700
St. Drithelm died, experienced vision heaven hell purgatory
A wealthy man of Northumbria, England, who supposedly died, experienced a
powerful vision of heaven, hell, and purgatory, and then was found to be
alive. He divided his possessions among his wife and children and made benefices
for the poor before becoming a monk at Melrose Abbey. He lived as a hermit
there with great austerities. St. Bede gives
an account of his life. |
1305 Saint Nicholas of
Tolentino Patron of Holy Souls in Purgatory, and, with St. Joseph, Patron
of the Universal Church hundreds of miracles. Born, 1245
Italian Augustinian monk with visions of Purgatory, miracle-worker, resurrected
over 100 children, Patron of Holy Souls in Purgatory, and, with St. Joseph,
Patron of the Universal Church. The two arms incorrupt.
His middle-aged parents, were childless until a prayerful visit
to a shrine of the original Saint Nicholas at Bari, Italy. In gratitude, they
named their son Nicholas.
Augustinian Friar at age 18,
and a student with Blessed Angelus de Scarpetti. Monk at Recanati and Macerata.
Ordained at age 25. Canon of Saint Saviour's. Had visions of angels reciting
"to Tolentino"; he took this as a sign to move to that city in 1274, where
he lived the rest of his life.
Worked as a peacemaker in Tolentino, a city torn by civil
war. Preached every day, wonder-worker and healer, and visited prisoners.
He always told those he helped, "Say nothing of this." Received visions, including
images of Purgatory, which friends ascribed to his lengthy fasts. Had a great
devotion to the recently dead, praying for the souls in Purgatory as he traveled
around his parish, and often late into the night.
The "Seven Tolentine Masses" come after an apparition of Virgin
Mary who told him to offer them for the Souls of Purgatory. In the first
Mass he had a vision of thousands of people in Purgatory suffering horrible
torments. In the the seventh Mass he had the same vision but the thousands
of people were in Heaven, very joyful singing the glories of God
Once, when severely ill, he had a vision of Mary, Augustine and
Monica. They told him to eat a certain type of roll that had been dipped
in water. Cured, he began healing others by administering bread over which
he recited Marian prayers. The rolls became known as Saint Nicholas Bread,
and are still distributed at his shrine.
Holy Mass and Purgatory
Reported to have resurrected over one hundred dead children,
including several who had drowned together.
Legend says that the devil once beat Nicholas with a stick; the
stick was displayed for years in the his church.
A vegetarian, Nicholas was once
served a roasted fowl; he made the sign of the cross over it, and it flew
out a window.
Nine passengers on ship going down at sea once asked Nicholas'
aid; he appeared in the sky, wearing the black Augustinian habit, radiating
golden light, holding a lily in his left hand; with his right hand he quelled
the storm.
An apparition of the saint once
saved the burning palace of the Doge of Venice by throwing a piece of blessed
bread on the flames.
Three hundred and one miracles were recognized during the process.
His tomb has become renowned
by many more, despite the fact that his relics have been lost, save for the
two arms from which blood still exudes when the Church is menaced by a great
danger. This occurred, for example, when the island of Cyprus was taken over
by infidels in 1570.
Like Saint Joseph, virginal father
of Jesus, has been declared a Patron of the Universal Church.
|
1440 St. Frances of Rome great mystic; remarkable
charity to poor, zeal for souls; gift of miracles. ecstasy, bodily vision
of her guardian angel, revelations concerning purgatory and hell
(Bussa di Leoni.)
One of the greatest mystics of the fifteenth century; born at Rome, of a
noble family, in 1384; died there, 9 March, 1440.
Her youthful desire was to enter religion, but at her father's wish she married,
at the age of twelve, Lorenzo de' Ponziani. Among her children we know of
Battista, who carried on the family name, Evangelista, a child of great gifts
(d. 1411), and Agnes (d. 1413). Frances was remarkable for her charity to
the poor, and her zeal for souls. She won away many Roman ladies from a life
of frivolity, and united them in an association of oblates attached to the
White Benedictine monastery of Santa Maria Nuova; later they became the Benedictine
Oblate Congregation of Tor di Specchi (25 March, 1433) which was approved
by Eugene IV (4 July, 1433). Its members led the life of religious, but without
the strict cloister or formal vows, and gave themselves up to prayer and
good works. With her husband's consent Frances practiced continency, and
advanced in a life of contemplation. Her visions often assumed the form of
drama enacted for her by heavenly personages. She had the gift of miracles
and ecstasy, we well as the bodily vision of her guardian angel, had revelations
concerning purgatory and hell, and foretold the ending of the Western Schism.
