faithful departed is a wonderful act of spiritual and corporal mercy that not only merits graces for the living, but also relieves the suffering of those Holy Souls who are being purified in the cleansing fires of Purgatory.
Sadly, many souls who die in a state of grace find themselves in purgatory. Their temporal penances were not enough to fully wash away the stains of their forgiven sins.
Even worse, many of those souls find that few, if any at all, of the living are praying devoutly for their release from Purgatory. Some poor souls find themselves languishing in Purgatory for many, many years - even centuries, simply because there was no one on earth to pray for them, or the number was so low, that only through many years of purification will they finally be cleansed of the stain of sin and allowed to enter into the Beatific Vision of God.
It’s a terribly sad thought! Many of us will find ourselves in the same situation. Shortly after our death we may receive a great number of prayers. But all too quickly, we fade into the distant memory of those we left behind. When that happens, the prayers said for us shrink and we find ourselves relying upon the occasional prayers of family upon the anniversary of our death or on the charity of strangers praying for all the poor souls in general. It doesn’t have to be this way!
And, during the first eight days of November, which is dedicated to the Holy Souls in Purgatory, we can merit plenary indulgences for our loved ones in Purgatory. That means, for an entire week we can offer prayers for our loved ones that will immediately release them from Purgatory and they will finally enter heaven for eternity! How wonderful is that?!
And, many of these prayers have indulgences attached to them and can merit us partial and even plenary indulgences for ourselves, which remit some or all the temporal punishments of our own sins!
In order to gain a plenary indulgence, we must meet certain conditions:
✔ Be in a state of grace.
✔ Receive communion.
✔ Go to confession.
✔ Prayers for the good intentions of our Holy Father.
✔ Have no attachment to sin, even venial.
✔ Typically, fulfill these conditions within eight days of completing the devotion.
Three easy methods to gain a plenary indulgence for the Poor Souls
1. Visit a Catholic cemetery
From November 1-8, visit a Catholic cemetery and pray for the Holy Souls, even if only mental prayers.
2. Pray the Novena for the Holy Souls (see below)
Composed by Saint Alphonsus Liguori, this is a nine day prayer for the Holy Souls.
3. Pray Saint Gertrude's Prayer for Holy Souls (see below)
Not that hard, right? So, what are you waiting for? Let’s DO THIS!
Below you'll find prayers that you may use during the month of November (even all year long) for the Holy Soul.
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SUNDAY
O Lord God almighty, I beseech Thee,
by the Precious Blood which
Thy Divine Son Jesus shed in the garden,
deliver the souls in purgatory,
and especially that one which is the most forsaken of all;
and bring it to Thy glory,
there to praise and bless Thee forever.
Amen.
DeProfundis (Psalm 130)
Out of the depths I have cried to Thee O Lord! Lord, hear my voice. Let Thine ears be attentive to the voice of my supplication.
If Thou, O Lord! shall mark iniquities: Lord, who shall stand it? For with Thee there is merciful forgiveness: and by reason of Thy law I have waited for Thee, O Lord!
My soul hath relied on His word: my soul hath hoped in the Lord. From the morning watch even until night.
Let Israel hope in the Lord. For with the Lord there is mercy; and with Him plentiful Redemption. And He will redeem Israel from all his iniquities.
Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord! And let perpetual light shine upon them. May they rest in peace.
Amen.
MONDAY
O Lord God almighty, I beseech Thee,
by the precious blood which
Thy Divine Son Jesus shed in His cruel scourging,
deliver the souls in purgatory,
and among them all,
especially that soul which is nearest
to its entrance into Thy glory;
that, so it may soon begin to praise Thee and bless Thee forever.
Amen.
DeProfundis (Psalm 130)
TUESDAY
O Lord God almighty, I beseech Thee,
by the precious blood which
Thy Divine Son Jesus that was shed
in His bitter crowning with thorns,
deliver the souls in purgatory,
and among them all,
particularly that soul which is in the greatest need of our prayers
in order that it may not long be delayed
in praising Thee in Thy glory,
and blessing Thee forever.
Amen.
