November Is The Month of the Poor Souls of Purgatory
Efficacious Prayer for the Faithful Departed
O Most compassionate Jesus, have mercy on the Souls detained in Purgatory,
for whose redemption Thou didst take upon Thyself our nature and endure a bitter death.
Mercifully hear their sighs, look with pity upon the tears which they now shed before Thee,
and by virtue of Thy Passion, release them from the pains due to their sins.
O most merciful Jesus, let Thy Precious Blood reach down into Purgatory and refresh and revive the captive souls who suffer there.
Stretch out to them Thy strong right hand, and bring them forth into the place of refreshment, light and peace. Amen.
OUR LADY OF INTERCESSION
[For the Holy Souls]
Most holy Mary, Our Lady of Intercession whose maternal tenderness gathers in one embrace all the souls redeemed by the Precious Blood of thy Son Jesus, we come before thy royal throne with sadness in our hearts as we remember those who have gone before us, but also with unlimited confidence in thine intercession. Death, which burst asunder the bonds of earth, has not destroyed the affection which binds us to those who lived in the same faith as we do. O Mary, countless souls await with unutterable anxiety the assistance of our prayers, and the merits of our good works in that place of expiation. Urged by the charity of Jesus Christ, we raise our countenance and heart in supplication to thee, the compassionate Mother of all believers, in favor of those suffering souls. Make our prayers of good effect, O Mary; obtain for them the power to move the Heart of Jesus our Redeemer through thy motherly intercession.
Let thine incomparable holiness supply the defects of our misery, thy love make good our languid affection, thy power strengthen our weakness. Grant, O Queen of Heaven, that the ardent desire of the souls of the departed to be admitted to the Beatific Vision may soon be satisfied. We pray to thee, O Mother, especially for the souls of our relations, of priests, of those who were zealous in honoring thee, of those who did good to the souls of others, of those who wept with them and for them and, finally, for the souls of those who are forgotten. Grant that one day, when we are all reunited in Heaven, we may be able to rejoice in the possession of God, in the happiness of thy dear presence, in the fellowship of all the Saints, thanking thee forever for all the blessings thou hast obtained for us, O Mother, who art our unfailing comfort. Amen.
Hail Mary three times, and once Eternal rest grant unto them, etc.
DE PROFUNDIS
Psalm 129
Out of the depths have I cried unto Thee, O Lord: O Lord, hear my voice.
Let Thine ears be attentive to the voice of my supplication,
If Thou, O Lord, wilt mark iniquities: Lord, who shall abide it?
For with Thee there is merciful forgiveness: and because of Thy law I have waited for Thee, O Lord.
My soul hath waited 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 is plenteous redemption.
And He shall redeem Israel from all his iniquities.
Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Ghost, as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.
Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon them. Amen.
Indulgenced Prayer for the Most Forgotten Soul
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 bequeathed to His Holy
Church to be the perpetual Sacrifice and life-giving nourishment of His
faithful people, deliver the Souls in Purgatory, but most of all
that soul which was most devoted to this Mystery of infinite love
[and is most forgotten,] in order that it may praise Thee always,
together with Thy Divine Son and the Holy Ghost in Thy glory for ever.
Amen.
1 Our Father, Hail Mary and Eternal Rest
A partial indulgence; if prayer for a month, then a plenary indulgence for a Soul in Purgatory with all the usual requirements for gaining a plenary indulgence. The indulgence is applicable only to a Holy Soul.
Prayer for Deceased Parents
O God, Who hast commanded us to honor our father and our mother,
in Thy mercy have pity on the souls of my father and mother,
and forgive them their trespasses, and make me to see them again in the joy of everlasting brightness. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.
For Our Own: Prayer for the Holy Souls
Good Jesus, Whose loving Heart was ever troubled by the sorrows of others,
look with pity on the Souls of our dear loved ones in Purgatory.
O Thou Who didst “Love Thy Own” hear our cry for mercy,
and grant that those whom Thou hast called from our homes and hearts,
may soon enjoy everlasting rest in the home of Thy Love in Heaven. Amen.
Eternal rest grant unto them, O, Lord.
And let perpetual light shine upon them. Amen.
A Little Act of Entrusting a Soul to Mary
IMMACULATE Heart of Mary, I entrust to thee the salvation of [Name],
having great confidence that thou wilt save him [or her]!
Then we can feel that this problem is Our Lady’s problem too,
and she has untold resources with which to convert this soul.
And as well as the problem, likewise the glory of his conversion will belong to her,
if and when it comes. Our Lady’s task is to think up a way to convert him,
send him the grace, and perhaps show us how we are to cooperate with this plan.
Our task is to keep on praying—–and with great confidence, plus to make sacrifices.
If this person’s conversion seems very unlikely, let us not think about that,
nor try to figure out a clever way to win over his heart,
but simply have confidence in the Immaculate Heart of Mary.
A very powerful way to pray for the Poor Souls is to enlist the help of our Blessed Mother,
asking her to pour the Precious Blood upon them.
As mentioned earlier, it seems that God has put the Precious Blood and its saving power at Our Lady’s disposal,
to dispense as she sees fit.
Prayer to the Immaculate Heart of Mary for Poor Souls
IMMACULATE Heart of Mary, do thou pour some drops of the Precious Blood upon the soul of [Name],
and deliver him [or her] from Purgatory.
