The Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed (All Souls)
In Commemoratione Omnium Fidelium Defunctorum
On this day the Church prays for all the faithful departed, the holy souls in purgatory, offering the Holy Sacrifice and her suffrages that they may be cleansed of every stain and brought into the light and peace of God.
On the second of November, the day after the feast of All Saints, the Church turns in love and prayer to all the faithful departed — the holy souls who have died in the grace of God but are not yet perfectly cleansed, and who await in purgatory the day of their entrance into heaven. Having rejoiced with the saints in glory, the Church now remembers her children who suffer still, and pours out for them her prayers, her almsgiving, and above all the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, that they may be loosed from their sins and admitted to the vision of God.
The holy souls and the duty of prayer
It is a holy and wholesome thought, the Scripture teaches, to pray for the dead, that they may be loosed from their sins. The Church holds with firm faith that the souls of the just who die with lesser faults, or with the temporal debt of forgiven sin yet unpaid, are purified after death before they come to the perfect joy of heaven; and she holds also that these souls can be helped by the prayers and good works of the living, and most of all by the Sacrifice of the altar. This is the doctrine of purgatory, joined inseparably to the communion of saints: for the bond of charity is not broken by death, and the faithful on earth can come to the aid of the faithful departed.
This consoling truth moves the Church to keep the holy souls always in her remembrance, and on this day in a special manner. They can no longer help themselves, but wait upon the mercy of God and the charity of their brethren; and so the Church, a tender mother, will not let them be forgotten. She offers for them the Precious Blood of Christ, the one all-availing sacrifice, and bids her children pray for their departed parents, kindred, and friends, and for all the souls who have none to remember them. What we do for them in their need, we may hope will one day be done for us in ours.
The liturgy of the day
The liturgy of All Souls is marked throughout by this single intention: rest and light for the departed. The Church clothes her altars and ministers in black, the colour of mourning and of prayer for the dead, and her chant on this day is the solemn and consoling Requiem, beginning with the plea, “Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon them.” By a great privilege, every priest may offer the Holy Sacrifice three times on this day for the faithful departed, that the suffrages of the Church may be multiplied for the holy souls.
The commemoration of the dead on the second of November was spread through the Church from the tenth century, when it was established in the monasteries and came in time to be observed everywhere. In keeping this day, the Church professes her faith in the resurrection of the dead and the life of the world to come, comforts the living with the hope of reunion, and fulfils the great work of mercy of praying for the dead. The commemoration is kept on the second of November.
The Collect
O God, the Creator and Redeemer of all the faithful: grant unto the souls of thy servants and handmaids the remission of all their sins; that, through devout supplications, they may obtain the pardon which they have always desired.
Fidélium, Deus, ómnium Cónditor et Redemptór: animabus famúlórum famularúmque tuárum remissiónem cunctórum tríbue peccatórum; ut indulgéntiam, quam semper optavérunt, píis supplicatiónibus consequántur.
Patronage
The day is devoted to the relief of the holy souls in purgatory through the prayers and suffrages of the Church.
In the Modern Calendar
In the modern calendar this commemoration is observed on the same day, 2 November.
Common Questions
When is All Souls’ Day?
The Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed is kept on 2 November in the calendar of the 1962 Roman Missal, the day after the feast of All Saints, and likewise on 2 November in the modern calendar. The date is unchanged.
What does the Church do on All Souls’ Day?
The Church prays for all the faithful departed — the holy souls in purgatory — offering the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass and her other suffrages that they may be cleansed of their sins and brought into the joy of heaven. The Mass is the solemn Requiem, and the vestments are black. By privilege, every priest may offer Mass three times on this day for the dead.
Why do we pray for the dead?
The Church holds that the souls of the just who die with lesser faults or unpaid temporal debt of sin are purified in purgatory before entering heaven, and that they can be helped by the prayers and good works of the living, above all by the Mass. Because the bond of charity is not broken by death, the faithful on earth come to the aid of the faithful departed, in the communion of saints.
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