The Holy Sacrifice of the Mass freeing souls from Purgatory “And making a gathering, he [Judas] sent twelve thousand drachms of silver to Jerusalem for sacrifice to be offered for the sins of the dead, thinking well and religiously concerning the resurrection (for if he had not hoped that they that were slain should rise again, it would have seemed superfluous and vain to pray for the dead) 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.” – II Maccabees 12:43-46

November is the traditional month to especially pray for the souls in purgatory. These poor souls need our prayers since they can't pray for themselves in purgatory; let us pass on the word to pray, pray, and pray for them.

"The holy souls are eager for the prayers of the faithful which can gain indulgences for them. Their intercession is powerful. Pray unceasingly. We must empty Purgatory!" -- St. Padre Pio.

What is purgatory?

Purgatory is simply the place where already saved souls are cleansed of the temporal effects of sin before they are allowed to see the holy face of Almighty God. Revelation 21:27 tells us that “...nothing unclean will enter [Heaven].”

Purgatory is God’s way of ensuring that Revelation 21:27 is true and that nothing unclean will enter Heaven. It is only through Christ’s sacrifice that we are shown this mercy! It is Christ and Christ alone Who allows us access to the Father.

Many people ask, “Where is the word purgatory in the Bible?” It will not be found in the Bible, but the concept of a “final cleansing” or “purgation” for those who require it is very evident in the Bible, in the writings of the early Church Fathers, and in the Old Testament religion whence Christianity sprang.

Daniel 12:2, Matthew 12:32, 1 Corinthians 3:13-15, 2 Timothy 1:16-18, Hebrews 12:14, Hebrews 12:22-23, 1 Peter 4:6 and Revelation 21:10, 27 all speak of purgatory in their telling of the need for purification, prayers for the dead, Christ’s preaching to the dead, and how nothing unclean will see God.

Tertullian says in his work, The Crown 3:3, dated A.D. 211: “We offer sacrifices for the dead on their birthday anniversaries.”

Cyprian of Carthage writes in A.D. 253: “It is one thing to stand for pardon, another thing to attain to glory; it is one thing, when cast into prison, not to go out thence until one has paid the uttermost farthing; another thing at once to receive the wages of faith and courage. It is one thing, tortured by long suffering for sins, to be cleansed and long purged by fire; another to have purged all sins by suffering. It is one thing, in fine, to be in suspense till the sentence of God at the day of judgment; another to be at once crowned by the Lord.”

St. Teresa of Avila interceding for the souls in purgatory The Church Fathers speak of purgation. For examples, St. John Chrysostom in his Homilies on 1 Corinthians 41:5, A.D. 392, says: “Let us not hesitate to help those who have died and to offer our prayers for them.”

And St. Augustine says in City of God, A.D. 419: “Temporal punishments are suffered by some in this life only, by some after death, by some both here and hereafter, but all of them before that last and strictest judgment. But not all who suffer temporal punishments after death will come to eternal punishments, which are to follow after that judgment.”

Archaeology also indicates the antiquity of the Christian belief in Purgatory, the Final Theosis: the tombs of the ancient Christians were inscribed with words of petition for peace and for rest, and at the anniversaries of deaths, the faithful gathered at the graves of the departed to make intercession for those who had gone before.

• Purgatory is a state of temporal purification for those who die in God's grace, but are not entirely free from venial sins or have not entirely paid the satisfaction due to their sins.
• "All who die in God's grace and friendship, but still imperfectly purified, are indeed assured of their eternal salvation; but after death they undergo purification, so as to achieve the holiness necessary to enter the joy of Heaven." (CCC.1030)
• St. Alphonsus Liguori says that though the Holy Souls cannot merit for themselves, they can obtain for us great graces. They can obtain for us astounding favours and deliver us from evils, sickness and dangers of every kind.
• The souls who are being purified pray for you, offer their sufferings for your well being and, through your prayers, are assisted in being set free from those human imperfections which prevent them from entering into the eternal joy of paradise.
• We do not fully realise the advocates we have in the Holy Souls in Purgatory and once they have joined the Father in Heaven they are eternally grateful to us here on earth for the prayers and sacrifices we make on their behalf, praying for our needs continually before the Throne of God.
• It would be utterly impossible to describe their unbounded gratitude to those who help them. Filled with an immense desire to repay the favours done to them, they pray for their benefactors with a fervour so great, so intense, so constant that God can refuse them nothing.

 Imprimatur: Most Rev, +Bishop Terence Brady, DD, VG Date: 1st October, 2010

Which souls are in Purgatory? 

Although we do not know which specific souls are in Purgatory, it is very possible that some of your friends and relatives are among the poor souls. Even persons who passed away long ago may still remain in Purgatory. It has been said seven years of penance is due for each mortal sin committed during one's life. It is good to assume that any particular loved one - no matter how good they appeared to you in life - may be in Purgatory.

"[S]he will be in Purgatory until the end of the world." (Our Lady of Fatima to Sister Lucy, in response to whether or not Lucy's young friend was in heaven)

"[I]f you assign, on the average, as St. Frances of Rome says, seven years for the expiation of one mortal sin, remitted as to the guilt, who does not see that we arrive at an appalling duration [in Purgatory] and that the expiation may especially be prolonged for many years, and even for centuries? Years and centuries of torments! Oh! if we only thought of it, with what care should we not avoid the least faults! with what fervor should we not practice penance to make satisfaction in this world!" (Fr. Schouppe)

"According to the holy Doctors, for every mortal sin a man is obliged by God to seven years of penance in this world, or the equivalent in purgatory; the reason being that every mortal sin is an offense against the seven Gifts of the Holy Ghost." (St. Vincent Ferrer)

"There is no doubt that the pains of Purgatory are not limited to ten and twenty years, and that they last in some cases entire centuries. But allowing to be true that their duration did not exceed ten or twenty years, can we account it as nothing to have to endure for ten or twenty years the most excruciating sufferings without the least alleviation? If a man was assured that he should suffer some violent pain in his feet, or his head, or teeth for the space of twenty years, and that without ever sleeping or taking the least repose, would he not a thousand times rather die than live in such a state? And if the choice were given to him between a life thus miserable and the loss of all his temporal goods, would he hesitate to make the sacrifice of his fortune to be delivered from such a torment? Shall we then find any difficulty in embracing labor and penance to free ourselves from the sufferings of Purgatory? Shall we fear to practice the most painful exercises: vigils, fasts, almsgiving, long prayers, and especially contrition, accompanied with signs and tears?" (St. Robert Bellarmine, Doctor of the Church)

You may request copies of devotional prayer booklet for the holy souls in here.

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