About All Souls Day
Feast Day: November 2
November 2 is the Commemoration of the Faithful Departed (All Souls Day). On this day we pray for loved ones who have departed this earth.
This feast day follows Solemnity of All Saints (All Saints Day) when we remember all men and women who were servants of the Lord while here on earth.
Mass Readings
These are the readings for All Souls Day
- First Reading: Wisdom 3:1-9: “For if before men, indeed, they be punished, yet is their hope full of immortality; chastised a little, they shall be greatly blessed, because God tried them and found them worthy of himself.”
- Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 23: “Though I walk in the valley of darkness, I fear no evil, for you are with me.”
- Second Reading: Romans 6:3-9: If, then, we have died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him.”
- Gospel: John 6:37-40: “And this is the will of the one who sent me, that I should not lose anything of what he gave me, but that I should raise it on the last day.”
For it is a holy and wholesome thought to pray for the dead, that they may be loosed from sins.
2 Maccabees 12:46
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Daily prayers for the souls in purgatory
Resources
Why Do Catholics Pray for the Dead?
Catholics believe in Purgatory, which is a state of purification. These prayers are an expression of our trust in God’s mercy.
Why Do Catholics Believe in Purgatory?
If God forgives our sins, why do Catholics believe in Purgatory? The short answer is that our sins are like breaking a window. God forgives us, but there is still some repair work to be done. Our sins have consequences.
Prayer for the Grieving
Even though we know our loved ones are in God’s hands, we still miss them. This prayer is appropriate for anyone who is grieving.
The Guardian’s Farewell
This is a beautiful song / poem for this day on which we remember loved ones who have passed away.
I Ain’t Afraid of No Ghosts (Video)
Yes, Catholics can believe that ghosts could exist, but we should not attempt to communicate with them.
There is a mysterious solidarity in Christ between those who have already passed to the other life and we pilgrims in this one. Our deceased loved ones continue to take care of us from Heaven. They pray for us, and we pray for them and we pray with them.
Pope Francis