The Lady in a Red Dress: Recalling a Visit from a Poor Soul...

Today is the Feast of All Souls.  I love how our Church designates special days of the year to remember and celebrate important truths of our Faith... and today is one of them. We recall - together, as the universal Church - our beloved deceased and pray for them to rest in peace, just in case they haven't yet attained the direct presence of God in the afterlife. Given the significance of the Feast, I am today sharing another personal story to encourage prayer for the Poor Souls; to testify to the value of our prayers for them and how we certainly make a positive difference for the souls we pray for.  This experience happened over 25 years ago and I swear to the truth of it...

I once knew a lady who I called "Auntie Mary"; she was the cousin of a close friend of mine. Auntie Mary was a pleasantly plump woman in her late 40s with wavy shoulder-length hair, a lovely smile, and a jovial personality. To make a long story short, she was diagnosed with cancer, which quickly spread throughout her body. The chemo therapy she went through did nothing for her except make her sicker and she also lost all her thick dark hair. Within a year her cancer was terminal and it was apparent she was in constant pain as the disease progressed.

Often, when I went to visit my friend, I took some time to sit with Auntie Mary to chat and pray with her, especially when her pain was intense.  She liked it when I did that.

It wasn't long before Auntie Mary was in the hospital dying. My friend gave me a call requesting that I come to the hospital, asap, as Auntie Mary was asking for me. There, I found her in distress and when she heard my voice, she called out to me repeating over and over, "Peter, I'm scared... Peter, I'm scared."  She had already gone blind.

I sat down beside her and placed into her hand a plastic statuette of Our Lady of Fatima that I had brought with me.  It was somewhat of a risk because Auntie Mary and her immediate family were lapsed Catholics who had joined the Jehovah's Witnesses years before, but she wasn't die-hard about practicing it... so I held her hand in mine and gently encouraged her to ask our Blessed Mother for the grace of a peaceful death.  I also reminded her of God's unconditional love for her and his Divine Mercy. We spent several minutes in prayer before I had to leave Auntie Mary's side to allow family members to bid her farewell.  I left the statue in her hand.

Fast forward three days - I got word from my friend that Auntie Mary had passed away. My friend also returned the statuette to me and told me Auntie Mary had died clutching the Marian image in her hand; she never let it go. I recall being happy to learn that the Blessed Virgin had somehow touched Auntie Mary and I offered prayers for her peaceful repose.  What happened next was remarkable and completely unexpected...

A drawing representing the lady

in red from my dream.

Several days after Auntie Mary died, I had a very vivid dream: I saw a lovely woman standing in the midst of what appeared to be a burnt forest - the surrounding was gloomy with smoke, ashes covered the ground, and charred trees were all over the place (somewhat like the photo at the very top). In contrast, the lady stood out wearing a red, fitted Chinese-style dress and she had very long hair that fell loosely down to her back side. She smiled brightly at me and with a familiarity that I didn't understand at first. It was only after staring at her for a while that it finally dawned on me that she was actually Auntie Mary... but looking much more youthful and leaner! As if she had been waiting for my recognition, she then silently beckoned to me with a hand before turning around to walk through a path in the devastation.  I followed. 

I don't recall how long we walked or how far we went but I did notice that, as we kept moving forward, the surrounding landscape gradually changed - grass and other greenery started sprouting up along side us with more and more healthy trees. Eventually the dead landscape was completely replaced by a beautiful lush forest and we ended up in a clearing where a small grassy mound was at the center. I can still visualize the warm sunbeams shining down brightly unto the mound through an opening in the upper foliage. The place evoked a deep sense of peace and calm. 

Auntie Mary walked to the top of the mound and, in a manner most graceful, she sat herself on the grass before laying down on her right side, facing me with her hands joined together under her cheek. Taking one last look at me, she smiled again and seemed to fall into a peaceful sleep atop the cool grass.   I then awoke from my own sleep.

After praying and seriously meditating about the meaning of my dream, I came to the conclusion that Auntie Mary was saved and was either undergoing her personal Purgatory or, perhaps had even completed it, as symbolized by her gradual transition from a dark, devasted forest to another one of grand beauty and serenity where she eventually found rest.  Whatever the case, I was happy for her because I knew how much she had suffered at the end.