She could read the secrets of consciences and detect plots of diabolical
origin. She was remarkable for her humility and detachment, her obedience
and patience, exemplified on the occasion ofher husband's banishment, the
captivity of Battista, her sons' death, and the loss of all her property.
On the death of her husband (1436) she retired among her oblates at Tor di
Specchi, seeking admission for charity's sake, and was made superior. On
the occasion of a visit to her son, she fell ill and died on the day she
had foretold. Her canonization was preceded by three processes (1440, 1443,
1451) and Paul V declared her a saint on 9 May, 1608, assigning 9 March as
her feast day. Long before that, however, the faithful were wont to venerate
her body in the church of Santa Maria Nuova in the Roman Forum, now known
as the church of Santa Francesca Romana.
|
1433 St. Lydwine heroically
accepted plight as will of God offered her sufferings for humanity's sins
Jesus Christ confided in her She experienced mystical gifts, including supernatural
visions of heaven, hell, purgatory, apparitions of Christ, and the stigmata.
Patron of sickness & skaters
St. Lydwine is the patroness of sickness Lydwine of Schiedam was
born at Schiedam, Holland, one of nine children of a working man. After an
injury in her youth, she became bedridden and suffered the rest of her life
from various illnesses and diseases. She experienced mystical gifts, including
supernatural visions of heaven, hell, purgatory, apparitions of Christ, and
the stigmata. Thomas a Kempis wrote a biography of her. She was canonized
Pope Leo XIII in 1890. Lydwine suffered a fall while ice skating in 1396,
when a friend collided with her and caused her to break a rib on the right
side. From this injury, she never recovered. An abscess formed inside her
body which later burst and caused Lydwine extreme suffering. Eventually,
she was to suffer a series of mysterious illnesses which in retrospect seemed
to be from the hands of God. Lydwine heroically accepted her plight as the
will of God and offered up her sufferings for the sins of humanity. Some
of the illnesses which affected Lydwine were headaches, vomiting, fever,
thirst, bedsores, toothaches, spasms of the muscles, blindness, neuritis
and the stigmata.
Blessed Lidwina of Schiedam V (AC) (also known as Lydwina, Lydwid,
Lidwyna) Born in Schiedam, the Netherlands, in 1380; cultus approved in 1890.
Lidwina, one of nine children of a laborer, developed a devotion to the Blessed
Virgin in her childhood. When her mother would send her on any errand, Lidwina
would visit the church to greet her Lady with a Hail Mary. At the age of
12, she pledged her virginity to Christ.
She was injured in 1396 while ice skating and became a life-long
invalid. She was cruelly wed to agonizing bodily pains, ulcers, the Black
Plague and other maladies, without counting the familial and spiritual complications.
Lidwina bore the pain patiently as reparation for the sins of others.
For 30 years she received no explanation of incredible sufferings
except through Jesus Christ who confided in her and promised the consolation
of a heavenly life. Upon the advice of her confessor, Jan Pot, Lidwina meditated
night and day on our Lord's passion, which she divided into seven parts,
to correspond to the seven canonical hours of prayer. Through this practice
Lidwina soon found all her bitterness and affliction converted into sweetness
and consolation, and her soul so much changed, that she prayed to God to
increase her pains and patience. Beginning in 1407, Lidwina began to experience
supernatural gifts--ecstasies and visions in which she participated in the
Passion of Christ, saw purgatory and heaven and visited with saints.
Though her family was poor, Lidwina gave away the major portion
of the alms given to her by others. Upon the death of her parents, she bequeathed
to the poor all the goods that they left to her.
The last 19 years of her life she partook of no food except the
Holy Eucharist, slept little if at all during the last seven years of her
life, and became almost completely blind and was unable to move any part
of her body except her head and left arm.
Her extraordinary sufferings attracted widespread attention. When
a new parish priest accused her of hypocrisy, the people of the town threatened
to drive him away. An ecclesiastical commission appointed to investigate
declared her experiences to be valid.
