Where Heaven Meets the Household: All Saints, All Souls and the Month of the Holy Souls
The first days of November bring Catholic households into the mystery of the Communion of Saints. From the splendour of All Saints to the solemn Requiems of All Souls, and throughout the traditional octave, the Church invites us to celebrate those who have attained Heaven, assist the departed through prayer, and consider our own eternal destiny. Continuing last week’s Domestic Church, this guide offers a daily family programme, traditional customs, children’s activities, explanations of Purgatory, mortal and venial sin, and indulgences, guidance on the First Friday and First Saturday devotions, and prayers for use throughout November.
There are names which ought never to disappear from the prayers of a Catholic household. They may belong to grandparents whom the children remember, ancestors who died long before they were born, a beloved priest, or somebody whose kindness made a lasting difference to the family. Photographs fade, possessions pass into other hands, and eventually there may be nobody living who remembers the sound of a particular voice. The Church nevertheless continues to pray for the dead, confident that Christian charity has work to do beyond the grave.
November gives this duty particular prominence. The month opens with the triumph of All Saints, when the Church rejoices in the innumerable company of the blessed. The following day, she clothes her altars in black and offers the Holy Sacrifice for those who have died in God’s friendship but have not yet completed their purification. The traditional Octave of All Saints extends the celebration of heavenly glory until 8 November, while prayers for the Holy Souls continue throughout the month.
The two feasts belong together. We rejoice with those who have attained their eternal reward, intercede for those who still await the fullness of heavenly happiness, and consider more seriously the destiny towards which our own lives are passing.
The Church has traditionally spoken of three states within the one Mystical Body of Christ: the Church Militant, comprising the faithful still engaged in their earthly pilgrimage; the Church Suffering, those undergoing purification in Purgatory; and the Church Triumphant, the blessed who behold God in Heaven. Christ is the Head of this one Church, and the supernatural charity uniting its members is not extinguished by death.¹
Last week’s Domestic Church encouraged families to prepare a Book of the Departed, submit names for remembrance at Mass, arrange Requiem intentions, and organise an All Saints celebration. This week puts those preparations into practice.
It also provides an occasion for some necessary instruction. Children will naturally ask what happens when somebody dies, why Catholics pray for souls in Purgatory, whether serious sins can be forgiven, and why the Church grants indulgences. Parents should be ready to answer these questions without either frightening their children or offering the misleading reassurance that everybody automatically enters Heaven.
A Catholic home need not resemble a classroom to teach such things. Much of the finest religious instruction takes place through ordinary conversation. A child asking why grandmother’s name is written beside the crucifix, or why the family visits a cemetery after Mass, has given a parent an opportunity to explain the Communion of Saints more effectively than many formal lessons could achieve.
There are customs worth recovering, too. The First Friday devotion to the Sacred Heart, the First Saturday devotion to the Immaculate Heart of Mary, the November indulgences, and the offering of Requiem Masses once formed a familiar part of Catholic life. Their observance deserves to be encouraged, but so does an understanding of what they mean. Devotions practised without understanding can easily become burdensome routines; understood properly, they become means of forming a genuinely Catholic mind and heart.
Families differ in size, resources and circumstances. Some will manage a celebration, a cemetery visit and several special activities. Others may have little more than ten quiet minutes at the end of a demanding day. The same Faith can be practised in both homes.
The purpose of The Domestic Church is to help Catholic households recover the ordinary habits through which doctrine becomes a lived reality, prayer becomes familiar, and the Church’s calendar begins to shape family life.
YOUR FAMILY’S PLAN FOR THE WEEK
One principal observance each day, with something children can help to do. The programme may be adapted according to the circumstances of the household.
| Day | Family action | Children’s activity |
|---|---|---|
| Sun 1 Nov — All Saints | Attend Mass, celebrate the saints and begin the November remembrance. | Dress as a favourite saint, tell the saint’s story and prepare a Saints of Heaven display. |
| Mon 2 Nov — All Souls | Attend a Requiem Mass if possible, visit a cemetery and pray for the Holy Souls. | Bring flowers, read memorial inscriptions and help prepare the remembrance corner. |
| Tue 3 Nov — Within the Octave | Read names from the Family Book of the Departed and arrange remaining Mass intentions. | Make illustrated prayer cards for deceased relatives and forgotten souls. |
| Wed 4 Nov — St Charles Borromeo | Perform a work of mercy in memory of somebody deceased. | Prepare a card, bake something or help an elderly or lonely neighbour. |
| Thu 5 Nov — All Holy Relics | Learn about relics, Christian burial and the resurrection of the body. | Make a picture display of saints’ shrines and holy places. |
| Fri 6 Nov — First Friday | Honour the Sacred Heart, observe Friday penance and offer sacrifices for the Holy Souls. | Choose a small voluntary sacrifice and learn the meaning of reparation. |
| Sat 7 Nov — St Willibrord; First Saturday | Honour Our Lady, pray the Rosary and remember departed priests and missionaries. | Trace St Willibrord’s journeys and take part in a guided meditation. |
| Sun 8 Nov — Octave Day | Attend Mass, conclude the octave at home and establish the November prayer rule. | Complete the Saints and Holy Souls display and share what has been learned. |
The week’s three priorities are to attend Mass on All Saints and, if possible, All Souls; ensure that departed relatives and friends are remembered in prayer and at Mass; and establish a simple November devotion which the household can maintain throughout the month.
Everything else may be adjusted to the time, resources and circumstances of the family.
FIRST, KEEP THE DAILY CATHOLIC RULE OF PRAYER
The festivities of All Saints and the solemn customs of All Souls should enrich the ordinary prayer of the home. They are not substitutes for it.
Morning prayers ought to begin the day, even when circumstances allow no more than a few minutes before work or school. The Sign of the Cross, Morning Offering and prayer to the Guardian Angel are habits worth cultivating from childhood. The Angelus traditionally marks the morning, midday and evening, commonly at six o’clock, noon and six o’clock, reminding the household of the Incarnation of Our Lord.
Grace before and after meals should remain habitual. Children quickly learn whether the Faith is something practised only in church or something which enters naturally into the family’s ordinary activities.
The daily Rosary deserves particular attention. Families should endeavour to pray five decades together, meditating upon the traditional Joyful, Sorrowful and Glorious Mysteries. Where younger children cannot yet manage the whole Rosary, they may begin by joining in a decade and gradually learning the remaining prayers. Older children can take turns leading.
During November, add the Requiem aeternam — Eternal Rest — to the conclusion of the Rosary. The De profundis, Psalm 129, is especially appropriate during evening prayers and on anniversaries of death.
Place the Family Book of the Departed beside the household crucifix. Each evening, read aloud one or more names before offering the prayers for the Holy Souls. A candle may be lighted safely during these devotions, although it should never be mistaken for something possessing supernatural efficacy independently of the prayer it accompanies.
Night prayers should include thanksgiving, an examination of conscience, an Act of Contrition and commendation to divine protection.
These devotions are appropriate to Catholics living alone as well as to families. A solitary home may be no less a place of Christian prayer than a household filled with children.
SUNDAY 1 NOVEMBER: ALL SAINTS — THE JOY OF HEAVEN
Liturgical colour: White. Double of the First Class. Commemoration of the Twenty-Third Sunday after Pentecost.
All Saints falls on Sunday this year, and the Church’s great celebration of heavenly glory takes precedence over the Sunday, which is commemorated according to the traditional Roman rubrics.²
The Mass begins with the Introit Gaudeamus omnes in Domino — Let us all rejoice in the Lord. The words express the character of the feast. We are contemplating the victory of divine grace in those who have persevered faithfully to the end.