The reality of my experience was validated a couple of weeks later at Auntie Mary's funeral. I took the initiative to speak with "Grandma Joseph" (Auntie Mary's mother) to tell her about my dream. I told her how I saw Auntie Mary with long hair - longer than what I ever saw her with; how she appeared slimmer and healthy; happy and peaceful... wearing the unusual red dress. Grandma Joseph choked up with emotion before revealing to me that her daughter, in her youth, was admired by many for her long beautiful hair that went down past her back... in addition, she had a favorite dress she wore regularly - a red, knee-length Chinese dress!

2025 UPDATE: Using AI, I had my drawing

of the lady in red recreated as a photo-realistic

image.  Above is the eerily accurate result!

Needless to say, I was blown away by what I learned from Grandma Joseph. I knew then, for certain, it was indeed Auntie Mary in my dream and, although she never said a word, I understood she came to personally let me know she was in a good place, as well as, to express her gratitude for the prayers offered on her behalf. I was also convicted that the Church is correct about an intermediate spiritual state or place of purification for the faithfully departed, and our prayers really do have the power to relieve them.

A painting that reminds me of the forest

scene in my dream.

So please - pray, pray, pray for your beloved dead.  Plead the Lord's Divine Mercy upon them.  There are countless Poor Souls eagerly awaiting our prayers right now.  With a simple prayer such as the one below one can make a big difference to a soul in need - pray it often:

Grant unto them, O Lord, eternal rest;

let Your perpetual light shine upon them.

May they rest in peace.  Amen.

Saint of the Month - November 2020: Sr. Josepha of Jesus Lindmayr

The Servant of God

Sr. Josepha of Jesus

(a.k.a. Maria Anna Lindmayr)

Once again it's November, the month especially dedicated by Holy Mother Church to the remembrance of the Poor Souls ... and today I am happy to feature a holy Carmelite who had a great devotion to them.  She isn't officially a Saint yet, but her Cause for Canonization was opened by her diocese, which speaks well of the worthiness of her character.

A painting of Maria Anna Lindmayer,

the future Sr. Josepha of Jesus.

Born on September 9, 1657, Maria Anna's father was Franz Lindmayr, a valet to the Duke of Bayern-Leuchtenberg, and her mother was named Eva Maria.  Together, the Lindmayrs had 15 children who the couple raised in a strict Catholic upbringing.  This daughter, in particular, was extraordinarily gifted in spirit from her early childhood - so much so, that she was reportedly favored with an apparition of the Blessed Virgin at just 8-years-old!

At 12 Maria Anna was introduced to the Church's teaching about the Poor Souls, whose sufferings tugged at her heart.  She maintained a life-long devotion to them, offering prayers and intense voluntary sacrifices on their behalf (more will be shared about her devotion to the Holy Souls further down in this post).

Now despite her childhood piety and experiences, Maria Anna did not decisively surrender herself to Christ until age 15 when, through the influence of her Carmelite confessor, she began discerning the Lord's will for her life.  Her commitment to belong solely to God was solidified during a deep conversion experience after having made a general confession.  A few years later she attempted to enter three local convents but was unsuccessful due to chronic poor health.  Returning home each time, she plunged herself into a regimen of deep prayer, self-mortification, and extreme penances (she secretly wore a spiked belt next to her skin and habitually fasted).  At about the same time mystical graces resurfaced and escalated in her life, which included apparitions of Jesus and other heavenly personages, and the Sacred Stigmata.

On July 16, 1687, Maria Anna became a Carmelite Tertiary and was clothed in the Order's Brown Scapular.  She continued living as a consecrated laywoman, running her household and caring for her younger siblings, while heavily involved in the building of a church in Munich honoring the Holy Trinity; she had prophetically encouraged the citizens to construct the church to ward off a plague and the encroachment of an ongoing war, which it effectively did.

In October 1711, at the mature age of 54, Anna Maria was finally admitted into a newly established Discalced Carmelite cloister that was built next to the church she helped to raise; her profession took place on May 1713 under the religious name of Sr. Josepha of Jesus.  There, in Carmel, she was first appointed the infirmarian but was elected to the 3-year post of Prioress in 1716 and 1719... then named Novice-Mistress, beginning in 1722 (Lindmayr was actually elected to a third term as Prioress but declined the office, allowing herself to be persuaded to take charge of training the novices instead).

Sr. Josepha prayed constantly for

the Poor Souls in Purgatory.