She died on Easter Tuesday in 1433. Thomas a Kempis, author of
Imitation of Christ and an eyewitness of some of her miracles, wrote her
biography. The chapel in which her body lay in a marble tomb was renamed
for her the following year, and her father's house was converted into a monastery
of Gray Sisters of the third order of St. Francis.
Calvinists demolished the chapel
and changed the monastery into a hospital for orphans.
Her relics were translated to Brussels, and enshrined in the collegiate
church of St. Gudula. Isabella obtained a portion of her relics and enshrined
them in the church of the Carmelite convent which she founded.
Lidwina was never formally beatified; however, a Mass was sung
in her chapel at Schiedham on her festival, with a panegyric on the holy virgin.
Her vita was compiled by John Gerlac, her cousin, and John Walter, her confessor:
and by John Brugman, provincial of the Franciscans, who were all personally
acquainted with her (Benedictines, Delaney, Encyclopedia, Husenbeth).
Lidwina is portrayed in art as a cripple holding a crucifix and
receiving a branch of roses from an angel. Sometimes she may be shown (1)
receiving a lily from the angel; (2) with a cross and rosary; (3) as a girl
falling on ice while skating; or (4) working on embroidery (Roeder). She
is the patron of skaters.
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Saints' Prayers for Souls
in Purgatory
ROME, APRIL 1, 2008 (Zenit.org).- Answered by Legionary of Christ
Father Edward McNamara, professor of liturgy at the Regina Apostolorum university.
Q: The Church is often called the communion of saints, the militant
Church, the purgative Church and the Church triumphant. We living here on
earth are urged to pray for the souls in purgatory to help them purify themselves
from their sins in order to enjoy the beatific vision. My question is: Do
also the saints in heaven pray for the souls in purgatory as we ourselves
do? -- S.B., San Gwann, Malta
A: The question is more theological than liturgical and very speculative
theology at that, but is also very intriguing. The crux of the question revolves
around the way that the saints in heaven can know the realities that occur
on earth and in purgatory.
In general most theologians hold that once a person enters into
the realm of the beatific vision, they do not have universal access to our
thoughts or to earthly reality.
Any knowledge they gain is received directly from God, and God
most certainly makes them aware of requests for their intercession in a way
that we can only imagine but never fully grasp while remaining here below.
Therefore I believe we can confidently affirm that the saints
intercede for the souls in purgatory in those cases when someone on earth
requests that saint's intercession for a particular soul.
The Church itself invokes the saints in this way, albeit in a
universal manner, during the rite of final commendation at the graveside
at the prayer of the faithful:
"V. Saints of God come to his/her
aid! Come to meet him/her angels of the Lord!"
"R. Receive his/her soul and present him/her to God the Most High."
If the Church proposes a prayer to implore that the saints come
to the aid of the dead, then it clearly believes this aid is possible.
From a theological standpoint it is very difficult to be able
to affirm that saints intercede, on their own initiative, so to speak, for
the souls in purgatory without some form of earthly intercession.
It does not mean it does not
happen; it is just that we have no way of knowing.
It is also possible that in a general way the saint's participation
in the heavenly liturgy continually glorifying God is also of benefit to
the souls in purgatory, but once more we are ignorant of the precise manner
in which this might come about.
As the poet Thomas Grey said:
"Where ignorance is bliss, 'Tis folly to be wise."
If we were sure that the saints of heaven were independently praying
for the souls in purgatory, perhaps many would defer the act of spiritual
charity of praying for the deceased to the saint's powerful intercession.
The blessing of ignorance obliges
us to continue exercising this intercession on our own,
in the hope that others will do likewise for us when we
are gone.
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FROM THE TEACHING OF THE CHURCH
The existence of Purgatory is defined
as a dogma of the Church by both the Council of Florence and the Council
of Trent. Thus it is obligatory for all Catholics who wish to remain in communion
with the Church to accept and believe in the existence of Purgatory. uls Those detained
in Purgatory are able to be assisted by the faithful on earth especially by
the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass - see Council of Trent Session XXV.
|
1510 Catherine
(Caterinetta) of Genoa, Widow; blood from her stigmata gave off exceptional
heat; “He who purifies himself
from his faults in the present life, satisfies with a penny a debt of a thousand
ducats; and he who waits until the other life to discharge his debts, consents
to pay a thousand ducats for that which he might before have paid with a penny.” Saint Catherine, Treatise on purgatory. (RM)
Born in Genoa, Italy, 1447; died there, September 14, 1510; beatified
in 1737 and equipollently canonized by Pope Benedict XIV a few years later
(others say she was canonized in 1737); feast day formerly on March 22.