The Epistle, from the seventh chapter of the Apocalypse, describes the great multitude standing before God’s throne, clothed in white robes and bearing palms. The Gospel contains the Beatitudes, proclaimed by Our Lord in the Sermon on the Mount. The juxtaposition is deliberate: the Beatitudes describe the dispositions of those whose final happiness St John beholds in his vision.³
All Saints commemorates far more than those formally canonised by the Church. Countless blessed souls remain unknown to history. Among them are parents who fulfilled their duties faithfully, workers whose sacrifices were seen only by God, children who died in grace, religious who spent their lives in obscurity, and men and women who persevered through sufferings which never attracted public attention.
Their lives were not necessarily extraordinary in outward appearance. Holiness is frequently accomplished through duties which the world considers unremarkable.
Celebrating All Saints at home
After Mass, gather the family for a festive meal. White and gold decorations, flowers, sacred pictures and a special cake can distinguish the day from an ordinary Sunday.
Children who prepared saints’ costumes during the preceding week may wear them and explain the saint represented. A child dressed as St Francis might speak about poverty and detachment from possessions; another portraying St Thérèse might explain her Little Way; one representing St Joseph could describe his faithful protection of Our Lord and the Blessed Virgin.
Prepare a Saints of Heaven display with pictures or drawings arranged around an image of Christ the King. Include patron saints, the saints after whom family members were named, and saints associated with the countries from which the household’s ancestors came.
A game of Guess the Saint, or a treasure hunt using saints’ symbols, can occupy younger children while giving older ones an opportunity to teach. Guests might be invited to bring a picture of their patron saint and share something about that saint’s life.
Children should be encouraged to understand holiness as something to which they themselves are called. Saints were once people of flesh and blood, facing temptation, disappointment and ordinary responsibilities. Some had serious faults before their conversion. What distinguished them was their response to divine grace.
Sanctity is not reserved for priests, religious or exceptionally gifted people. Every baptised Christian is called to become holy.
At evening prayers, recite the Short Family Litany of the Saints, adding the patron saints of the household.
MONDAY 2 NOVEMBER: ALL SOULS — THE CHURCH REMEMBERS HER DEPARTED
Liturgical colour: Black. Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed.
The change in the Church’s liturgy is striking. Sunday’s white vestments give way to black; the triumphant rejoicing of All Saints is followed by the solemn pleading of the Requiem Mass.
On All Saints, the Church rejoices in those who already enjoy the Beatific Vision. On All Souls, she intercedes for those whose salvation is assured but whose purification remains incomplete.
The doctrine of Purgatory is firmly established in Catholic teaching. The Council of Trent reaffirmed that the souls detained there are assisted by the suffrages of the faithful, principally through the acceptable Sacrifice of the Altar.⁴
Holy Scripture commends prayer for the dead in 2 Machabees 12:46: “It is therefore a holy and wholesome thought to pray for the dead, that they may be loosed from sins.”
Our prayers for the departed are works of supernatural charity.
Attend a Requiem Mass
Where possible, families should attend the traditional Requiem Mass. Its black vestments, restrained ceremonial and solemn chants impress upon the faithful the seriousness of death, divine judgement and the Christian hope of everlasting life.
The Dies irae recalls the Day of Judgement. The repeated petition Requiem aeternam dona eis, Domine asks God to grant eternal rest to the departed. The whole liturgy directs our attention towards the merits of Christ’s redeeming Sacrifice, through which alone salvation is possible.
Since 1915, Pope Benedict XV has permitted every priest to celebrate three Masses on All Souls’ Day: one for a particular intention, one for all the faithful departed, and one for the intentions of the Supreme Pontiff. The privilege was extended to the universal Church during the First World War, when immense numbers of souls had died amid the suffering of that conflict.⁵
Although All Souls is not a holy day of obligation, attendance at Mass is particularly commendable.
Visit a cemetery
After Mass, or at another suitable time, visit the grave of a departed relative or friend. Bring flowers, clear away fallen leaves and offer prayers at the graveside.
Children can read the names and dates upon memorial stones. Parents or grandparents may tell them something about those buried there, including family members whom the children never knew. Where family graves are distant, visit another cemetery, remembering especially those whose graves appear neglected.
A simple graveside devotion consists of the Our Father, Hail Mary and Eternal Rest, followed by a decade of the Rosary or the De profundis where time permits.
The evening remembrance
At home, gather before the crucifix and Family Book of the Departed. Read aloud the names of deceased relatives, friends, priests and benefactors. Remember particularly those who died recently and those who appear to have nobody left to pray for them.
Parents should speak about Purgatory without frightening children or indulging in speculation. Those who die in God’s friendship but still require purification are destined for Heaven. Our prayers can assist them.
Neither should families presume to know the eternal condition of particular deceased persons. We may entrust our loved ones confidently to God’s mercy while continuing to pray for them.
Those who died in especially painful circumstances, including persons who took their own lives or who had ceased practising the Faith, should not be excluded from the family’s prayers. Their final condition is known to God, whose justice and mercy exceed our understanding.
Children who died without Baptism may likewise be commended to God’s mercy, without assuming knowledge of their eternal condition or presuming that they are in Purgatory.
Here the Church teaches us to be both hopeful and humble. We may pray fervently for the departed without claiming knowledge of a judgement which belongs to Almighty God alone.
TUESDAY 3 NOVEMBER: REMEMBERING THE DEPARTED BY NAME
Third Day Within the Octave of All Saints.
By now, the household should have begun its November remembrance in earnest.
Take out the Family Book of the Departed and add names which may have been overlooked: deceased relatives, family friends, teachers, priests, benefactors and neighbours. Older members of the household may be able to recall people whose stories would otherwise be lost.
A child who has never met a great-grandparent may nevertheless learn something about that person’s life. A photograph, a letter or a simple account of how the family once lived can give a name substance and make prayer more personal.
Children might prepare small remembrance cards bearing the names of departed relatives. On the reverse, write Requiem aeternam dona eis, Domine, together with its English translation.
Include a page headed For Those Who Have Nobody to Pray for Them. Christian charity is not confined to those whom we knew personally. We should remember forgotten souls, deceased priests and religious, former enemies, victims of war and disaster, and those whose graves are unknown.
Arrange Mass intentions
If a Requiem Mass has not already been requested, contact the priest, chapel or oratory to enquire about available intentions.
A name included in a general remembrance list or Chantry Book is not necessarily the subject of a separate Mass intention. The distinction should be made clear when arranging suffrages for the departed.
The customary Mass offering assists the priest and his ministry; it does not purchase the Sacrifice. The spiritual value of the Mass derives wholly from Our Lord Jesus Christ, and those unable to make an offering should never suppose that their deceased relatives are therefore excluded from the Church’s prayers.
The Old Roman Apostolate’s Guild of Holy Souls, established in November 2022, provides a framework for such remembrance. Its provisions include regular Requiems, Chantry Books preserving the names of the departed according to the month of death, and practical assistance towards traditional Catholic burial. Families attached to Old Roman missions and oratories should enquire about participating in its work.⁶
At evening prayers, each member of the household can choose one departed person for particular remembrance during the remaining weeks of November.
WEDNESDAY 4 NOVEMBER: ST CHARLES BORROMEO — CHARITY THAT COSTS SOMETHING
Liturgical colour: White. Double. Commemoration of the Octave of All Saints and Saints Vitalis and Agricola, Martyrs.
St Charles Borromeo, Archbishop of Milan, understood that ecclesiastical reform could not be accomplished merely through regulations. The renewal of the Church required holiness in her clergy, sound religious instruction, reverent worship and pastoral charity.
During the plague which afflicted Milan in 1576, he remained devoted to the care of his people, arranging spiritual and material assistance for those suffering from the epidemic.
His feast falls appropriately within a week devoted to the Communion of Saints. The charity which remembers the departed should make us more attentive to the suffering of the living.
