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Ten ways we can pray for our deceased friends and relatives, and for all our brothers and sisters who have died in Christ.

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  1. Pray the Novena to the Holy Souls by St. Alphonsus Liguori. 
  2. Offer up your Holy Communions for the souls in purgatory. 
  3. Have Masses said for your departed loved ones, especially on the anniversary of his or her death.
  4. Pray the Divine Mercy Chaplet for the intention of the Holy Souls.
  5. Eucharistic Adoration: visit the Blessed Sacrament to make acts of reparation to the Sacred Heart of Jesus on behalf of those in purgatory.
  6. Sacrifices: practice small acts of self-denial throughout your day and offer these penances up for the poor souls.
  7. Give alms: The giving of material assistance to the poor has always been considered a penance that can be offered for the Holy Souls. “For almsgiving saves from death, and purges all sin” (Tobit 12:9).
  8. Ask for the intercession of saints who were known to be great friends of the Holy Souls during their lifetime to join you in prayer for the faithful departed: St. Padre Pio, St. Philip Neri, St. Faustina, St. Joseph, Our Lady, and others.
  9. When passing by a cemetery: Pray the short Eternal Rest prayer: “Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord. And let the perpetual light shine upon them. And may the souls of all the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen.”
  10. Pray to earn indulgences for the holy souls:  On all the days from November 1 to November 8, a plenary indulgence, applicable only to the Poor Souls, is granted to those who visit a cemetery and pray, even if only mentally, for the departed (standard requirements for indulgences apply*). Partial indulgences are granted to those who recite Lauds or Vespers of the Office of the Dead, and to those who recite the prayer, “Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon them. May they rest in peace”.

Latin in the Mass

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Vatican II demanded that we keep Latin in the Roman Rite as it is the language of the Church.

The three main places we do this is after the preface, after the peace and after the blessing.

After the preface we sing: sanctus sanctus sanctus dominus deus sabaoth, pleni sunt coeli et terra gloria tua hosanna in excelsis. Benedictus qui venit in nomine domini hosanna in excelsis. Which means literally: holy holy holy Lord God of Hosts, full they are heaven and earth of your glory, hosanna in the highest. Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord hosanna in the highest.

You can see with just a little word order change how we got our English translation which is in our missal today.

After the peace we sing: Agnus Dei qui tollis peccata mundi miserere nobis. Agnus Dei qui tollis peccata mundi miserere nobis. Agnus Dei qui tollis peccata mundi dona nobis pacem. Which means: Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world: have mercy on us. Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world: have mercy on us. Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world: grant us peace.

After the blessing the Priest sings: Ite Missa Est (Go it is the dismissal). We respond: Deo Gratias (Thanks be to God).

These have been sung in Latin in our liturgy for over 1500 years. Let us not lose these treasures, which are easily understood in English, and let us keep just this little bit of Latin in our liturgies, as we keep the Greek Kyrie, to show our unity with the Church of all ages.