“Therefore he made atonement for the dead, that they might be delivered from their sin.” (2 Maccabees 12:45)
All priests can say three Masses on All Souls, to give the faithful departed as much help as possible.
All the faithful can assist the Holy Souls not just through prayer, but also through special indulgences granted by the Church in November. Every November, there are opportunities to obtain plenary indulgences for the Holy Souls in purgatory by: (1) visiting a church on 2 November and praying the Our Father and Creed; (2) visiting a cemetery and praying for the faithful departed on any of the days between 1 and 8 November (it is possible to obtain an indulgence each day this is done). As with all plenary indulgences, it is also necessary to go to confession, receive Holy Communion, pray for the Pope’s intentions and be detached from all sin.
Like last year, because of the pandemic, there is some flexibility about when these indulgences can be obtained: (1) any one day in November can be chosen to visit a church and pray the Our Father and Creed; (2) any eight days (which need not be next to each other) may be chosen to visit a cemetery and pray for the faithful departed. It is also possible for this to be a ‘mental’ visit to a cemetery.
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