Going back to her devotion to the Poor Souls, Sr. Josepha reportedly had mystical, personal contact with them and even visited Purgatory on several occasions.  Fortunately, she left behind detailed written accounts of her experiences, which are full of profound insights into Purgatory and the state of the souls in purification. Cited below are just a few excerpts from her writings:

  "It was also revealed to me that to the Holy Souls, one hour seems longer than twenty years of extreme suffering on this earth. I also understood that even if we could arrange for them to get out of Purgatory and to go to Heaven, although not completely purified, the Holy Souls would rather stay until judgment day than appear before God even with the smallest stain... Oh yes, we can indeed call them 'holy', the Holy Souls of Purgatory, since they are full of love for God. They burn more with the love of God and the desire to be with Him who is so good and to rejoice in His presence. This fire of love burns them more than the fire of punishment."

And here's more..

  "Another time, I saw Purgatory as a prison of fire, as a place where the fire is frightening. All the fires of the world united could not compare to it, and the Poor Souls were plunged into it like sparks. They are so numerous that my eyes could not embrace at a glance the entire multitude, so vast it is."

Lastly...

  "To give an idea of the vast number of these Poor Souls, God made me see Purgatory in the form of an anthill. I asked why the Souls were shown to me in this way. I was given to understand that an anthill has a outer cover so we cannot actually see the great number of ants inside. But if we stir it with a stick, or if we put smoke to it, the ants will come out by the thousands. I realized from this that there were in Purgatory, many, many Souls hidden from our eyes, as in a covered anthill as I had just seen... He was using me, as it were, as the end of a stick to stir up the anthill, for me to see in Purgatory the hidden crowd of Souls that we think are already in Heaven."

It goes without saying, deeply moved by what she witnessed in visions, Sr. Josepha responded generously to the plight of the Faithful Departed by offering countless sacrifices and extraordinary mystical sufferings for their release.  The souls, in turn, had great confidence in the effectiveness of her prayer - with God's express permission, they appeared to her with uncommon frequency and, at times, even gently pulled on her cloak to get her attention, so eager were they to obtain relief!

Towards the end of her illustrious life the "Saint of Munich" lost her sight and suffered from a lingering illness.  The Servant of God died peacefully at aged 69 on December 6, 1726.

Above: A painting of Sr. Josepha of

Jesus in death

Below: How A.I. technology interprets

her likely facial features

The year following her passing, Josepha's Cause for Canonization was initiated by her Bishop.  However, it remains stalled up to the present day.  A contributing factor is the suppression of her convent and the forced eviction of the Carmelites in 1802 by the anti-clerical government that came into power. Furthermore, in 1803, the mystic's grave was secretly opened by the Munich police and her bones, along with the remains of other deceased nuns, were sacrilegiously buried in an unmarked pit.  Thus, sadly, the bodily relics of this holy nun are presently lost to the world.

Please join this ministry in praying for the revival and continued progress of Sr. Josepha of Jesus's Cause ... and let us seriously take her message about the Holy Souls to heart.  In union with her prayer from Heaven and other Faithful in the Church, let us pray: Dear God, grant unto the Poor Souls eternal rest and peace.  Let perpetual light shine upon them.  Amen.

“It is a holy and wholesome

thought to pray for the dead, that

they may be freed from sins.”

- 2 Mach. 12:46

A Soul Rises Up!

I recently had another curious experience that I need to write about because it has to do with the Holy Souls; I couldn't pass up another opportunity to encourage devotion to them.

So, as most of us cradle-Catholics know, November is the month when we pay extra-special attention to the deceased. On the first day of this month we honored all the inhabitants of Heaven on All Saints Day... and, on the day after, we celebrated All Souls Day praying for the dead in the hope that, any who are saved but undergoing painful purgatory, will be relieved by our prayer (especially loved ones). Still, there are devout people out there who continue this beautiful spiritual discipline all throughout November as a special devotion.

I highly recommend having devotion to the Poor Souls to all who will read this post because praying for them benefits us, as well... and not just in a manner that's spiritually meritorious in the Lord's eyes.  Allow me to elaborate...

For me, I pray for the Souls in Purgatory, daily, by offering at least one Divine Mercy Chaplet on their behalf and my Holy Communions. In particular, I pray for the souls of my ancestors and present-time relatives who've passed on. I sense that as the piles of "residue" of my ancestors' sins are "burned" away, there's a measure of healing that's also entering into the lives of their descendants... who would be us. It's all part of the interesting concept of "generational healing" of family sins and curses that's coming into the limelight within the Church.

Pleading the Precious Blood of Christ upon

the Poor Souls is particularly effective.