“He who
purifies himself from his faults in the present life, satisfies with a penny
a debt of a thousand ducats; and he who waits until the other life to discharge
his debts, consents to pay a thousand ducats for that which he might before
have paid with a penny.” Saint
Catherine, Treatise on purgatory.
The biography of Saint Catherine of Genoa, who combined mysticism
with practicality, was written by Baron Friedrich von Hügel. She was
the fifth and youngest child of James Fieschi and his wife Francesca di Negro,
members of the noble Guelph family of Fieschi, which had produced two popes
(Innocent IV and Adrian V). After
her birth, her father later became viceroy of Naples for King René
of Anjou.
From the age of 13 Catherine sought to became a cloistered religious.
Her sister was already a canoness regular and her confessor was the chaplain
of that convent. When she asked to be received, they decided that she was
too young. Then her father died and, for dynastic reasons, her widowed mother
insisted that the 16-year-old marry the Genoese Ghibelline patrician, Guiliano
Adorno. Her husband was unfaithful, violent, and a spendthrift. The first
five years of their marriage, Catherine suffered in silence. In some ways
it seems odd that he did not find her attractive, because Catherine was a
beautiful woman of great intelligence, and deeply religious. But they were
of completely different temperaments: she was intense and humorless; he had
a zest for life.
Then she determined to win her
husband's affection by adopting worldly airs. As it turns out, this only
made her unhappy because she lost the only consolation that had previously
sustained her-- her religious life. Ten years into her marriage, Catherine
was a very unhappy woman; her husband had reduced them to poverty by his
extravagance. On the eve of his feast in 1473, Catherine prayed, “Saint Benedict, pray to God that
He make me stay three months sick in bed.” Two days later she was kneeling
for a blessing before the chaplain at her sister's convent. She had visited
her sister and revealed the secrets of her heart. Her sister advised her
to go to confession.
In following her sister's advice, Catherine experienced a sort
of ecstasy. She was overwhelmed by her sins and, at the very same time, by
the infinite love of God for her. This experience was the foundation for
an enduring awareness of the presence of God and a fixed attitude of soul.
She was drawn back to the path of devotion of her childhood. Within a few
days she had a vision of our Lord carrying His cross, which caused her to
cry out, “O Love, if it
be necessary I am ready to confess my sins in public!” On the Solemnity of the Annunciation
she received the Eucharist, the first time with fervor for ten years.
Thus began her mystical ascent under very severe mortifications
that included fasting throughout Lent and Advent almost exclusively on the
Eucharist.
She became a stigmatic. A group
of religious people gathered around Catherine, who guided them to a spirit-
filled life.
Eventually her husband was converted, became a Franciscan tertiary,
and they agreed to live together in continence. Catherine and Giuliano devoted
themselves to the care of the sick in the municipal hospital of Genoa, Pammatone,
where they were joined by Catherine's cousin Tommasina Fieschi. In 1473,
they moved from their palazzo to a small house in a poorer neighborhood than
was necessary. In 1479, they went to live in the hospital and Catherine became
its director in 1490. The heroism of Catherine's charity revealed itself
in a special way during the plagues of 1493 and 1501. The first one killed
nearly 75 percent of the inhabitants. Catherine herself contracted the disease.
Although she recovered, she was forced to resign due to ill health three
years later.
After Giuliano's death the following
year (1497), Catherine's spiritual life became even more intense. In 1499,
Catherine met don Cattaneo Marabotto, who became her spiritual director.
Her religious practices were idiosyncratic; for instance, she went to communion
daily when it was unusual to do so. For years she made extraordinarily long
fasts without abating her charitable activities. Catherine is an outstanding
example of the religious contemplative who combines the spiritual life with
competence in practical affairs. Yet she was always fearful of “the contagion of the world's slow
stain” that had separated
her from God in the early years of her marriage.
Her last three years of life were a combination of numerous mystical
experiences and ill health that remained undiagnosed by even John-Baptist
Boerio, the principal doctor to King Henry VII. In addition to her body remaining
undecomposed and one of her arms elongating in a peculiar manner shortly
before her death, the blood from her stigmata gave off exceptional heat.