A family work of mercy
Choose one practical kindness to perform today. Visit an elderly neighbour, telephone somebody who has recently suffered bereavement, prepare a meal for a person living alone, or offer assistance with shopping or household work.
Where appropriate, perform the action in memory of somebody who has died.
Children may make a card, help bake something for a neighbour, or contribute towards a modest gift for somebody who is sick or lonely.
The lesson is not that charity must be expensive. Sometimes an hour of patient companionship requires more generosity than a financial gift.
At evening prayers, remember widows, widowers, bereaved parents and those whose grief is carried without close family support.
THURSDAY 5 NOVEMBER: ALL HOLY RELICS — THE BODY AND THE RESURRECTION
Feast of All Holy Relics, observed in the particular traditional calendar followed by the Old Roman Apostolate.
The Feast of All Holy Relics offers a particularly suitable occasion to teach children about the Church’s reverence for the bodies and earthly remains of the saints.
The Church honours authentic relics because the bodies of the saints were instruments of holiness. Their hands served the poor, their knees bent in prayer, their voices proclaimed the Gospel, and in the case of martyrs their bodies endured suffering rather than deny Christ.
The Council of Trent reaffirmed the legitimacy of venerating the saints and their relics. This veneration is distinct from the worship owed to Almighty God alone. The honour given to the saints ultimately glorifies God, whose grace accomplished their sanctification.⁷
Exploring the shrines of the saints
Choose several saints whose relics are preserved in churches or shrines. Find those places on a map and read about the saints’ lives.
Families might learn about St Peter’s tomb in Rome, St James at Compostela, St Thérèse at Lisieux, or shrines associated with their own country’s Catholic heritage. St Thomas Becket’s shrine at Canterbury, destroyed at the Reformation, also provides a useful opportunity to explain how the veneration of relics formed part of the religious life of medieval Christendom.
Children can draw a reliquary or prepare a display of pictures showing pilgrimage churches and saints’ tombs.
Explain the traditional distinctions between relics consisting of bodily remains, objects associated with a saint’s life, and devotional objects which have been brought into contact with authentic relics.
Relics must never be treated as charms or talismans. Their proper veneration directs the faithful towards God and encourages imitation of the saints’ virtues.
Christian burial and the resurrection
This is also an appropriate day to discuss Catholic funeral customs and the dignity owed to the human body after death.
The Church teaches that the body is not an insignificant covering temporarily used by the soul. The human person is a unity of body and soul, and the resurrection of the body belongs to the Christian hope.
Read the final articles of the Apostles’ Creed together: the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and life everlasting.
A visit to an old churchyard may help children recognise the Christian symbols traditionally used upon gravestones: the cross, the Chi-Rho, the anchor and representations of the resurrection.
The Christian grave bears witness to a promise. Death separates body and soul for a time, but the resurrection of the body will complete Christ’s victory over death.
FRIDAY 6 NOVEMBER: FIRST FRIDAY — THE SACRED HEART OF JESUS
Sixth Day Within the Octave of All Saints. First Friday of November.
Many older Catholics will remember a time when First Friday Mass and Communion were familiar features of parish life. Confessions were heard, the Sacred Heart was honoured, and those who had undertaken the Nine First Fridays took particular care not to miss their monthly Communion. The custom was sufficiently widespread that even children understood First Friday to be something more than an ordinary weekday.
It is a devotion worth recovering, not least because it brings Catholics regularly to the Sacraments of Penance and Holy Eucharist.
What is the First Friday devotion?
The First Friday devotion consists principally in honouring the Sacred Heart of Jesus on the first Friday of each month, especially by receiving Holy Communion in a spirit of love and reparation for sins committed against Our Lord.
Its best-known form is the Nine First Fridays, associated with the revelations of the Sacred Heart received by St Margaret Mary Alacoque, a Visitation nun at Paray-le-Monial in France, during the seventeenth century.
Between 1673 and 1675, St Margaret Mary reported a series of apparitions in which Our Lord revealed the ardent love of His Sacred Heart for mankind and lamented the ingratitude and indifference with which that love was so frequently repaid. He asked for acts of reparation, particularly through Holy Communion and Eucharistic devotion.
The Sacred Heart is not merely a symbol of human sentiment. The Church honours the actual Heart of Jesus, united hypostatically to the Divine Person of the Word, as a privileged sign of His infinite divine and perfect human love. The devotion leads us directly to the Incarnation, Passion and redeeming Sacrifice of Christ.
Pope Pius XI gave particular prominence to the duty of reparation in his encyclical Miserentissimus Redemptor of 1928. He explained that Christians should respond to the love of the Redeemer by making amends for offences against Him, joining their prayers and sacrifices to the one perfect satisfaction offered by Christ upon the Cross.⁸
What does reparation mean?
The word reparation can sound strange to those unfamiliar with traditional Catholic language. It means making amends, so far as grace enables us, for the offences committed against God’s love and honour.
When a person we love has been treated with contempt, we naturally wish to express our own affection and loyalty more deeply. Reparation to the Sacred Heart proceeds from a similar disposition, elevated by supernatural charity. Conscious of our own sins and of the world’s ingratitude towards Christ, we offer Him our love, repentance, prayers and sacrifices.
We do not add anything lacking to the infinite merits of Christ’s Passion. His Sacrifice is perfect and sufficient. Rather, we unite ourselves to that Sacrifice and offer our acts of devotion through Him.
This explains why Holy Communion occupies the centre of the First Friday devotion. To receive Our Lord worthily, with deliberate love and the intention of reparation, is a particularly fitting response to His Eucharistic self-giving.
What are the Nine First Fridays?
According to the tradition associated with St Margaret Mary’s revelations, Our Lord promised particular graces to those who receive Holy Communion on the first Friday of nine consecutive months, honouring His Sacred Heart with the intention of reparation.
The devotion is commonly associated with the promise of the grace of final repentance and perseverance, together with the spiritual assistance necessary at the hour of death.
Such a promise should never be understood as permission to neglect one’s spiritual life after completing the nine Communions. Private revelation does not supersede the Gospel or the Church’s doctrine concerning repentance, sanctifying grace and perseverance. The purpose is to encourage a lasting conversion of life, not to provide a mechanical guarantee of salvation.
To practise the Nine First Fridays faithfully, a Catholic should receive Holy Communion worthily on the first Friday of nine consecutive months, offering each Communion in honour of the Sacred Heart and with the intention of reparation. Sacramental Confession is necessary whenever a person is conscious of unconfessed mortal sin and is strongly commended as part of regular spiritual life.
Attendance at Mass, recitation of the Litany of the Sacred Heart, an Act of Reparation and a visit to the Blessed Sacrament are particularly appropriate accompanying practices. They enrich the devotion but should not be confused with its essential requirement of worthy Communion on the prescribed Fridays.
Those who have never observed the Nine First Fridays may begin this month, Friday 6 November.
How should a family observe First Friday?
Place an image of the Sacred Heart near the household crucifix, perhaps with a small arrangement of flowers. Where possible, attend Mass and receive Holy Communion worthily. Families may also make a short visit to the Blessed Sacrament.
At home, recite an Act of Reparation or the Litany of the Sacred Heart. Explain that its petitions speak of the merciful love of Christ, His suffering for our redemption and His desire that we turn away from sin.
Children who are not yet of an age to receive Holy Communion can nevertheless participate in the day’s prayers, learn about the Sacred Heart and make suitable acts of love and reparation.
A simple offering might be to undertake an unpleasant task without complaint, forgive somebody who has caused offence, or forgo a treat and offer that sacrifice to Our Lord. Such acts should be voluntary, proportionate to the child’s age and accompanied by an explanation of their purpose.
