In the Catholic liturgical year, the month of November is dedicated to the souls of the dearly departed and the Holy Souls in Purgatory, the Church Suffering, also called the Church Penitent or the Church Expectant.

Why are the souls in purgatory referred to as the Poor Holy Souls in Purgatory?

They are Poor because they can no longer pray for themselves and depend on our prayers for their relief and deliverance.

They are Holy because, in Purgatory, they no longer sin and are being purified.

They, however, can pray for us as part of the Communion of Saints, and their prayers become more efficacious when they attain the beatific vision.

Purgatory is not just a punishment, but a gift from God to refine us and make us into perfect images of \\his Son, Christ Jesus.

Does the Blessed Virgin help the souls in Purgatory?

Yes, she does and you can read more about it HERE.

“The Blessed Virgin’s mission extends to purgatory. She is the most powerful Mediatrix of the holy souls.”
– BL. JAMES ALBERIONE

Is praying for the dead Biblical? Yes, it is.

In the Bible, 2 Maccabees 12 : 46 says:
“it is, therefore, a holy and wholesome thought to pray for the dead, that they may be loosed from sins,”

Praying for the souls in Purgatory isn’t just a requirement of Christian charity, but it also helps us to remember our own mortality.

WHY WE SHOULD VISIT A CEMETERY TO PRAY FOR THE DEAD

The Church offers an Indulgence for a Cemetery Visit that is available as a partial indulgence all year round, but from November 1 through November 8, this indulgence is plenary.
Like the All Souls Day indulgence, it is applicable only to the souls in Purgatory.
As a plenary indulgence, it remits all punishment due to sin, which means that simply by performing the requirements of the indulgence, you can obtain the entrance into Heaven of a soul who is currently suffering in Purgatory. – Source

ST. GERTRUDE PRAYER FOR THE HOLY SOULS IN PURGATORY

Eternal Father,

I offer You the most precious blood

of thy Divine Son, Jesus,

in union with the Masses said

throughout the world today,

for all the Holy Souls in Purgatory,

for sinners everywhere,

for sinners in the universal Church,

for those in my own home,

and in my family. Amen.

ROSARIES FOR THE DEAD

CHAPLET FOR THE POOR SOULS IN PURGATORY

Using a regular rosary, on the large beads you pray:

O Poor Souls, draw the fire of God’s Love into my soul, to reveal Jesus crucified in me here on earth rather than hereafter in Purgatory.

On the small beads, you pray:

Crucified Lord Jesus, have mercy on the souls in Purgatory.

At the end pray the Glory Be 3 times.

HOW TO PRAY THE ROSARY FOR THE DEAD

Credo, Pater, three Aves, Requiem

Our Lord’s Agony in the Garden.

Lord, Jesus Christ, through Thy bloody sweat of fear that thou didst shed on the Mount of Olives, we beseech Thee to have Mercy on the Holy Souls in Purgatory! Deliver them from their fear and pain and console them with the Cup of Heavenly Comfort!

Omit the Gloria Patri and pray “Eternal rest grant unto them O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon them. May they rest in peace. Amen.” Fatima prayer follows.

Our Lord’s Scourging at the Pillar.

Lord, Jesus Christ through Thy painful Scourging which Thou didst tolerate so patiently for us sinners, we beseech Thee to have Mercy on the Holy Souls in Purgatory! Retract from them the pain of Thy Anger and give them Eternal Relief.

Omit the Gloria Patri and pray “Eternal rest grant unto them O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon them. May they rest in peace. Amen.” Fatima prayer follows.

Our Lord’s Crowning with Thorns.

Lord, Jesus Christ, through Thy painful Crowning which Thou didst suffer so patiently for us sinners, we beseech Thee to have mercy on the Holy Souls in Purgatory and give them the crown of Eternal Delight!

Omit the Gloria Patri and pray “Eternal rest grant unto them O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon them. May they rest in peace. Amen.” Fatima prayer follows.

Our Lord’s Carrying of the Cross

Lord, Jesus Christ, through Thy most painful Carrying of the Cross, which Thou didst suffer so patiently for us sinners, we beseech Thee to have Mercy on the Holy Souls in Purgatory! Remove from them the heavy burden of suffering and lead them into Eternal Peace!

Omit the Gloria Patri and pray “Eternal rest grant unto them O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon them. May they rest in peace. Amen.” Fatima prayer follows.

The Crucifixion and Death of Our Lord Jesus Christ.

Lord, Jesus Christ, through Thy most painful Crucifixion, which Thou didst suffer so patiently for us sinners, we beseech thee to have Mercy on the Holy Souls in Purgatory! Turn Thy Holy Face towards them and let them today be in Paradise with Thee!

Omit the Gloria Patri and pray “Eternal rest grant unto them O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon them. May they rest in peace. Amen.” Fatima prayer follows.

After the fifth decade is prayed:

Lord, Jesus Christ, through thy five Holy Wounds and through all of Thy Sacred Blood which thou hast shed, we beseech Thee to have Mercy on the Holy Souls in Purgatory, and in particular N. (or for our parents, relatives, spiritual guides, and benefactors). Heal their painful wounds and let them enjoy and participate fully in Thy Salvation. Amen.

De Profundis and Collect follow.

Our Lady, Mother of the Church Suffering, pray for us!