A contemporary painting of Catherine, now at the Pammatone Hospital
in Genoa, possibly painted by the female artist Tomasina Fieschi, shows Catherine
in middle age. It reveals a slight woman with a long, patrician nose; pronounced,
cleft chin; easy smile of broad but thin lips (and, surprisingly, deep laugh
lines); high cheekbones; and large dark eyes punctuated by thin, graceful
eyebrows.
Dialogue between the soul and the body and Treatise on purgatory
are outstanding works in the field of mysticism, which were inspired by her
and contain the essence of her, but were actually composed by others under
her name. She is the patron of Genoa and of Italian hospitals (Attwater,
Benedictines, Delaney, Farmer, Harrison, Schamoni, Schouppe, Walsh).
Of interest may be The Life and Doctrine of Saint Catherine of
Genoa.
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1645 Saint John Masias Marvelous Dominican
Gatekeeper of Lima, Peru truly a "child of God." saint of simplicity
charity levitated Many miracles were attributed saved souls in Purgatory
(1585-1645) Some saints
have been brilliant leaders who steered their way through complicated courses.
Others have been renowned rather for their childlike simplicity. St.
John Masias of Lima, Peru, a friend and fellow Dominican of St. Martin de
Porres, was like Martin, truly a "child of God."
John, a native of Rivera,
Plasencia, Spain, is said to have been descended from a noble family that
had become impoverished. Whatever his lineage, he was orphaned at an
early age, and raised by an uncle, who made him tend sheep to support himself
and his brothers and sisters. With no opportunity for schooling, Juan
grew up illiterate. The solitude of shepherding, however, gave him,
as it has given to other saints, ample opportunity for recollection and prayer.
Sometimes as he recited the rosary, he sensed the presence of Our Lady and
St. John the Evangelist.
When he was 21, he felt
inspired by St. John the Evangelist to migrate to South America--a popular
choice of many Spaniards in those days when Spain was colonizing Latin America.
The merchant who took him across the Atlantic abandoned him at Cartagena,
Colombia, because he could neither read nor write. Making his way gradually
to Lima, John entered the employ of a landholder who assigned him to work
with his cattle and sheep. "On retreat" again among the animals, Masias
resumed his old devotional schedule.
Around 1621, Juan decided
to apply for entry into the Dominicans as a lay brother. Giving away
what remained of his savings, he was clothed in the Dominican habit at the
Lima convent of St. Mary Magdalen. During his Dominican career Brother
John held only one post, that of porter of the convent, but it was in this
role that he earned heaven.
The monastic life suited
John to a "T". He embraced penitential practices so harsh that his
prior ordered him to tone them down. Though he had lost the sheepfold
as a favored place of private prayer, he found a hidden corner in the monastery
garden that he called his Gethsemane.
But John became noted particularly
for his works of charity. Every day the poor, the sick and the abandoned
would come to the door to receive bread from him. (The convent still preserves
the basket he used to hold the loaves.) If his beloved poor were too shy
to come begging at the convent, he would search them out in their own homes.
Collecting the food
to give was his preliminary duty.
To save himself time in
begging door to door, he trained the priory's donkey to go about town alone
with baskets on its back. When the people saw it coming, they would
put food and clothing into its baskets for Brother Juan to distribute.
Nor did John content himself with silent almsgiving. His contact with
the needy gave him an opportunity to advise them and encourage them to love
God and live good lives. There is no doubt that Blessed Juan copied
this style of apostolate from his good friend, fellow-Dominican lay brother
and fellow townsman, the holy mulatto St. Martin de Porres. Many miracles
were attributed to Brother John.
Historians have often criticized
the Spaniards who colonized Peru and other parts of Latin America for greed
and harshness. But we must not forget the bright side, the holy side
of their colonial efforts.
Thus, Lima itself could
boast of two saints early canonized: St. Rose of Lima and Archbishop St.
Toribio de Mogrovejo. More recent popes have added to that calendar
two more, saints of simplicity and charity: St. Martin de Porres (canonized
in 1962 by Pope John XXIII) and St. John Masias (canonized in 1975 by Pope
Paul VI). Of such is the kingdom of heaven.
--Father Robert F. McNamara
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Catechism 1030-32 The
Profession of Faith p.291
III. THE FINAL PURIFICATION, OR PURGATORY
1030 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.