The Act of Reparation to the Sacred Heart provided in the prayer section below may be recited together before the family crucifix. Parents can explain its meaning beforehand and invite the children to think of one particular act of charity or amendment which they intend to offer to Our Lord.
This month’s intention for the Holy Souls
November supplies a particular intention for First Friday. The faithful may commend the Holy Souls to the Sacred Heart, offering their prayers and voluntary penances in suffrage for the departed.
The family might set aside part of the money saved through Friday abstinence for a Mass intention or a charitable work.
Conclude the evening Rosary with the Prayer to the Sacred Heart and the Eternal Rest.
Those unable to attend Mass may still honour the Sacred Heart through prayer, spiritual Communion and acts of reparation at home. These are valuable devotions, although a spiritual Communion does not constitute the sacramental Communion required for completing the Nine First Fridays.
The object of First Friday is not simply to complete nine observances. It is to form a Christian who habitually responds to the love of Christ with repentance, gratitude and fidelity.
SATURDAY 7 NOVEMBER: ST WILLIBRORD AND THE FIRST SATURDAY OF OUR LADY
St Willibrord, Bishop and Confessor, according to the Old Roman calendar; Commemoration of the Seventh Day Within the Octave of All Saints. First Saturday of November.
The commemoration of St Willibrord gives this Saturday particular significance for Catholics attached to the Old Roman tradition.
Born in Northumbria during the seventh century, he received his early religious formation in the tradition associated with St Wilfrid and later undertook missionary work among the Frisians. Consecrated by Pope Sergius I, he established his episcopal centre at Utrecht and helped lay the foundations of the Church in that region.
His missionary example is especially appropriate within the Octave of All Saints. The Faith which we practise today was transmitted through the labours and sacrifices of countless generations, many of whose names have been forgotten.⁹
Families might trace St Willibrord’s journeys upon a map, locating Northumbria, Rome, Utrecht and Frisia. Older children can learn about the early English missionary movement, while younger ones prepare a drawing of a missionary carrying the Gospel into unfamiliar lands.
At evening prayers, remember departed missionaries, bishops, priests and religious, particularly those who administered the sacraments to members of the household or assisted the family during times of illness and bereavement.
What is the First Saturday devotion?
The First Saturday devotion consists in honouring the Blessed Virgin Mary on the first Saturday of each month. Saturday has been particularly associated with Our Lady in the Western Church for many centuries, and the traditional Roman liturgy provides votive Masses and an Office in her honour.
The best-known modern expression of this devotion is the Five First Saturdays, associated with the apparitions of Our Lady of Fatima.
During the apparition of 13 July 1917, Our Lady told the three shepherd children that she would return to request Communion of Reparation on the First Saturdays. This request was subsequently communicated to Sister Lucia on 10 December 1925, at Pontevedra in Spain.
According to Sister Lucia’s account, the Blessed Virgin appeared with the Child Jesus and showed her Immaculate Heart surrounded by thorns, representing the blasphemies and ingratitude of mankind. Our Lady asked for acts of reparation and promised assistance at the hour of death, with the graces necessary for salvation, to those who would faithfully practise the devotion.
The Five First Saturdays were approved by the Bishop of Leiria on 13 September 1939 and have since been widely promoted throughout the Catholic world.¹⁰
Why is the Immaculate Heart honoured?
The Immaculate Heart of Mary represents the interior life and perfect charity of the Mother of God: her faith, humility, obedience, purity and complete union with the will of her Divine Son.
Unlike the adoration offered to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, which belongs to the Divine Person of Our Lord, devotion to the Immaculate Heart is an act of veneration towards the Blessed Virgin, the highest of all created persons.
The two devotions are closely related because Mary’s maternal love is entirely directed towards Christ. She leads the faithful to her Son, as she did at Cana when she instructed the servants to do whatever He commanded.
Reparation to the Immaculate Heart expresses sorrow for offences against the Blessed Virgin and seeks, through prayer and penance, to honour her in place of those who treat her with contempt.
Why five First Saturdays?
According to Sister Lucia’s later account of an explanation given by Our Lord, the five Saturdays correspond to five kinds of offences against the Immaculate Heart: blasphemies against Mary’s Immaculate Conception, her perpetual Virginity and her divine Maternity; the deliberate fostering of contempt or indifference towards her among children; and insults directed against her sacred images.
This helps explain the devotion’s character. It is an organised act of reparation for offences against the Mother of God and the privileges which Almighty God bestowed upon her.
What must be done for the Five First Saturdays?
The devotion is undertaken on five consecutive First Saturdays. Four principal acts are required, all performed with the intention of making reparation to the Immaculate Heart of Mary.
- Sacramental Confession. A good Confession should be made in connection with each First Saturday. Sister Lucia’s accounts explain that Confession may take place before or after the Saturday, within a suitable interval, provided the person is in the state of grace when receiving Holy Communion and makes the reparative intention.
- Holy Communion of Reparation. Receive Holy Communion worthily on the First Saturday, offering it specifically in reparation to the Immaculate Heart.
- Five decades of the Holy Rosary. Recite at least five decades with the intention of reparation.
- Fifteen minutes of meditation. Spend fifteen minutes keeping Our Lady company by meditating upon one or more mysteries of the Rosary.
The customary practice is to make the fifteen minutes of meditation in addition to reciting the five decades. The Fatima Shrine’s explanation also allows the meditation to be distributed as three minutes of recollection before each decade, provided the full fifteen minutes are devoted to meditation. Families may adopt the separate exercise described below.
For those following the traditional Rosary, the Joyful, Sorrowful and Glorious Mysteries provide the material. A person may consider one mystery in depth or several in succession.
The essential intention throughout is reparation to the Immaculate Heart, not merely the completion of a collection of prayers.
The promise associated with the devotion concerns Our Lady’s assistance at the hour of death with the graces necessary for salvation. It should be received as an encouragement towards conversion, perseverance and confidence in divine grace, never as an automatic guarantee independent of one’s subsequent spiritual life.¹¹
How can families begin this November?
Saturday 7 November offers an opportunity to begin the Five First Saturdays.
Parents can explain the devotion simply. Our Lady loves her Divine Son perfectly and desires that His children should love and obey Him. When people insult or reject her, we offer prayers and acts of love in reparation.
If possible, attend Mass and receive Holy Communion worthily. Arrange Confession within the appropriate period, pray five decades of the Rosary, and set aside fifteen minutes for meditation.
Younger children may participate according to their age without being expected to complete the adult devotional programme. A sacred picture showing the Annunciation, Nativity, Crucifixion or Resurrection can help them follow the meditation.
A practical fifteen-minute meditation for First Saturday
Families sometimes find this part of the devotion difficult, particularly when they have been accustomed to treating meditation as something reserved for priests or religious. Nothing elaborate is required. The purpose is to keep Our Lady company while considering one or more mysteries of the Rosary.
The following exercise uses the First Joyful Mystery, the Annunciation, and may be led by a parent or undertaken privately. It is offered as a practical aid rather than as a prescribed formula.
The first two minutes — Recollection. Gather before a picture of the Annunciation. Make the Sign of the Cross and ask Our Lady to help the family meditate upon the mystery. Recall that the Archangel Gabriel came to Nazareth and announced that Mary had been chosen to become the Mother of God. Allow a short silence.
The next five minutes — Contemplating the mystery. Read slowly St Luke 1:26–38, or recount the passage in language suited to the children. Consider Mary’s humility, her faith and her complete surrender to God’s will. She does not understand every consequence of what is being asked, yet she responds with obedience.
Pause over her words: “Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it done to me according to thy word.” Ask what those words reveal about her love of God.
