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All Souls Regulations
An indulgence, applicable only to the Souls in Purgatory, is granted to the faithful, who devoutly visit a cemetery and pray, even if only mentally, for the departed. The indulgence is plenary each day from the first to the eighth of November; on other days of the year it is partial.
A plenary indulgence, applicable only to the Souls in Purgatory, is granted to the faithful, who on the day dedicated to the Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed [November 2 {as well as on the Sunday preceding or following, and on All Saints' Day}] piously visit a church. In visiting the church it is required that one Our Father and the Creed be recited.
To acquire a plenary indulgence it is necessary also to fulfill the following three conditions: sacramental Confession, Eucharistic communion, and prayer for the intention of the Holy Father. The three conditions may be fulfilled several days before or after the performance of the visit; it is, however, fitting that communion be received and the prayer for the intention of the Holy Father be said on the same day as the visit.
The condition of praying for the intention of the Holy Father is fully satisfied by reciting one Our Father and one Hail Mary. A plenary indulgence can be acquired only once in the course of the day.
As Catholics we have the right, on the occasion of our death, to the Mass of Christian Burial, as well as to burial in a Catholic cemetery or mausoleum. The rites of Christian burial combine proper reverence for the body of the dead with a faith-filled hope in the resurrection of the body.
FEAST OF ALL SAINTS: OUR GOAL IS HOLINESS THROUGH PRAYER
VATICAN CITY, NOV 1, 2003 (VIS) – Today, feast of All Saints, Pope John Paul appeared at his study window to recite the Angelus with pilgrims gathered below in St. Peter’s Square and, in remarks before the prayer, said that this feast, “by inviting us to look at the immense multitude of those who have already reached the blessed homeland, shows us the path that leads to that destination.”
He added that “the Saints and Blesseds of heaven remind us, pilgrims on earth, that the support we have every day in order to never lose sight of our eternal destination is above all prayer. For many of them this was the rosary, a prayer to which a year was dedicated, a year that closed yesterday – that offered a privileged means for their daily talk with the Lord. The Rosary led them to an ever greater intimacy with Christ and the Blessed Virgin. The Rosary can truly be a simple and accessible way for everyone to holiness, which is the vocation of every baptized person as well today’s feast reminds us.”
After praying the Angelus, the Holy Father noted that “it is the pious tradition during these days for faithful to go visit the graves of their dear ones and to pray for them. I too am spiritually visiting cemeteries in many parts of the world where those who preceded us in the sign of faith lie. In particular I pray for the repose of the souls of those about whom no one thinks, as well as for the many victims of violence.”
On the feast of All Saints, it is customary for the Pope to go into the Vatican Grottoes to pray for his predecessors. This evening, however, according to Press Office Director Joaquin Navarro-Valls, Pope John Paul celebrated a Mass in his private chapel for the 25th anniversary of the death of Popes Paul VI and John Paul I., who had also used this chapel.
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PRAYING FOR THE DEAD IS AN IMPORTANT DUTY
VATICAN CITY, NOV 2, 2003 (VIS) – Today at noon the Pope appeared at his study window with many thousands of people gathered below in St. Peter’s Square. John Paul II recalled that today, November 2, we remember “all those who have left this world and are waiting to reach the heavenly city. The Church has always urged us to pray for the dead. She invites believers to regard the mystery of death not as the last word on human fate but as a journey toward eternal life.”
“It is an important duty of ours to pray for the dead because although they may have died in grace and in friendship with God, they may still be in need of a last purification in order to enter into the joy of heaven. Prayer for the souls of the dead can be expressed in various ways, including a visit to the cemetery. Going to these sacred places provides an auspicious occasion to reflect on the meaning of earthly life and to nourish, at the same time, hope in the blessed eternity of paradise.”
At the end, the Holy Father prayed that “Mary, Gate of Heaven, help us never to lose sight of our heavenly homeland, ultimate goal of our pilgrimage here on earth.” After the Angelus, the Pope greeted those who had come to St. Peter’s Square to pray the Marian prayer, “which we have offered for the deceased, in particular those who are most forgotten.” Then, in off-the-cuff remarks in Polish, he thanked his fellow Poles from Krakow for having gone to the graves of his parents and his brother in the cemetery at Rakowize to pray for the repose of their souls.
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Father Pat Umberger Not to be reproduced or electronically transmitted without permission. This appears on the Web Site Father Pat's Place
John Paul II Quotes Vatican Information Service (VIS), Used with Vatican Permission Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam. Vivat Jesus!