1031 The Church gives the name
Purgatory to this final purification of the elect, which is entirely different
954, 1472 from the punishment
of the damned.604 605
The Church formulated her doctrine of faith on Purgatory especially at the
Councils of Florence and Trent. The tradition of the Church, by reference
to certain texts of Scripture, speaks of a cleansing fire:
As for certain lesser faults,
we must believe that, before the Final Judgment, there is a purifying fire.
He who is truth says that whoever utters blasphemy against the Holy Spirit
will be pardoned neither in this age nor in the age to come. From this sentence
we understand that certain offenses can be forgiven in this age, but certain
others in the age to come. 606
1032 This teaching is
also based on the practice of prayer for the dead, already mentioned in Sacred
Scripture: "Therefore [Judas Maccabeus] made atonement 958 for the dead, that they might be
delivered from their sin."607 From
the beginning the Church has honored the 1371 memory of the dead and offered prayers
in suffrage for them, above all the Eucharistic sacrifice, so that, thus
1479 purified, they may attain
the beatific vision of God. 608
The Church also commends almsgiving, indulgences, and works of penance undertaken
on behalf of the dead:
Let us help and commemorate them.
If Job's sons were purified by their father's sacrifice, why would we doubt
that our offerings for the dead bring them some consolation? Let us not hesitate
to help those who have died and to offer our prayers for them. 609
604 Cf. Council of Florence (1439): DS 1304; Council of Trent
(1563): DS 1820; (1547): 1580; see also Benedict XII, Benedietus Deus (1336):
DS 1000. 605 Cf. 1 Cor 3:15; 1 Pet 1:7. 606 St. Gregory the Great, Dial. 4, 39: PL 77, 396; d. Mt 12:31.
607 2 Macc 12:46. 608 Cf. Council
of Lyons II (1274): DS 856. 609 St. John Chrysostom, Hom. in 1 Cor. 41, 5: PG 61, 361; cf. Job 1:5.
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Eucharistic Prayers
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Padre Pio
"More people from purgatory come up to Castel Gondolfo than pilgrims." Padre
Pio"
"I see so many souls from Purgatory that they don’t frighten me any more"
“More souls of the dead than the living climb this mountain to attend my
Masses and seek my prayers”
Padre Pio had a very special relationship with the Holy Souls...indeed such
was the relationship that they were his frequent visitors....and led him
to make the statements quoted above.During Padre Pio's lifetime many souls
would come to him to thank him for his prayers on their behalf. On one such
occasion, at evening time after dinner during World War II, shouting was
heard by the friars coming from the downstairs entrance hallway. Who could
these shouting men be? The friary had been long closed for the day. The men
were shouting: Viva Padre Pio ("Long live Padre Pio!"). Brother Gerardo was
asked to go and investigate the shouting and eject the intruders but on reaching
the hallway he found it in darkness...and empty. He reported the incident
to Padre Raffaele, the superior at that time, who in turn asked Padre Pio
for an explanation of the extraordinary occurrence. Padre Pio explained that
the voices yelling "Viva Padre Pio" were those of deceased soldiers who had
come to thank him for his prayers.
Many similar incidences occurred but on each occasion Padre Pio was humble
and calm. He knew very well that the important thing is not the extraordinary,
but the effects of the extraordinary, which God produces in the soul.
ONE HUNDRED YEARS IN PURGATORY
Padre Pio was visited by many famous people during his long lifetime. One
of these visitors was the Honourable de Caro, a member of the Italian Parliament,
who relates the following story:
One evening in 1943 Padre Pio and De Caro were alone together in deep conversation.
Padre Pio spoke of a number of important points of the spiritual life, one
of which concerned the souls in Purgatory. It became clear to De Caro that
Padre Pio knew the exact state of the souls in Purgatory after death and
even the duration of suffering allocated to them by divine goodness for punishment
due to offences to God.
When Padre Pio was asked how long a particular soul would stay in purgatory
he replied "At least one hundred years. We must pray for the Souls in Purgatory.
It is unbelievable what they can do for our spiritual good, out of gratitude
they have towards those on earth who remember to pray for them. "
Padre Pio later explained that prayers for the souls in Purgatory are very
efficacious in the eyes of God because they are in a state of suffering -
a suffering of love for God to whom they aspire and toward their neighbour
for whom they pray.
The following short stories regarding Purgatory further reveal to us the
true suffering of the Souls in Purgatory and why it is so important that
we pray for them.