The following five minutes — Applying the mystery. Reflect upon the occasions when God’s will becomes apparent through the ordinary duties of life. Parents might consider the responsibilities of marriage and family life; children might think about obedience, truthfulness or kindness when these demand some sacrifice. The point is to recognise that holiness begins with fidelity to what God asks of us.
It may help to ask one quiet question: What would I do differently today if I truly wished to imitate Our Lady’s obedience?
The final three minutes — Prayer and resolution. Thank Almighty God for the mystery of the Incarnation. Ask the Blessed Virgin to obtain the grace of humility and prompt obedience. Offer the meditation in reparation to her Immaculate Heart and make one practical resolution for the coming week.
Conclude with a Hail Mary.
The complete exercise occupies fifteen minutes. Those who prefer silent mental prayer may spend the whole period contemplating the mystery without following this structure.
For succeeding First Saturdays, the household might meditate upon the Visitation, Nativity, Presentation in the Temple and Finding of Our Lord, before continuing through the Sorrowful and Glorious Mysteries. Over time, children will become familiar with the events of Our Lord’s life and Our Lady’s participation in the work of redemption.
What if Mass or Confession is unavailable?
Some Catholic households live far from a traditional chapel or have difficulty finding a priest. They should maintain the devotions as far as possible through the Rosary, meditation, acts of reparation and spiritual Communion.
These prayers are never wasted. Nevertheless, spiritual Communion does not replace the sacramental Communion required by the formal Five First Saturdays devotion. Those unable to fulfil the sacramental requirements should seek guidance from a priest rather than assuming that the conditions have been completed.
Remembering the Holy Souls
November’s dedication to the Holy Souls provides an appropriate additional intention. After the Rosary and meditation, the family may commend deceased mothers, grandmothers, religious sisters and all departed souls to the intercession of the Blessed Virgin.
Recite the Prayer to Our Lady for the Holy Souls provided later in this guide, followed by the De profundis and Eternal Rest.
The First Saturday devotion should leave its mark upon the household’s ordinary conduct. Children who have been taught to honour Our Lady should also be learning obedience, modesty, purity, humility and charity. Such virtues are the proper fruits of Marian devotion.
Mark the succeeding First Fridays and First Saturdays upon the family calendar, particularly where members of the household have undertaken the nine or five consecutive Communions.
The two devotions are mutually complementary. First Friday directs the faithful towards the Sacred Heart of the Redeemer; First Saturday encourages them to honour His Immaculate Mother and imitate her fidelity. Both encourage sacramental life, repentance and perseverance in grace.
SUNDAY 8 NOVEMBER: THE OCTAVE DAY OF ALL SAINTS
Fifth Sunday after Epiphany resumed, with commemoration of the Octave Day of All Saints and the Four Holy Crowned Martyrs. Liturgical colour: Green.
The Mass of the resumed Fifth Sunday after Epiphany is celebrated, with the Octave Day of All Saints commemorated according to the traditional rubrics. This distinction matters in 2026 because the Twenty-Fourth and Last Sunday after Pentecost is reserved for 22 November, the final Sunday before Advent.¹²
The Gospel recounts the parable of the wheat and the cockle (St Matthew 13:24–30). Good seed and weeds grow together until the harvest, when the final separation is made.
The reading is particularly appropriate as the octave concludes. God alone knows the final state of every soul, and the present life remains the time in which we must respond to His grace, repent of sin and persevere in charity.
Concluding the octave at home
After Mass, gather before the family crucifix and the Saints of Heaven display prepared earlier in the week.
Recite the Short Family Litany of the Saints and the Eternal Rest. Children may add the final pictures or drawings to their display and share something they have learned about the lives of the saints.
The family meal may retain a festive character. The octave has been an extended celebration of heavenly glory, even while the month’s prayers for the departed have continued.
In the evening, prepare the household prayer corner for the remainder of November. Keep the Family Book of the Departed beside the crucifix and agree upon a simple rule which can be maintained until the end of the month.
The octave concludes today, but November’s dedication to the Holy Souls continues.
UNDERSTANDING SIN: MORTAL AND VENIAL SIN
Before explaining indulgences, it is important to understand the Church’s teaching about sin, forgiveness and the consequences of our actions.
Catholic doctrine distinguishes between mortal sin and venial sin. Both offend Almighty God, but they differ profoundly in gravity and in their effects upon the soul.
Mortal sin destroys sanctifying grace and severs the soul’s friendship with God. It is called mortal because it brings spiritual death. A person who dies in unrepented mortal sin, without having recovered sanctifying grace, is eternally separated from God.
The Catechism of St Pius X teaches that three conditions are necessary for a sin to be mortal: grave matter, full advertence and perfect consent of the will.¹³
Grave matter means that the action is seriously contrary to God’s law. Murder, adultery, serious theft and deliberate apostasy are examples of objectively grave matters.
Full advertence means that the person understands the seriously sinful character of the action. Perfect consent means that the person freely chooses to commit it with sufficient deliberation.
All three conditions must be present. An objectively grave action does not automatically establish that the person who committed it is subjectively guilty of mortal sin. Ignorance, fear, coercion and other circumstances may diminish personal culpability, although they do not necessarily make the action itself morally acceptable.
God alone knows the heart perfectly, and the final judgement of individual souls belongs to Him.
A person conscious of mortal sin should make a sincere Act of Contrition and seek sacramental Confession without unnecessary delay. Ordinarily, he must receive sacramental absolution before approaching Holy Communion.
Perfect contrition, arising from love of God above all things, reconciles the soul to God even before sacramental absolution, provided it includes the firm intention of confessing mortal sins as soon as possible. This teaching should never become an excuse for neglecting Confession.
Venial sin does not destroy sanctifying grace or sever friendship with God, although it wounds charity, weakens resistance to temptation and impedes spiritual progress.
Examples may include unnecessary impatience, an unkind remark, a minor act of selfishness or carelessness in one’s duties, provided the circumstances do not make the matter grave. A sin may also be venial when objectively grave matter is involved but full knowledge or deliberate consent is lacking.
Venial sins are not harmless. A person who habitually excuses resentment, dishonesty or selfishness gradually becomes less attentive to conscience and may become more disposed towards serious wrongdoing.
Venial sins may be forgiven through sincere contrition, prayer, acts of charity, worthy reception of Holy Communion and other penitential practices. Frequent Confession remains strongly recommended even when a person is conscious only of venial sins.
Why does this matter for Purgatory?
A person who dies in sanctifying grace is saved. Nevertheless, the soul may still require purification from venial sins, disordered attachments and the temporal punishment remaining from sins whose guilt has already been forgiven.
Such souls are in Purgatory. Their salvation is assured, and they cannot lose the eternal happiness for which they are destined. Their purification prepares them for the perfect holiness necessary to behold God face to face.
Purgatory is not a second opportunity to choose salvation after death. The soul has already died in God’s friendship.
Our prayers, sacrifices and especially the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass can assist the souls undergoing this purification.
Explaining sin to children
Parents should teach these distinctions without encouraging excessive fear or scrupulosity.
Children need to understand that wrongdoing matters because our relationship with God matters. They should also learn that God’s mercy is real, that repentance is necessary, and that Christ established the Sacrament of Penance for the forgiveness of sins.
A simple comparison from family life may help. A child who deliberately breaks something belonging to another person should apologise and seek forgiveness. Even after forgiveness has been given, however, the damage may still need to be repaired.
The comparison is imperfect, but it introduces an important distinction. Forgiveness removes the guilt of wrongdoing; it does not necessarily remove every consequence.
This principle helps explain the Church’s teaching about temporal punishment and the purification of the soul.
WHAT ARE INDULGENCES?
An indulgence is the remission before God of temporal punishment due to sins whose guilt has already been forgiven, granted through the spiritual authority of the Church under prescribed conditions.
