crystal_waters
New member
What do the Saints tell us about Purgatory?
examiner.com/list/what-do-the-saints-tell-us-about-purgatory
examiner.com/list/what-do-the-saints-tell-us-about-purgatory
Month Of The Holy Souls 2015 Thread
- Thread starter crystal_waters
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crystal_waters
New member
T
tbcrawford
Guest
Eternal God , in whom mercy is endless,
and the treasury of compassion inexhastible ,
look kindly upon us and increase Your mercy in us ,
that in difficult moments we might not despair
nor become despondent , but with great confidence ,
submit ourselves to Your Holy Will ,
which is love and mercy itself . Amen
Memorare (Prayer to Our Lady)
Remember, O most gracious Virgin Mary, that never was it known that anyone who fled to your protection, implored your help, or sought your intercession, was left unaided.
Inspired by this confidence, I fly unto you, O Virgin of virgins, my Mother. To you do I come, before you I stand, sinful and sorrowful. O Mother of the Word Incarnate, despise not my petitions, but in your mercy, hear and answer me. Amen
and the treasury of compassion inexhastible ,
look kindly upon us and increase Your mercy in us ,
that in difficult moments we might not despair
nor become despondent , but with great confidence ,
submit ourselves to Your Holy Will ,
which is love and mercy itself . Amen
Memorare (Prayer to Our Lady)
Remember, O most gracious Virgin Mary, that never was it known that anyone who fled to your protection, implored your help, or sought your intercession, was left unaided.
Inspired by this confidence, I fly unto you, O Virgin of virgins, my Mother. To you do I come, before you I stand, sinful and sorrowful. O Mother of the Word Incarnate, despise not my petitions, but in your mercy, hear and answer me. Amen
crystal_waters
New member
In memoria aeterna erunt justi: Remembering the Holy Souls
bellarmineforum.org/2011/11/01/in-memoria-aeterna-erunt-justi-remembering-the-holy-souls/
bellarmineforum.org/2011/11/01/in-memoria-aeterna-erunt-justi-remembering-the-holy-souls/
crystal_waters
New member
Make some friends in high places. Poor Souls: Who will pray for you?
bellarmineforum.org/2014/11/02/make-some-friends-in-high-places-poor-souls-who-will-pray-for-you/
bellarmineforum.org/2014/11/02/make-some-friends-in-high-places-poor-souls-who-will-pray-for-you/
T
tbcrawford
Guest
Eternal God , in whom mercy is endless,
and the treasury of compassion inexhastible ,
look kindly upon us and increase Your mercy in us ,
that in difficult moments we might not despair
nor become despondent , but with great confidence ,
submit ourselves to Your Holy Will ,
which is love and mercy itself . Amen
Memorare (Prayer to Our Lady)
Remember, O most gracious Virgin Mary, that never was it known that anyone who fled to your protection, implored your help, or sought your intercession, was left unaided.
Inspired by this confidence, I fly unto you, O Virgin of virgins, my Mother. To you do I come, before you I stand, sinful and sorrowful. O Mother of the Word Incarnate, despise not my petitions, but in your mercy, hear and answer me. Amen
and the treasury of compassion inexhastible ,
look kindly upon us and increase Your mercy in us ,
that in difficult moments we might not despair
nor become despondent , but with great confidence ,
submit ourselves to Your Holy Will ,
which is love and mercy itself . Amen
Memorare (Prayer to Our Lady)
Remember, O most gracious Virgin Mary, that never was it known that anyone who fled to your protection, implored your help, or sought your intercession, was left unaided.
Inspired by this confidence, I fly unto you, O Virgin of virgins, my Mother. To you do I come, before you I stand, sinful and sorrowful. O Mother of the Word Incarnate, despise not my petitions, but in your mercy, hear and answer me. Amen
crystal_waters
New member
Copied and pasted from ourcatholicprayers.com/novena-to-the-holy-souls-in-purgatory.html
In this Novena to the Holy Souls in Purgatory, we members of what is called the church militant (those of us still living on Earth) seek assistance from those of the church suffering (the souls in purgatory) so that one blessed day we may all be together as members of the church triumphant (all the souls sharing eternal Life with God in Heaven)!
These three different groups together comprise the full body of the Church, also known as the mystical body of Christ. We are truly all in this together!