Anyhow, I've been seriously fascinated with the idea of healing my family tree for a few years now and it has added a whole other dimension to my own devotion to the Poor Souls. I not only just pray for them but I now also pray to the Lord to extend their purification to myself and my living relatives... and I've noticed positive differences in my own life and the lives of my siblings.  It's true.

Now going back to the original topic of praying for the deceased during November, something strange happened that prompted the title of today's blog. I'm currently on a trip taking lots of photos and, while reviewing pics on my cellphone, I came across a single image I don't recall taking... and I'm puzzled as to how it got in my phone. It's quite striking, actually, because there appears to be a ghostly figure in it.  See for yourself in the photo below.

After praying to discern the meaning behind the photo, the strong impression that came to me was that it was an extraordinary confirmation - a little sign from God - of a soul of one of my ancestors rising out of his/her purgation. The soul is clearly discernible as a human form, floating upwards towards a brilliant light, which happens to be at the very center of a large white cross.  The imagery is highly appropriate, wouldn't you agree?

Whatever the case, the photo gave me much joy after initial goosebumps. I was happy a soul is now free of its purification and on its way to be in the loving presence of God.  Thank you, Lord!

So please pray for the Holy Souls, too, and not just during November... and try asking for extended purification upon yourself and your living family members.  You'll start to see positive results happening in your own lives.

Grant unto them,
O Lord, eternal rest and let

perpetual light shine upon

them.  May they rest in

peace.  Amen.

Praying for Our Dearly Departed...

“It is therefore a holy and wholesome

thought to pray for the dead, that they

may be loosed from sins.”

~ 2 Maccabees, 12:46

Today, November 2nd, Holy Mother Church celebrates ALL the blessed souls who have passed on to Eternity.  One of my favorite personal devotions concerns the “Poor (or Holy) Souls”; souls who’ve died in God’s grace but must await their entrance into Heaven because of the spiritual effects of un-atoned sins.  The Poor Souls are purified in the fire of God’s Divine Love and languish in a spiritual state known as “Purgatory”.  As they can no longer help themselves through prayer, penance, and good works, the Church encourages us to assist them by offering prayers and sacrifices on their behalf to lessen their time of purification.

It has been speculated, and even confirmed by many Catholic mystics, that the Poor Souls are very aware of their spiritual benefactors and gratefully intercede for those who assisted with their release from Purgatory.  They can be powerful advocates particularly at the hour of death, as there have been many reports of how these purified souls have appeared to their benefactors in the final moments of life both to comfort them during the death process, and to afterwards escort them into Paradise.  One such example was related in the life of Bl. Ana of the Angels (d. 1686), a Dominican nun from Peru, who had a profound devotion to the Poor Souls... and who in her final illness, was gifted by God with a joyous vision of the thousands of souls awaiting her arrival in Paradise; souls who through her fervent prayers, were released from Purgatory. 

A prayer book with a handprint of a soul

from Purgatory singed into its pages (kept

in the "Purgatory Museum", Rome).

Furthermore, the lives and stories of many other Saints and Blesseds abound with accounts of their personal encounters with the Poor Souls.  One such Saint - St. Lydwina of Schiedam (d. 1433) - was often conducted by her guardian angel into the depths of Purgatory where she saw suffering souls immersed in fire, who begged her for prayers.  The Saint also witnessed the Blessed Virgin frequently visiting the Poor Souls on special Feast Days, accompanied by many angels, to comfort them and to free those who were ready for Heaven. Other Saints who had similar contact with the Poor Souls, or have visited Purgatory, have included Bl. Ana of the Angels (d. 1686), St. Catherine of Genoa (d. 1510), St. Catherine de Ricci (d. 1590), Sr. Chiara Isabella Fornari (d. 1744), St. Faustina Kowalska (d. 1938), St. Gemma Galgani (d. 1903), Sr. Josepha of Jesus (d 1726), St. Juan Macias (d. 1645), St. Lutgardis (d. 1246), St. Margaret Mary Alacoque (d. 1690), St. Maria Maddalena de Pazzi (d. 1607), Sr. Marie Marthe Chambon (d. 1907), St. Nicholas of Tolentino (d. 1305), St. Padre Pio (d. 1968), and St. Therese Couderc (d. 1885), just to name a few.

For details on the Church’s ancient teachings on Purgatory, check out the online Catholic Encyclopedia and other resources readily available on the internet. Interestingly, if you google "Purgatory and Judaism", you'll also find that the concept of purification in the afterlife goes way beyond Catholicism... it was even a belief by the original chosen people of God - the Jews - since Biblical times!