An indulgence does not forgive sin itself. It cannot replace sacramental Confession, does not excuse repentance and certainly does not permit anybody to commit sins in the future.
To understand indulgences, one must distinguish the guilt of sin from the temporal punishment which may remain after forgiveness.
When a person receives forgiveness for mortal sin, the guilt is removed and the eternal punishment due to that sin is remitted. Yet the disorder caused by sin may still require purification or satisfaction.
Such purification may occur during earthly life through prayer, penance, charity, patient acceptance of suffering and faithful performance of Christian duties. If a person dies in God’s friendship without this purification being complete, it continues in Purgatory.
Indulgences concern this temporal punishment.
The Church possesses the authority to grant indulgences through the treasury of spiritual merits entrusted to her. This treasury consists principally and inexhaustibly of the merits of Christ’s redeeming Passion and Death, together with the merits and satisfactions of the Blessed Virgin Mary and the saints, whose supernatural value depends entirely upon Christ.
The doctrine belongs to the Church’s received teaching and was reaffirmed by the Council of Trent, which defended the legitimate use of indulgences while condemning abuses and commercial exploitation.¹⁴
Plenary and partial indulgences
A plenary indulgence remits all the temporal punishment due to sins already forgiven.
A partial indulgence remits part of that punishment.
Older prayer books sometimes assign indulgences expressed in days or years. These historical expressions referred to equivalents within the Church’s penitential discipline, not to a measurable number of days deducted from a soul’s stay in Purgatory.
Under the indulgence discipline currently promulgated by Rome, partial indulgences are no longer expressed in numerical periods.
A Catholic may gain an indulgence for himself or apply it by way of suffrage to a soul in Purgatory. Indulgences cannot be transferred in the same manner to other living persons, although those persons may certainly be assisted through prayer.
When an indulgence is offered for the departed, its application rests with God’s mercy. We cannot know with certainty its precise effect upon a particular soul.
The conditions for a plenary indulgence
Under the currently published Roman norms, the faithful must be baptised, properly disposed, in the state of grace at least by the completion of the indulgenced work, and have at least a general intention of gaining the indulgence.
Ordinarily, four matters must be attended to: sacramental Confession within the permitted period; worthy reception of Holy Communion and prayer for the intentions of the Supreme Pontiff; complete detachment from every sin, including venial sin; and performance of the prescribed indulgenced work with the required devotion and intention.
Complete detachment from sin does not mean that a person must already possess the perfection of the saints or be incapable of committing another venial sin. It means sincerely rejecting attachment to sin and being unwilling to retain any sinful habit or affection.
One Confession can ordinarily suffice for several plenary indulgences, but a separate Holy Communion and prayer for the Pope’s intentions are required for each. Only one plenary indulgence may normally be gained each day.
Where the full disposition required for a plenary indulgence is lacking, the indulgence may be partial, provided the necessary conditions are otherwise fulfilled.
For those legitimately impeded from fulfilling prescribed works or sacramental conditions, the Church’s norms make provision for appropriate commutations and concessions through competent authority or a confessor. Those affected should seek pastoral advice rather than simply assuming that no indulgence is possible.
The Church’s indulgences are not spiritual prizes obtained by performing religious tasks mechanically. They presuppose sincere conversion, repentance and a living relationship with God.¹⁵
An explanation for children
Parents may explain indulgences as a particular gift of God’s mercy, which the Church grants through the authority received from Christ for the remission of temporal punishment remaining after sins have been forgiven.
Children should understand that forgiveness cannot be purchased, Heaven cannot be earned through religious exercises alone, and an indulgence never gives permission to neglect repentance.
All indulgences depend upon the merits of Our Lord Jesus Christ.
During November, the Church grants special opportunities to offer these spiritual benefits for the Holy Souls. Such devotion is an act of charity towards souls who can no longer perform penitential works for themselves.
THE NOVEMBER INDULGENCES: A SPECIAL CHARITY FOR THE HOLY SOULS
The Church has long encouraged prayer for the departed through indulgenced devotions. The following provisions describe the indulgences currently granted by Rome; they should be distinguished from the older rubrical calendar and from historical grants found in editions of the Raccolta.
According to the Manual of Indulgences, a plenary indulgence applicable only to the Holy Souls may be gained on each day from 1 to 8 November by devoutly visiting a cemetery and praying for the departed, even mentally.
A further plenary indulgence, applicable to the departed, may be gained by visiting a church or oratory on All Souls’ Day and reciting the Our Father and the Creed. With the consent of the competent Ordinary, this church visit may instead be made on All Saints or the preceding or following Sunday.¹⁶
The ordinary conditions for a plenary indulgence, explained above, must also be fulfilled.
Families should not be discouraged if they cannot visit a cemetery every day. A visit on one or two suitable days, made reverently and accompanied by sincere prayer, remains a valuable act of charity.
Nor should indulgences be treated as an arithmetical calculation. We do not know how long a particular soul remains in Purgatory, and we cannot establish how many souls have entered Heaven by counting the prayers or indulgences offered.
The Church also grants partial indulgences applicable to the Holy Souls for certain prayers and pious works, including devout recitation of the Eternal Rest, the Lauds or Vespers of the Office of the Dead, and prayer for the departed during cemetery visits outside the days specified for the plenary indulgence.
The faithful should therefore approach November’s indulgenced devotions with confidence and reverence, making a good Confession, receiving Holy Communion worthily, praying for the Pope’s intentions, rejecting attachment to sin and performing the prescribed charitable work.
TRADITIONAL NOVEMBER CUSTOMS TO REVIVE
The Family Book of the Departed
Continue the book begun last week. Record names, dates of death, places of burial and Mass intentions offered. Children may add family photographs or written recollections.
Keep the book available throughout the year, not merely during November. It will gradually become both a family record and a continuing invitation to prayer.
The November Remembrance Candle
Place a candle near the crucifix, to be lighted safely during evening prayers. A modest arrangement with a crucifix, sacred image and the remembrance book is entirely sufficient.
The Cemetery Pilgrimage
Where practicable, visit a cemetery weekly during November. Clean neglected family graves, place flowers and pray for those buried there.
Catholic cultures have developed a variety of legitimate customs surrounding All Saints and All Souls. In Poland, families traditionally visit cemeteries and illuminate graves with candles. In the Philippines, Undas brings relatives together to visit and care for family graves. In Mexico, customary observances associated with the Día de Muertos often incorporate family altars, flowers and remembrance, although Catholics should distinguish legitimate remembrance and prayer from any practices inconsistent with Christian doctrine.
Such traditions remind us that devotion to the departed is not confined to any one country. The Church’s universal Faith has taken root in many cultures, each possessing customs which can enrich the domestic observance of November.
The Holy Souls Alms
Set aside a small sum each week for charity in remembrance of the departed. This might assist a Requiem Mass intention, a Catholic funeral, or somebody who is elderly, poor or bereaved.
The Monthly Requiem
Arrange, where possible, for a Requiem Mass to be offered during November and upon significant anniversaries of death.
Families should also consider requesting Masses for deceased priests and religious, forgotten souls, and those who died without known relatives.
The Evening Eternal Rest
Add the Eternal Rest to the household’s regular prayers throughout November.
A child who learns to pray for the dead is learning that charity is not restricted to those who can acknowledge or repay it.
PRAYERS FOR THE FAMILY AND THE HOLY SOULS
These prayers may be recited by the whole household or privately. Parents may lead, allowing children to learn the responses gradually. The principal prayers for the departed are given in Latin and English.
Morning Offering
Upon rising, before beginning the day’s ordinary duties.