Oh holy souls in purgatory, you are the certain heirs of heaven. You are most dear to Jesus as the trophies of His Precious Blood and to Mary, mother of mercy. Obtain for me through your intercession the grace to lead a holy life, to die a happy death and to attain to the blessedness of eternity in heaven. Dear suffering souls, who long to be delivered in order to praise and glorify God in heaven, by your unfailing pity help me in the needs which distress me at this time, particularly… so that I may obtain relief and assistance from God. In gratitude for your intercession I offer to God in your behalf the satisfactory merits of my prayer and work, my joys and sufferings of this day (week, month, or whatever space of time you wish to designate).
The souls in purgatory are satisfying the temporal punishment still due from venial or confessed mortal sins they’ve committed during their lives.
Although they have died in God’s grace and will definitely share Eternal Life with Him in Heaven, they must first be purified as they pay their remaining spiritual “dues.” While the length and severity of the pains each soul undergoes to make restitution to God varies, they can no longer pray for themselves but they can and do pray for us.
Traditionally, November is an especially important month to pray for the holy souls (although we should keep them in our thoughts and prayers all year round). Many people around the world visit the graves of the departed on All Souls’ Day, November 2nd. In addition to making the offerings to God described in this novena to the holy souls in purgatory on their behalf, we can always help them with prayers such as this one to St. Gertrude and the Way of the Cross as well.
Most importantly, besides offering God our own sufferings for the holy souls, we should have have masses said for them as well. In all of these activities we will earn the deep gratitude and prayers of those who we know are certainly on their way to Heaven!
In this Novena to the Holy Souls in Purgatory, we members of what is called the church militant (those of us still living on Earth) seek assistance from those of the church suffering (the souls in purgatory) so that one blessed day we may all be together as members of the church triumphant (all the souls sharing eternal Life with God in Heaven)!
These three different groups together comprise the full body of the Church, also known as the mystical body of Christ. We are truly all in this together!
Oh holy souls in purgatory, you are the certain heirs of heaven. You are most dear to Jesus as the trophies of His Precious Blood and to Mary, mother of mercy. Obtain for me through your intercession the grace to lead a holy life, to die a happy death and to attain to the blessedness of eternity in heaven. Dear suffering souls, who long to be delivered in order to praise and glorify God in heaven, by your unfailing pity help me in the needs which distress me at this time, particularly… so that I may obtain relief and assistance from God. In gratitude for your intercession I offer to God in your behalf the satisfactory merits of my prayer and work, my joys and sufferings of this day (week, month, or whatever space of time you wish to designate).
The souls in purgatory are satisfying the temporal punishment still due from venial or confessed mortal sins they’ve committed during their lives.
Although they have died in God’s grace and will definitely share Eternal Life with Him in Heaven, they must first be purified as they pay their remaining spiritual “dues.” While the length and severity of the pains each soul undergoes to make restitution to God varies, they can no longer pray for themselves but they can and do pray for us.
Traditionally, November is an especially important month to pray for the holy souls (although we should keep them in our thoughts and prayers all year round). Many people around the world visit the graves of the departed on All Souls’ Day, November 2nd. In addition to making the offerings to God described in this novena to the holy souls in purgatory on their behalf, we can always help them with prayers such as this one to St. Gertrude and the Way of the Cross as well.
Most importantly, besides offering God our own sufferings for the holy souls, we should have have masses said for them as well. In all of these activities we will earn the deep gratitude and prayers of those who we know are certainly on their way to Heaven!
crystal_waters
New member
crystal_waters
New member
when we pray to the holy souls, those souls serve as our escorts into heaven
spiritdaily.net/escorts.htm
spiritdaily.net/escorts.htm
crystal_waters
New member
Do Souls in Purgatory Return from the Dead?
Yes, they sometimes do. Should we be terrified or grateful?
aleteia.org/2015/11/02/do-souls-in-purgatory-return-from-the-dead/
Yes, they sometimes do. Should we be terrified or grateful?
aleteia.org/2015/11/02/do-souls-in-purgatory-return-from-the-dead/
crystal_waters
New member
Practices and Devotions
Remembering the Holy Souls all Year Long
Mark the seasons with devotions for the Holy Souls in Purgatory.
by Susan Tassone
theintercessionofthesaints.weebly.com/intercession-of-the-holy-souls-of-purgatory.html
Remembering the Holy Souls all Year Long
Mark the seasons with devotions for the Holy Souls in Purgatory.
by Susan Tassone
theintercessionofthesaints.weebly.com/intercession-of-the-holy-souls-of-purgatory.html
T
tbcrawford
Guest
Eternal God , in whom mercy is endless,
and the treasury of compassion inexhastible ,
look kindly upon us and increase Your mercy in us ,
that in difficult moments we might not despair
nor become despondent , but with great confidence ,
submit ourselves to Your Holy Will ,
which is love and mercy itself . Amen
Memorare (Prayer to Our Lady)
Remember, O most gracious Virgin Mary, that never was it known that anyone who fled to your protection, implored your help, or sought your intercession, was left unaided.