DeProfundis (Psalm 130)
WEDNESDAY
O Lord God almighty, I beseech Thee,
by the precious blood of
Thy Divine Son Jesus that was shed
in the streets of Jerusalem
while He carried on His sacred shoulders,
the heavy burden of the cross
deliver the souls in purgatory,
and especially that one which is the richest in merits in thy sight;
so that having soon obtained the high place in glory to which it is destined,
it may praise Thee triumphantly and bless Thee forever.
Amen.
DeProfundis (Psalm 130)
THURSDAY
O Lord God almighty, I beseech Thee,
by the precious body and blood of
Thy Divine Son Jesus,
which He himself
on the night before His passion
gave as meat and drink to His beloved apostles,
and He bequeathed His Holy Church
be a perpetual sacrifice and life-giving nourishment
of His faithful people,
deliver the souls in purgatory,
and but most of all that soul
which was most devoted to this mystery of infinite love;
in order that it may praise thee, therefore
together with Thy Divine Son,
and The Holy Spirit,
in Thy glory forever.
Amen.
DeProfundis (Psalm 130)
FRIDAY
O Lord God almighty, I beseech Thee,
by the precious blood which
Thy Divine Son, Jesus, did shed on this day,
upon the tree of the cross,
especially from His sacred hands and feet,
deliver the souls in purgatory,
and particularly that soul for whom I am most bound to pray;
in order that I may not be the cause which hinders Thee
from admitting it quickly into the possession of Thy glory
where it may praise and bless Thee forever more.
Amen.
DeProfundis (Psalm 130)
SATURDAY
O Lord God almighty, I beseech Thee,
by the precious blood
which gushed forth from the sacred side
of Thy Divine Son Jesus
in the presence of and and to the great sorrow
of His most holy Mother
deliver the souls in purgatory,
and among them all especially that soul
which has been most devout to this noble Lady;
that it may come quickly into Thy glory,
there to praise Thee in her,
and her in Thee,
through all the ages.
Amen.
DeProfundis (Psalm 130)
(Ind. of 300 days once a day.)
(For a seven days exercise of prayer for the souls in Purgatory a plenary indulgence on the usual conditions at the end of seven or nine days.)
Usual conditions: within eight days: communion, confession and no attachment to sin, even venial, prayers for the intentions of the Holy Pontiff.
Composed by Saint Alphonsus Liguori, the nine days of prayer for the Holy Souls in Purgatory is a more prolonged way to pray for the deceased. Traditionally, it is prayed in preparation for All Souls Day or in the days following the celebration.
O MOST SWEET JESUS, through the bloody sweat which Thou didst suffer in the Garden of Gethsemane, have mercy on these Blessed Souls. Have mercy on them.
Have mercy on them, O Lord.
O most sweet Jesus, through the pains which Thou didst suffer during Thy most cruel scourging, have mercy on them.
Have mercy on them, O Lord.
O most sweet Jesus, through the pains which Thou didst suffer in Thy most painful crowning with thorns, have mercy on them.
Have mercy on them, O Lord.
O most sweet Jesus, through the pains which Thou didst suffer in carrying Thy cross to Calvary, have mercy on them.
Have mercy on them, O Lord.
O most sweet Jesus, through the pains which Thou didst suffer during Thy most cruel Crucifixion, have mercy on them.
Have mercy on them, O Lord.
O most sweet Jesus, through the pains which Thou didst suffer in Thy most bitter agony on the Cross, have mercy on them.
Have mercy on them, O Lord.
O most sweet Jesus, through the immense pain which Thou didst suffer in breathing forth Thy Blessed Soul, have mercy on them.
Have mercy on them, O Lord.
(Recommend yourself to the Souls in Purgatory and mention your intentions here)
Blessed Souls, I have prayed for thee; I entreat thee, who are so dear to God, and who are secure of never losing Him, to pray for me a miserable sinner, who is in danger of being damned, and of losing God forever. Amen
This prayer from the Liturgy of the Hours is graced with a partial indulgence for souls in purgatory.
Recite this prayer each time you pass by a Catholic cemetery to obtain an indulgence of 300 days.
ETERNAL rest grant unto him/her (them), O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon him/her (them). May he/she (they) rest in peace. Amen.
REQUIEM aeternam dona ei (eis), Domine, et lux perpetua luceat ei (eis). Requiescat (-ant) in pace. Amen.