By Joe Pisani

On All Souls Day and throughout the month of November, Catholics make a special effort to pray for their loved ones who passed and to console one another who are grieving. 

Praying for the dead is one of the oldest Catholic traditions, when the Church honors the dead and prays for the relief of the holy souls in purgatory, encouraging the faithful to visit their graves and have memorial Masses said. 

One of the most difficult moments in life is the separation that occurs with death, but it is a separation that is only temporary, the Lord has promised us. The All Souls Mass helps us reunite with our loved ones who have gone before us, and we pray for them — as the prayers of the funeral Mass say — so they can be freed from their sins.

This year, the Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed will be celebrated at Catholic cemeteries throughout the Diocese of Bridgeport on Monday, November 2 at 11 a.m., rain or shrine, according to Kenn Devane of Catholic Cemeteries of the Diocese of Bridgeport.

“It is very special for our cemetery family to host these Masses and hear from family members how much they appreciate us creating an opportunity to celebrate with their relatives, friends, neighbors and fellow parishioners,” said Devane, director of cemetery relations. “Every year, hundreds turn out for this special opportunity and realize they are not alone in their grief, sadness, loneliness and sorrow. That community under each tent helps everyone realize that we are one in God’s family and someday, we will join our family in Heaven.”

He said Catholic Cemeteries provides tents, seats, music, programs, holy water and facilities each year. 

“In most locations between 300 and 400 people come together to share Mass, memories and the magic of doing this in the cemetery with their loved ones,” he said. “Each cemetery is unique, and the pastors who celebrate the Masses for us make the occasion very special with remembrances of the friends and family members who have passed, how special they are, and how much they are missed.”

The Masses will be offered for the repose of the souls of all the faithful departed at six diocesan cemeteries. Afterward, holy water from the Lourdes, France, will be distributed. 

Masses will be held at:

1. St. Mary-Putnam Cemetery at 399 North Street in Greenwich. Bishop Frank J. Caggiano will be the principal celebrant.

2. St. Michael Cemetery at 2205 Stratford Avenue in Stratford

3. St. Peter Cemetery at 71 Lake Avenue Ext. in Danbury

4. St. John Cemetery at 25 Camp Avenue in Darien

5. St. John Cemetery at 223 Richards Avenue in Norwalk

6. Gate of Heaven Cemetery at 1056 Daniels Farm Road in Trumbull

For more information, call (203) 742-1450 Or email [email protected]

Plenary indulgences for our deceased loved ones

During the octave from All Saints Day on November 1 to the 8th, the Church offers Catholics an opportunity to “open the floodgates of mercy for all those who need our prayers.”

From November 1 to 8, it is possible to gain plenary indulgences for them by performing pious works that will remit all the temporal punishment due to sin.

At this special time of year, through prayerful acts, Catholics can help their deceased loved ones, who have died in God’s grace yet not achieved the fullness of heaven.

Catholics may gain a plenary indulgence for them by:

* Visiting a cemetery and praying for the faithful departed from November 1 to 8. On other days it is a partial indulgence. (Only one indulgence is granted a day.)

* Piously visiting a church or oratory on All Souls Day, November 2, or the preceding and following Sunday, or on All Saints Day, November 1, and praying one Our Father and the Apostles Creed.

In order to obtain these indulgences, one also must:

* Have the interior disposition of complete detachment from sin, even venial sin.

* Sacramentally confess their sins 20 days before or after receiving the indulgence.

* Receive the Holy Eucharist.

* Pray for the intentions of the pope by saying one Our Father, one Hail Mary, and one Glory Be.

The Catechism of the Catholic Church says:  “An indulgence is a remission before God of the temporal punishment due to sins whose guilt has already been forgiven, which the faithful Christian who is duly disposed gains under certain prescribed conditions through the action of the Church which, as the minister of redemption, dispenses and applies with authority the treasury of the satisfactions of Christ and the saints.”1471