Inspired by this confidence, I fly unto you, O Virgin of virgins, my Mother. To you do I come, before you I stand, sinful and sorrowful. O Mother of the Word Incarnate, despise not my petitions, but in your mercy, hear and answer me. Amen
and the treasury of compassion inexhastible ,
look kindly upon us and increase Your mercy in us ,
that in difficult moments we might not despair
nor become despondent , but with great confidence ,
submit ourselves to Your Holy Will ,
which is love and mercy itself . Amen
Memorare (Prayer to Our Lady)
Remember, O most gracious Virgin Mary, that never was it known that anyone who fled to your protection, implored your help, or sought your intercession, was left unaided.
Inspired by this confidence, I fly unto you, O Virgin of virgins, my Mother. To you do I come, before you I stand, sinful and sorrowful. O Mother of the Word Incarnate, despise not my petitions, but in your mercy, hear and answer me. Amen
crystal_waters
New member
St. Faustina, Bl Stanislaus, and Caring for Souls in Purgatory
Our Lord told St. Faustina: “I demand from you deeds of mercy, which are to arise out of love for Me. You are to show mercy to your neighbors always and everywhere” (Diary of St. Faustina, 742).
Those neighbors include the Holy Souls in Purgatory.
This month, November, is the month of remembrance for the Holy Souls in Purgatory. We are called to deepen our commitment to the suffering faithful whose souls are being purified in purgatory, whether they are loved ones or strangers.
Through St. Faustina’s Diary, we can learn much about their suffering and how our prayers for them can be beneficial. We can also learn much from the founder of the Congregation of Marians of the Immaculate Conception, Blessed Stanislaus Papczynski.
Both saw visions of suffering souls in purgatory. Both left as one of their legacies their love and concern for these souls.
Saint Faustina has 14 references in her Diary relating to souls in purgatory, even going so far as to mention that “suffering for even one soul is worth the sacrifice of a lifetime” (Diary, 1435). She writes: “In a moment I was in a misty place full of fire in which there was a great crowd of suffering souls. They were praying fervently, but to no avail, for themselves; only we can come to their aid. … I asked these souls what their greatest suffering was. They answered me in one voice that their greatest torment was longing for God” (Diary, 20).
At another point in her Diary, St. Faustina writes: “One night, a sister who had died two months previously came to me. … I saw her in a terrible condition … I redoubled my prayers for her. The next night she came again, but I saw her in an even more horrible state, in the midst of flames which were even more intense, and despair was written all over her face. … I asked, ‘Haven’t my prayers helped you?’ She answered that my prayers had not helped her and that nothing would help her. I said to her, ‘And the prayers which the whole community has offered for you, have they not been any help to you?’ She said no, that these prayers have helped some other souls. I replied, ‘If my prayers are not helping you, Sister, please stop coming to me.’ She disappeared at once. Despite this, I kept on praying. After some time she came back again to me during the night, but already her appearance had changed. There were no longer any flames, as there had been before, and her face was radiant, her eyes beaming with joy. She told me that I had a true love for my neighbor and that many other souls had profited from my prayers. She urged me not to cease praying for the souls in purgatory, and she added that she herself would not remain there much longer” (58).
You see, prayers work!
Our Lord told St. Faustina: “I demand from you deeds of mercy, which are to arise out of love for Me. You are to show mercy to your neighbors always and everywhere” (Diary of St. Faustina, 742).
Those neighbors include the Holy Souls in Purgatory.
This month, November, is the month of remembrance for the Holy Souls in Purgatory. We are called to deepen our commitment to the suffering faithful whose souls are being purified in purgatory, whether they are loved ones or strangers.
Through St. Faustina’s Diary, we can learn much about their suffering and how our prayers for them can be beneficial. We can also learn much from the founder of the Congregation of Marians of the Immaculate Conception, Blessed Stanislaus Papczynski.
Both saw visions of suffering souls in purgatory. Both left as one of their legacies their love and concern for these souls.
Saint Faustina has 14 references in her Diary relating to souls in purgatory, even going so far as to mention that “suffering for even one soul is worth the sacrifice of a lifetime” (Diary, 1435). She writes: “In a moment I was in a misty place full of fire in which there was a great crowd of suffering souls. They were praying fervently, but to no avail, for themselves; only we can come to their aid. … I asked these souls what their greatest suffering was. They answered me in one voice that their greatest torment was longing for God” (Diary, 20).