How to Best Help the Poor Souls

Listed below are just a few ways that the average layperson can assist in alleviating the sufferings of the Poor Souls:

1.  First, and foremost, attend Masses on their behalf and/or have Masses offered for their relief/release.

2.  Pray for them using traditional Prayers for the Dead (see below), the Holy Rosary, or offer the Stations of the Cross... and sprinkle Holy Water frequently with the intent of granting the Poor Souls relief.

3.  Perform charitable works on their behalf (e.g. visit a sick person, give to charity, or perform volunteer work).

4.  Offer sacrifices or voluntary penances, big or small, on their behalf (fasting is especially effective).

5.  Last, but certainly not the least, encourage others to pray for them.

Maria Simma, a Modern Mystic & Helper of the Poor Souls

Maria Simma (left photo, d. 2004) was an Austrian lay-mystic who had a God-given mission to aid the Poor Souls through her prayers and self-sacrifice. She had frequent contact with the souls in Purgatory, who came to her unexpectedly, and only through the Lord’s permission (not through occult means, like seances).  Maria was also allowed to visit Purgatory and described it as having three levels; the bottom was close to Hell and filled with fire, while the upper-most level was a place of gloom where souls awaited the end of their purification and their imminent entrance into Heaven.  As disconcerting as her description of Purgatory may seem to some, Maria once made this enlightening comment during an interview:

“No soul would want to come back from Purgatory to the earth. They have knowledge which is infinitely beyond ours. They just could not decide to return to the darkness of the earth. Here we see the difference from the suffering that we know on earth. In Purgatory, even if the pain of the soul is just terrible, there is the certitude of living forever with God. It’s an unshakeable certitude. The joy is greater than the pain. There is nothing on earth which could make them want to live here again, where one is never sure of anything.”

My Mom’s Personal Experience

Before ending this post, please allow me  to share a true story that happened to my mother concerning my father (right photo) who died from cancer in October, 2008.  My mother was missing him terribly after he passed away (they were married for 59 years!) and in early 2009 she called me (from California) to share about an experience she had one morning.  My mom relayed that she awoke to see my father standing near her bed surrounded by a soft glow of light.  She told me that she recognized him, but added that he looked much younger as though he was still in his prime years... and he was smiling lovingly at her.  My mom asked him if he was OK, to which my dad replied:

“Yes... you don't have to worry about me.

Peter (me) sent in the paper and I'm doing

good.” [my best English translation from

the Filipino Tagalog dialect]

My mom said that my father then held up a small piece of paper that he had in his hand, but she didn’t understand what it meant nor could she see clearly what the writing on it said.  Soon afterwards, he faded from view, leaving my mom with a deep sense of peace and closure in regards to his death.

What made this story all the more remarkable for me was the fact that my dad had told my mother about a certain piece of paper.  The fact is... after my father passed away, I enrolled his name in a Perpetual Mass program with the Daughters of St. Paul in Honolulu, and had filled-out a slip of paper for the nuns to process the enrollment with their motherhouse in Rome; I offered the Masses for the repose of my dad’s soul but I never told my mother about it so that’s how I knew she wasn’t just dreaming about the whole thing.

Needless to say, I too felt a sense of relief and gratitude knowing that the Masses had benefited my dad’s soul... and the Lord had generously allowed him to visit my mother to reassure us that he was enjoying peace in the afterlife.  Thanks be to God!  [For those interested in reading another personal experience involving the Poor Souls, click here.]

Powerful Prayers

After reading this blog, my hope is that viewers will take just a few moments to recite the prayers below for the benefit of our faithful departed.  Pray not only for family members who have passed on... but also kindly offer the prayers for those who have no one to pray for them.  God will surely be pleased.  We may not see the effects of our prayers now... but who knows?  Perhaps when our own time comes, we too, will have a special welcoming party made up of family and new friends waiting for us in Paradise.

+ A Traditional Prayer for the Deceased

  Grant unto them, O Lord, eternal rest and let perpetual light shine upon them.  May they rest in peace.  Amen.

+ Prayer of St. Gertrude the Great (as revealed to her by Jesus)

  Eternal Father, I offer Thee the most precious blood of Thy Divine Son, Jesus Christ, in union with all the Masses being prayed throughout the world today for all the Holy Souls in Purgatory, for sinners everywhere, for sinners in the Universal Church, those in my own home, and within my family.  Amen.