PADRE PIO AND THE PRIEST IN PURGATORY
One day while in Church Padre Pio observed a priest, , in front of the altar.
The priest was Don Giovanni...deceased. The apparitions in the parish church
lasted for about one month. On the last occasion, the deceased priest spoke
“I'm leaving now, and I won't come again. How terrible it was and how dearly
it costs me to have taken part in the 'procession' after Mass, without first
making my thanksgiving."
The deceased Caporaso was an honest and upright man, but without making the
necessary thanksgiving after Mass he would go to the bar beside the church
as soon as Mass was over and there he would begin the day with his friends
with a little daily news. He had been sent to purgatory for not making Thanksgiving
after mass.
So for the deceased parish priest, Caporaso, the prayers of Padre Pio were
extremely useful, as was his celebration of Mass to free him from Purgatory.
UNCLE ORAZIO AND THE TWO FRIARS
Padre Francesco Napolitano gives us this account:
All the way back in 1928, Padre Pio's father "Uncle Orazio" often used to
come to San Giovanni Rotondo to spend a few days with his son. One evening
after the supper recreation Uncle Orazio bade good-night to his son and the
other friars and went toward his room to have a good night's sleep. The room
assigned to him was one on the first floor, with the number 10. When he got
there, he was surprised to see, standing in front of his room, two friars
who wouldn't let him enter.
In the precise moment he tried to force his way through them, the two friars
disappeared. Very shocked and scared at their disappearance, he ran to his
son, Padre Pio, to tell him everything. Padre Pio understood immediately.
He placed his right arm around his father's shoulder and with appropriate
filial words calmed him down and instilled courage in him.
When he felt that his father had recovered somewhat, he said to him: "Dad,
those two friars whom you just saw in front of your room are two poor religious
who are in Purgatory. They are making their Purgatory in that place where
they broke the rule of Saint Francis. But you must try to calm down and go
to sleep with serenity, because they will not cometo upset you any more."
Perhaps the reader is now inclined to think that it is a common occurrence
for a deceased soul to manifest himself to the living; but this is absolutely
not the case. A deceased person cannot manifest himself to the living, simply
because without help from higher places hehas no power over his material
body. "God can miraculously permit the souls of the faithful departed to
manifest themselves to the living for a useful end, and principally in order
to manifest some truth or other.”
However, as we already know, the souls of the deceased, through the infinite
mercy and goodness of God, can and do appear to the living. We have the words
of Padre Pio, the saints, and many other people of exceptional character.
SIXTY YEARS
FOR LACK OF DILIGENCE
One evening, while the friars
were at supper in the refectory (this occurred around 1921 or 1922), Padre
Pio was praying in the choir loft. Suddenly, he heard a scratching noise
coming from the church—from the side altars.
He pricked his ears to be
sure that he wasn't imagining things. Suddenly another noise—the sound of
candles and candelabra falling from the high part of the main altar—filled
the silence. Padre Pio's first thought was that it was one of the students
going about his business who had caused the candles to fall. To verify this,
he leaned over the balcony of the choir loft to have a closer look. How surprised
he was to see a young friar, on the epistle side of the altar, motionless.
"What are you doing there?,"
Padre Pio asked in a commanding manner. He received no reply. So he continued:
"This is a nice way to do your chores! Instead of putting things in order,
you break the candles and the candle holders!"
However, the silence of the
friar was as that of the tomb. He continued to remain absolutely motionless.
So Padre Pio said in a loud, com- manding voice: "You! What are you doing
there? " Then the little friar replied: "I am brother......from......" But
Padre Pio insisted: "What are doing there at this hour?"
The little friar replied:
"I am doing my Purgatory here. I was a student in this friary, so I now .have
to make amends for the errors I committed while I was here, for my lack of
diligence in doing my duty in this church."
Padre Pio said to him: "Well,
listen! I will say Mass for you tomorrow, but you mustn't come here any more."
With his heart beating faster
than usual, Padre Pio left the choir loft and made his way to the communal
fireplace, where he found his confreres. They immediately noticed his agitation
and asked him the reason; but he avoided their inquiring looks and questions
and said only that he felt cold.