At another point in her Diary, St. Faustina writes: “One night, a sister who had died two months previously came to me. … I saw her in a terrible condition … I redoubled my prayers for her. The next night she came again, but I saw her in an even more horrible state, in the midst of flames which were even more intense, and despair was written all over her face. … I asked, ‘Haven’t my prayers helped you?’ She answered that my prayers had not helped her and that nothing would help her. I said to her, ‘And the prayers which the whole community has offered for you, have they not been any help to you?’ She said no, that these prayers have helped some other souls. I replied, ‘If my prayers are not helping you, Sister, please stop coming to me.’ She disappeared at once. Despite this, I kept on praying. After some time she came back again to me during the night, but already her appearance had changed. There were no longer any flames, as there had been before, and her face was radiant, her eyes beaming with joy. She told me that I had a true love for my neighbor and that many other souls had profited from my prayers. She urged me not to cease praying for the souls in purgatory, and she added that she herself would not remain there much longer” (58).
You see, prayers work!
crystal_waters
New member
(Continued)
Father Stanislaus, who founded the Congregation of Marians of the Immaculate Conception more than 300 years ago and who was beatified in September, made it a main cause for all Marians to help the souls in purgatory shorten their time of separation from God.
Living in a war-torn time period, Blessed Stanislaus witnessed thousands of casualties on battlefields and also from dreaded plagues. He himself accompanied Polish troops as a chaplain in battles against Turkey in Ukraine in 1674. He was deeply saddened to observe how many people died with no time to prepare to meet their Maker. He experienced visions of the Holy Souls in Purgatory. He was moved to engage in (and advocate for) prayer and penance on their behalf of the dead.
In one account, at a gathering of family, friends, and religious, Blessed Stanislaus had a profound mystical experience of the Holy Souls in Purgatory. He later told his confreres: “Pray, brethren, for the souls in purgatory, for they suffer unbearably.” He then locked himself in his cell and spent three days praying for them.
Both St. Faustina and Blessed Stanislaus not only invite us to pray for these souls, they invite us to expand our awareness of the spiritual world. They both understood that the line between our world and the “afterlife” is very thin.
“The mistake many people make is to conceive of the departed as being someplace else, someplace far away and very mysterious,” says Fr. Walter Dziordz, MIC. "Such thinking hampers our ability to become deeply intimate with these still lingering souls. The truth is, these souls remain very near to us.
“Are there grounds for such thinking? The late Pontiff, John Paul II, stated in several instances that heaven, hell, and purgatory are not places, but rather states of being,” Fr. Walter continues. “Saint Padre Pio understood this. He ‘saw’ more of the dead than of the living in his own lifetime. He would see the departed as we see each other!”
We are invited to a similar awareness — to understand that the departed are “not gone” but rather simply not visible in the same way as before. They suffer continually with an intense burning of love and longing to be with God.
This month, take special care to nourish your awareness of the spiritual world. Understand that the souls in purgatory are asking us to pray for them in the way that we did when we could see them in the flesh. Pray especially for victims of war, tragedy, and disease.
These souls need us. Consider, as a deed of mercy this month, praying for them daily. Through our prayers, we help set them free from those human failings that block their path into the eternal joy of paradise.
Like St. Faustina and Blessed Stanislaus, we are called to come to their aid.
To begin this month of special prayers, we can recite the words of St. Faustina: “O Jesus, my love extends beyond the world, to the souls suffering in purgatory, and I want to exercise mercy toward them by means of indulgenced prayers. … O Jesus, make my heart sensitive to all the sufferings of my neighbor, whether of body or of soul” (Diary, 692).
thedivinemercy.org/news/Souls-in-Need-2448
Father Stanislaus, who founded the Congregation of Marians of the Immaculate Conception more than 300 years ago and who was beatified in September, made it a main cause for all Marians to help the souls in purgatory shorten their time of separation from God.
Living in a war-torn time period, Blessed Stanislaus witnessed thousands of casualties on battlefields and also from dreaded plagues. He himself accompanied Polish troops as a chaplain in battles against Turkey in Ukraine in 1674. He was deeply saddened to observe how many people died with no time to prepare to meet their Maker. He experienced visions of the Holy Souls in Purgatory. He was moved to engage in (and advocate for) prayer and penance on their behalf of the dead.
In one account, at a gathering of family, friends, and religious, Blessed Stanislaus had a profound mystical experience of the Holy Souls in Purgatory. He later told his confreres: “Pray, brethren, for the souls in purgatory, for they suffer unbearably.” He then locked himself in his cell and spent three days praying for them.