O my God, I adore Thee and thank Thee for having preserved me through the night. I offer Thee all my prayers, works, joys and sufferings of this day, in union with the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. Grant that all I think, say and do may be pleasing to Thee. Preserve me from sin, guide me in my duties, bless my family and those entrusted to my care, and bring us all at last to everlasting life. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.
The Angelus
Traditionally recited in the morning, at noon and in the evening. After each of the first three responses, recite one Hail Mary.
V. The Angel of the Lord declared unto Mary.
R. And she conceived of the Holy Ghost.
Hail Mary.
V. Behold the handmaid of the Lord.
R. Be it done unto me according to thy word.
Hail Mary.
V. And the Word was made Flesh.
R. And dwelt among us.
Hail Mary.
V. Pray for us, O holy Mother of God.
R. That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.
Let us pray.
Pour forth, we beseech Thee, O Lord, Thy grace into our hearts; that we, to whom the Incarnation of Christ Thy Son was made known by the message of an angel, may by His Passion and Cross be brought to the glory of His Resurrection. Through the same Christ our Lord. Amen.
The Our Father
Our Father, Who art in Heaven, hallowed be Thy Name. Thy Kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth as it is in Heaven. Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. Amen.
The Hail Mary
Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou amongst women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.
Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen.
The Apostles’ Creed
I believe in God, the Father Almighty, Creator of Heaven and earth; and in Jesus Christ, His only Son, Our Lord; Who was conceived by the Holy Ghost, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead and buried. He descended into hell; the third day He rose again from the dead; He ascended into Heaven, sitteth at the right hand of God the Father Almighty; from thence He shall come to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Ghost; the Holy Catholic Church; the Communion of Saints; the forgiveness of sins; the resurrection of the body; and life everlasting. Amen.
Prayer to the Guardian Angel
Angel of God, my guardian dear, to whom God’s love commits me here, ever this day be at my side, to light and guard, to rule and guide. Amen.
At night, substitute “ever this night”.
Short Family Litany of the Saints
Especially suitable for 1 and 8 November. Add the household’s patron saints where appropriate.
V. Holy Mary, Mother of God.
R. Pray for us.
V. St Joseph, Spouse of the Blessed Virgin.
R. Pray for us.
V. St Michael the Archangel.
R. Pray for us.
V. St Peter and St Paul.
R. Pray for us.
V. St Wilfrid.
R. Pray for us.
V. St Charles Borromeo.
R. Pray for us.
V. St Willibrord.
R. Pray for us.
V. All ye holy Apostles and Evangelists.
R. Pray for us.
V. All ye holy Martyrs.
R. Pray for us.
V. All ye holy Confessors.
R. Pray for us.
V. All ye holy Virgins and Widows.
R. Pray for us.
V. All ye Saints of God.
R. Make intercession for us.
O Almighty God, Who dost glorify Thy saints and call Thy children to the happiness of Heaven, grant us the grace to imitate their virtues and persevere in Thy service, until we too may share in their everlasting joy. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.
The Eternal Rest — Requiem Aeternam
To be prayed daily throughout November.
Latin
V. Requiem aeternam dona eis, Domine.
R. Et lux perpetua luceat eis.
V. Requiescant in pace.
R. Amen.
English
V. Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord.
R. And let perpetual light shine upon them.
V. May they rest in peace.
R. Amen.
The De Profundis — Psalm 129
*Particularly appropriate for All Souls, the month of November and anniversaries of death. The English follows the Douay-Rheims Bible.*¹⁷
Latin
De profundis clamavi ad te, Domine: Domine, exaudi vocem meam.
Fiant aures tuae intendentes in vocem deprecationis meae.
Si iniquitates observaveris, Domine: Domine, quis sustinebit?
Quia apud te propitiatio est: et propter legem tuam sustinui te, Domine.
Sustinuit anima mea in verbo ejus: speravit anima mea in Domino.
A custodia matutina usque ad noctem, speret Israel in Domino.
Quia apud Dominum misericordia: et copiosa apud eum redemptio.
Et ipse redimet Israel ex omnibus iniquitatibus ejus.
English
Out of the depths I have cried to thee, O Lord: Lord, hear my voice.
Let thy ears be attentive to the voice of my supplication.
If thou, O Lord, wilt mark iniquities: Lord, who shall stand it.
For with thee there is merciful forgiveness: and by reason of thy law, I have waited for thee, O Lord.
My soul hath relied on his word:
My soul hath hoped in the Lord.
From the morning watch even until night, let Israel hope in the Lord.
Because with the Lord there is mercy: and with him plentiful redemption.
And he shall redeem Israel from all his iniquities.
Conclude with the Eternal Rest.
Prayer for the Holy Souls
O most merciful Jesus, through the merits of Thy Passion and Death, have pity upon the faithful departed, especially those of our families, our friends and benefactors, and those who have no one to pray for them. Grant them the remission of their remaining temporal punishment, refreshment, light and peace. May the merits of Thy Precious Blood and the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary obtain for them a speedy entrance into Thy heavenly Kingdom. Amen.
Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon them. May they rest in peace. Amen.
A Family Prayer at the Graveside
O Lord Jesus Christ, Who by Thy Death and Resurrection hast overcome the grave and opened the gates of eternal life to the faithful, look mercifully upon Thy departed servants whose bodies rest in this place. Pardon their sins, complete their purification and grant them everlasting rest in the company of Thy saints.
Comfort those who mourn them, strengthen us in the hope of the resurrection, and teach us to number our days wisely, that we may prepare for the hour when Thou shalt call us from this earthly life. Who livest and reignest world without end. Amen.
V. Requiem aeternam dona eis, Domine.
R. Et lux perpetua luceat eis.
V. Requiescant in pace.
R. Amen.
Prayer for Deceased Priests and Religious
O Eternal High Priest, Jesus Christ, remember in Thy mercy the souls of departed bishops, priests, deacons and religious who served Thy Church during their earthly lives. Pardon their faults, receive the fruits of their labours, and grant them a place among Thy faithful servants in everlasting glory.
Remember especially those who offered the Holy Sacrifice, administered Thy sacraments, taught the Faith and ministered to the dying. May those who assisted others towards salvation now receive the help of our prayers. Amen.
Prayer for Those Who Have Nobody to Pray for Them
O most compassionate Lord Jesus, remember the souls of the forgotten dead, those whose graves are unknown, whose names are no longer spoken, and whose earthly companions have themselves departed this life.
Thou knowest each of them, for no soul is forgotten before Thee. In Thy infinite mercy, grant them the assistance of the prayers of Thy Church, and admit them, when their purification is complete, into the everlasting light of Thy presence. Amen.
Prayer to the Sacred Heart for First Friday
Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, burning with love for souls, receive the offering of our prayers, duties and sacrifices. Pardon our sins, increase our charity and grant relief to the faithful departed. May Thy Precious Blood obtain mercy for those who await the fullness of heavenly joy. Amen.
Act of Reparation to the Sacred Heart
A prayer composed for family use, suitable for recitation on First Friday after Mass, Holy Communion or the evening Rosary. It does not replace the formal Act of Reparation prescribed for the annual Feast of the Sacred Heart.
O most loving Jesus, Whose Sacred Heart is the fountain of all mercy and charity, we kneel before Thee with sorrow for our sins and gratitude for Thy infinite love.
We acknowledge the ingratitude with which mankind has so often repaid Thy goodness, the irreverence shown towards Thy Most Holy Sacrament, and the coldness of hearts which ought to burn with love for Thee.
We ask pardon for our own offences, negligences and failures in charity. Accept, we beseech Thee, our prayers and sacrifices in reparation for these sins, united with the infinite merits of Thy Passion and Death.
Grant us the grace to receive Thee worthily in Holy Communion, to honour Thee faithfully in the Blessed Sacrament, and to live according to Thy commandments.
Reign over our home, preserve our family in the true Faith, and teach us to love Thee more generously in the ordinary duties of life.