“If only you knew with what great

longing these holy souls yearn for relief

from their suffering.  Ingratitude has

never entered Heaven.”

~ Words of St. Margaret

Mary Alacoque

A Personal Encounter with Poor Souls...

 "And because he considered that

they who had fallen asleep with godliness,

had great grace laid up for them.  It is

therefore a holy and wholesome thought

to pray for the dead, that they may be

loosed from sins."

 ~ 2 Maccabees, 12:45-46

With November 2nd being especially dedicated by the Church to the remembrance of our dearly departed, I’d like to share with the readers of this blog an unusual experience I had back in January of 2007. Let me first begin by stating that since my early twenties (am in my 40's now), I have had a devotion to the Holy Souls in Purgatory, and I pray regularly for their relief, as well as encourage my family and close friends to do so, too. By sharing my experience, I hope to inspire in my Catholic readers a stronger belief in the existence of the Poor Souls and emphasize their need for our prayers and sacrifices.

So going back to January, 2007… I had an experience that I still recall clearly to this day. Late one night, as I was lying in the dark on my bed and preparing to doze off, I was saying my usual evening prayers when I was startled by the appearance of softly glowing light above my bed. In the air, close to the ceiling, were three bluish-white globes of light, the size of medium bowling balls... slowly moving in no particular pattern or formation, but just in a graceful undulating motion and sometimes floating through each other. Wondering if there were any external light sources (car headlights or flashlights) that could’ve been forming the light anomalies, I glanced back and forth between the glowing orbs and the windows but there was nothing coming through my curtains except the faint light from distant street posts.

Instead of being completely frightened, I was actually a little intrigued by the entire spectacle and invoked the holy name of Jesus Christ for my protection and to cast out any unclean spirits in case the lights were evil in origin. The orbs did not go away after the prayer and I was assured that their origin was not diabolic in nature… so I then prayed again to the Lord, asking for the meaning of all that was occurring. Immediately, there came into my mind a clear and precise thought - almost an audible sentence in my mind - stating that these orbs were "souls from Purgatory" who were in need of prayers. So I offered several familiar prayers for the Poor Souls and watched as the spheres of light slowly began to dim before eventually disappearing. I continued saying a few more prayers on their behalf before finally falling into a peaceful sleep.

The next morning, I shared with several family members about the unusual experience that I had the night before. I could tell by their facial expressions that they were either not interested in listening to my story, or simply didn’t believe it. I dropped the subject and as a couple of weeks passed, I started to think that it had all been just a dream… I alternated between doubt and belief until something else happened in late February, 2007, that completely removed all my doubts...

A digital photo taken in my room (top)

showing three unusual light formations 

... and below is a closer view of the orbs

of bluish-white light circled in blue.

... I had just completed some renovations to my bedroom and had taken a few digital photos to show to a friend, and while I was looking through the photos on my camera, I noticed something strange in one of them. The photo in question showed three bluish-white orbs - the size of bowling balls - floating in the middle of my room! I immediately recognized the orbs as similar to the ones I saw the month before except in the photo they weren’t as solid and as bright as I had seen them with my eyes.

I showed the photo to my family and friends and we again discussed the entire situation that happened on the January evening – this time they listened with more interest and we all concluded, that based on the circumstances, the orbs had to be some sort of sign indicating the presence of blessed spirits from Purgatory. To date, the strange balls of light have not reappeared in my bedroom… but that hasn't diminished my increased belief in Purgatorial Souls; I know that they are in need of our help. So I continue to pray and sprinkle holy water for them on an almost daily basis, knowing that there is immense spiritual value in these simple actions. Please kindly remember the Poor Souls in your prayers, as well.

"If, during life, we have been kind to the

suffering souls in Purgatory, God will see

that help not be denied us after death."

 ~ Words of St. Paul of the Cross (d. 1775)

* * *  Two Popular Prayers for the Holy Souls in Purgatory  * * *

A Traditional Prayer for the Deceased:

  Grant unto them, O Lord, eternal rest and let perpetual light shine upon them. May they rest in peace.  Amen.

St. Gertrude's Prayer for the Holy Souls (as revealed to her by Our Lord):

  Eternal Father, I offer Thee the most precious blood of Thy Divine Son, Jesus Christ, in union with all the Masses being said throughout the world today for all the Holy Souls in Purgatory, for sinners everywhere, for sinners in the Universal Church, those in my own home, and within my family.  Amen.