All Souls' Day: Praying for the Poor Souls
On All Souls' Day, Roman Catholics commemorate the faithful departed or those baptized Christians believed to be in purgatory . It is celebrated on November 2. In the early days of Christianity the names of the departed brethren were recorded on tablets. Later, in the sixth century,the Benedictine monasteries commemorated their deceased during Pentecost. In Spain there was such a day on Saturday before before Pentecost, at the time of St. Isidore (d. 636). In Germany there existed a ceremony of praying to the dead on 1 October. St. Odilo of Cluny (d. 1048) ordered the commemoration of all the faithful departed to he held annually in the monasteries of his congregation. From there, it spread among the other congregations of the Benedictines and among the Carthusians to various dioceses. On this day, three requiem masses are celebrated: one for the celebrant, one for the departed, and one for the Holy Father. Prayer for the Poor Souls in Purgatory English: V. Eternal rest grant unto ...