We commend to Thy mercy the souls of the faithful departed, especially those of our families and those who have nobody to pray for them. Through the merits of Thy Precious Blood, grant them refreshment, light and peace.
Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, have mercy on us.
Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, make our hearts like unto Thine.
Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, Thy Kingdom come. Amen.
Prayer to Our Lady for First Saturday
O Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of Mercy and Refuge of Sinners, we commend to thy maternal intercession the souls of the faithful departed. Remember especially those who loved and honoured thee during their earthly lives, those who died alone, and those who have no one to pray for them. Obtain for them, through the merits of thy Divine Son, the speedy completion of their purification and entrance into heavenly glory. Amen.
Night Prayers and Examination of Conscience
Before retiring, gather before the family crucifix or pray privately. Thank God for His blessings, recall the day’s sins and omissions, make an Act of Contrition and commend the household to His protection.
O my God, I thank Thee for all the blessings Thou hast bestowed upon me this day. Forgive my sins, my omissions and my failures in charity. Grant me the grace of true repentance and amendment of life. Watch over this home during the coming night, protect those whom I love, comfort the sick and sorrowful, and grant peaceful rest to all who trust in Thee. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Act of Contrition
O my God, I am heartily sorry for having offended Thee, and I detest all my sins because of Thy just punishments, but most of all because they offend Thee, my God, Who art all good and deserving of all my love. I firmly resolve, with the help of Thy grace, to sin no more and to avoid the near occasions of sin. Amen.
Conclude with the Guardian Angel prayer and, during November, the Eternal Rest.
KEEPING NOVEMBER AS THE MONTH OF THE HOLY SOULS
The Octave of All Saints concludes on 8 November, but the month’s dedication to the Holy Souls continues.
Keep the Family Book of the Departed beside the crucifix. Continue the Eternal Rest during evening prayers, accompanied by the De profundis whenever practicable. Observe anniversaries of death, arrange Mass intentions where possible, and make a further cemetery visit before the month ends.
November also provides an opportunity to discuss the practical duties associated with Christian death and burial. Older children and adults should understand the importance of summoning a priest when somebody is gravely ill, arranging the Sacraments of Penance, Extreme Unction and Holy Communion where possible, and ensuring that deceased Catholics receive the Church’s funeral rites.
Such conversations need not be morbid. Death is a reality for which Christian life is intended to prepare us. The Church’s rites exist because the passage from this world is of immense spiritual consequence, and because the faithful ought to be assisted by prayer and the sacraments whenever possible.
Children should be allowed to ask questions about death and bereavement. They need explanations suited to their age, together with the assurance that grief is a natural expression of love.
Parents should resist the temptation to offer unwarranted certainties about the eternal condition of deceased relatives. We may entrust them confidently to God’s mercy without presuming knowledge of His particular judgement.
The practice should also extend beyond family affection. Remember deceased neighbours, priests, religious, benefactors, former enemies, victims of war and disaster, and those who died without anybody to pray for them.
A child who learns to pray for such souls discovers that Christian charity does not depend upon personal acquaintance or the possibility of receiving anything in return.
For households where time is limited, the daily Eternal Rest may be the most realistic November practice. For others, the Rosary, De profundis, cemetery visits and Mass intentions will provide a fuller observance. There should be no unnecessary competition between families or anxiety about the quantity of activities completed.
The important thing is that prayer for the dead should become a familiar part of Catholic life.
A HOME THAT REMEMBERS ETERNITY
There is something profoundly Catholic about a household in which the names of the departed continue to be spoken in prayer.
Photographs, letters and treasured possessions preserve memories which naturally become precious as the years pass. Yet Christian remembrance cannot end there. The Church asks us to do something for those who have died.
The departed remain persons before God. The affection which united us during earthly life may now be expressed through the Sacrifice of the Mass, through prayer, penance and the spiritual works of mercy.
All Saints reminds us where the Christian life is intended to lead. All Souls reminds us of those whose purification is not yet complete. The Church’s teaching on sin, Purgatory and indulgences explains why our choices possess eternal significance and why members of Christ’s Mystical Body may continue to assist one another after death.
These truths should influence the ordinary habits of a Catholic home. They ought to make us more attentive to conscience, readier to seek forgiveness, more faithful to prayer and less inclined to regard this passing world as though it were our final dwelling place.
A family need not accomplish every suggested activity to observe November well. Some households are elderly, bereaved, financially constrained or occupied with demanding responsibilities. Others include children of very different ages, whose participation must be adapted accordingly.
The essentials remain within reach: a prayer for the dead, an act of charity, the Rosary, a visit to a cemetery when circumstances permit, and the offering of Holy Mass for departed loved ones.
A child who knows the names of the saints, understands why Catholics pray for the departed, and has learned to kneel reverently beside a grave has received an education which will remain valuable long after childhood.
He has begun to understand that earthly life is a pilgrimage towards eternity.
This November, therefore, keep the names of the departed before the household crucifix. Offer the Requiem. Visit the graves. Pray the Rosary. Teach the children to remember those whom they have never met, and to aspire to join the saints whose pictures surround them.
The most important inheritance a Catholic home can pass to the next generation is a living Faith, sustained by the habits through which that Faith endures.
Among those habits belongs the faithful remembrance of the departed, whose souls remain within the Church’s charity and whose eternal happiness we earnestly desire.
Omnes Sancti Dei, orate pro nobis.
Fidelium animae, per misericordiam Dei, requiescant in pace. Amen.
- Archbishop ✠Jerome Lloyd, Vocatio aeterna: A Pastoral Epistle for All Saints and All Souls, Nuntiatoria, 31 October 2024; The Domestic Church: 25 October–2 November 2026, Nuntiatoria, 23 October 2026.
- Manualist Press, Pre-1955 Roman Calendar for 2026.
- Douay-Rheims Bible, Apocalypse 7; Douay-Rheims Bible, St Matthew 5.
- Council of Trent, Session XXV, Decree Concerning Purgatory, 3–4 December 1563; Douay-Rheims Bible, 2 Machabees 12.
- Pope Benedict XV, Incruentum altaris sacrificium, 10 August 1915; All Souls’ Day: The Commemoration of the Faithful Departed, Nuntiatoria, 3 November 2025.
- Old Roman Apostolate, Guild of Holy Souls, 21 November 2022.
- Council of Trent, Session XXV, On the Invocation, Veneration, and Relics of Saints, and on Sacred Images.
- Pope Pius XI, Miserentissimus Redemptor, 8 May 1928; The Nine First Friday Devotion, Institute of the Sacred Heart.
- Alban Butler, St Willibrord, Confessor, First Bishop of Utrecht.
- Shrine of Fatima, First Saturdays; Shrine of Fatima, Narrative of the Apparitions.
- Fr Fernando Leite SJ, The Devotion of the First Saturdays of the Month, Fatima Luz e Paz, 13 February 2007; Shrine of Fatima, Devotion of the First Saturdays Will Be Celebrated with a Special Focus in 2026, 2 January 2026.
- Gregory DiPippo, Arranging the Breviary for the Rest of the Liturgical Year, New Liturgical Movement, August 2026; Manualist Press, Pre-1955 Roman Calendar for 2026.
- Pope St Pius X, Catechism of St Pius X, sections on Sin and the Sacrament of Penance.
- Council of Trent, Session XXV, Decree Concerning Indulgences.
- Pope Paul VI, Indulgentiarum Doctrina, 1 January 1967; Apostolic Penitentiary, The Gift of the Indulgence, 29 January 2000.
- Apostolic Penitentiary, Enchiridion Indulgentiarum, fourth edition, concession 29, §§1–2.
- Douay-Rheims Bible, Psalm 129: De profundis.
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