Both St. Faustina and Blessed Stanislaus not only invite us to pray for these souls, they invite us to expand our awareness of the spiritual world. They both understood that the line between our world and the “afterlife” is very thin.
“The mistake many people make is to conceive of the departed as being someplace else, someplace far away and very mysterious,” says Fr. Walter Dziordz, MIC. "Such thinking hampers our ability to become deeply intimate with these still lingering souls. The truth is, these souls remain very near to us.
“Are there grounds for such thinking? The late Pontiff, John Paul II, stated in several instances that heaven, hell, and purgatory are not places, but rather states of being,” Fr. Walter continues. “Saint Padre Pio understood this. He ‘saw’ more of the dead than of the living in his own lifetime. He would see the departed as we see each other!”
We are invited to a similar awareness — to understand that the departed are “not gone” but rather simply not visible in the same way as before. They suffer continually with an intense burning of love and longing to be with God.
This month, take special care to nourish your awareness of the spiritual world. Understand that the souls in purgatory are asking us to pray for them in the way that we did when we could see them in the flesh. Pray especially for victims of war, tragedy, and disease.
These souls need us. Consider, as a deed of mercy this month, praying for them daily. Through our prayers, we help set them free from those human failings that block their path into the eternal joy of paradise.
Like St. Faustina and Blessed Stanislaus, we are called to come to their aid.
To begin this month of special prayers, we can recite the words of St. Faustina: “O Jesus, my love extends beyond the world, to the souls suffering in purgatory, and I want to exercise mercy toward them by means of indulgenced prayers. … O Jesus, make my heart sensitive to all the sufferings of my neighbor, whether of body or of soul” (Diary, 692).
thedivinemercy.org/news/Souls-in-Need-2448
crystal_waters
New member
T
tbcrawford
Guest
Eternal God , in whom mercy is endless,
and the treasury of compassion inexhastible ,
look kindly upon us and increase Your mercy in us ,
that in difficult moments we might not despair
nor become despondent , but with great confidence ,
submit ourselves to Your Holy Will ,
which is love and mercy itself . Amen
Memorare (Prayer to Our Lady)
Remember, O most gracious Virgin Mary, that never was it known that anyone who fled to your protection, implored your help, or sought your intercession, was left unaided.
Inspired by this confidence, I fly unto you, O Virgin of virgins, my Mother. To you do I come, before you I stand, sinful and sorrowful. O Mother of the Word Incarnate, despise not my petitions, but in your mercy, hear and answer me. Amen
and the treasury of compassion inexhastible ,
look kindly upon us and increase Your mercy in us ,
that in difficult moments we might not despair
nor become despondent , but with great confidence ,
submit ourselves to Your Holy Will ,
which is love and mercy itself . Amen
Memorare (Prayer to Our Lady)
Remember, O most gracious Virgin Mary, that never was it known that anyone who fled to your protection, implored your help, or sought your intercession, was left unaided.
Inspired by this confidence, I fly unto you, O Virgin of virgins, my Mother. To you do I come, before you I stand, sinful and sorrowful. O Mother of the Word Incarnate, despise not my petitions, but in your mercy, hear and answer me. Amen
crystal_waters
New member
I’m bumping this thread as its November, the month of the holy souls, and also so that people can make use of the prayers on the thread
S
svid2
Guest
Pax Christi.
Good idea, CW, and thank you.
I’m praying the Divine Mercy Chaplet this year, and I visited the local cemetery.
Hoping everyone does something for the Poor Souls.
God bless.
Good idea, CW, and thank you.
I’m praying the Divine Mercy Chaplet this year, and I visited the local cemetery.
Hoping everyone does something for the Poor Souls.
God bless.
W
waffle_anna
Guest
The Holy Souls have helped me a lot in a very important matter, even though I was so unworthy of it… but even my smallest prayers have helped them. I’ll remember them all year long and all my life… they are my little friends in Heaven 
crystal_waters
New member
Thats wonderful that they helped youThe Holy Souls have helped me a lot in a very important matter, even though I was so unworthy of it… but even my smallest prayers have helped them. I’ll remember them all year long and all my life… they are my little friends in Heaven
You are right, even the smallest prayer is helpful to them, thats why we must pray for them always, as they urgently need our prayers and amongst them could be our own loved ones and our ancestors or even missionaries, religious, priests, theres alot of people who have lived in the work and unless they died as pure as a saint theres a good chance they may have to visit purgatory before heaven so you can never pray too much for the holy souls as there are many there who are relying on your prayers and generosity - Status