Barely ten minutes passed
when Padre Pio asked one of the friars to accompany him to the church. There,
on the altar, they found candles and candlesticks overturned. Padre Pio wanted
to assure himself that he had heard correctly and that his imagination had
not played tricks on him. When he spoke of this occurrence later on, he usually
concluded with this observation: "For lack of diligence in doing his duty,
that friar was still in Purgatory sixty years after his death! Imagine, then,
how much longer and how much more difficult will be for those who commit
sins which are more serious”
Mary Magdalen
Dei Pazzi. Among all the saints canonised by the Church, she is the one who,
after Saint Frances of Rome, has left us the most detailed and the most exact
description of Purgatory. THE PAINS OF PURGATORY
From the revelations of the saints we understand that there are different
degrees of pain and suffering in Purgatory. We could have no better guide
than that of Mary Magdalen Dei Pazzi. Among all the saints canonised by the
Church, she is the one who, after Saint Frances of Rome, has left us the
most detailed and the most exact description of Purgatory.
One evening, as she was walking in the garden of the Convent, she was suddenly
taken away in spirit and she was heard to say: "Yes, I will walk around it;
I will walk around it! " With these words she consented to her Guardian Angel's
request to visit Purgatory. Once the ecstasy was over, she wrote her account
about it.
Mary Magdalen Dei Pazzi witnessed the intensity of the suffering in Purgatory
and visited the different places where the souls are imprisoned. There was
an abyss filled with tormented Priests and religious, another place which
was not so severe held the souls of children and those who were guilty through
ignorance. She saw souls being pricked by the points of very sharp needles
and almost torn to shreds..these were the souls of those who had tried to
please others during their lives and so had been hypocrites. Further on were
observed the souls of the impatient and disobedient..they were being crushed
under enormous weights. To her horror she witnessed a group of souls having
molten lead poured into their mouths while at the same time having their
bodies immersed in a pool of ice. These souls, who were burning and freezing
at the same time, belonged to those who were liars. The avaricious were being
liquefied with lead whilst the souls of the ambitious suffered excruciating
pain in darkness. The hard-hearted and ungrateful to God were immersed in
a lake of of molten lead as punishment for allowing the source of Grace to
remain sterile through their ingratitude. Finally she visited the prison
of those who during their lives held no great vices but they suffered also,
but to a lesser degree than the others, all the castigation of all those
lesser vices which they had.
After two extremely painful hours Mary Magdalen Dei Pazzi returned to herself,
physically weak and in a state of moral prostration.....requiring several
days to recover.
The body of Saint Mary Magdalen Dei Pazzi remains incorrupt after several
hundred years
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Saint Theresa of Calcutta
Asked God to bring the souls out of Purgatory for every picture taken of
her; she disliked photos of her
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1938 Saint M. Faustina Kowalska
Died October 5, 1938, She
helps souls in Purgatory get out IF they have been dedicated to her.
Sister Faustina born August 25, 1905 was shown by Jesus Heaven, hell
and Purgatory, where she was to suffer one day there.
"God is just in all that he
does. When he rewards us for the smallest of our good deeds, he does so far
beyond anything that we could desire; a good thought, a good wish--that is
to say a wish to do good even if it cannot be carried out--all are rewarded.
"But also when it is time for him to punish us he does so with
severity, and we will be thrown into purgatory for even the smallest offense.
We cannot doubt the truth of this, for we see in the lives of
the saints that several of them have gone to heaven only after first passing
through the flames of purgatory.
On February 22, 1931, Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ appeared
to this simple nun, bringing with Him a wonderful message of Mercy for all
mankind. Saint Faustina tells us in her diary under this date:
"In the evening, when I was in my cell, I became aware of the
Lord Jesus clothed in a white garment. One hand was raised in blessing, the
other was touching the garment at the breast. From the opening of the garment
at the breast there came forth two large rays, one red and the other pale.
In silence I gazed intently at the Lord; my soul was overwhelmed with fear,
but also with great joy. After a while Jesus said to me, 'paint an image
according to the pattern you see, with the inscription: Jesus, I trust in
You.'"
Some time later, Our Lord again spoke to her:
"The pale ray stands for the
Water which makes souls righteous; the red ray stands for the Blood which
is the life of souls. These two rays issued forth from the depths of
My most tender Mercy at that time when My agonizing Heart was opened by a
lance on the Cross....Fortunate is the one who will dwell in their shelter,
for the just hand of God shall not lay hold of him."
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1250 St. Aleydis or Adelaide, Virgin born at Shaerbeck, near
Brussels entered a Cistercian convent at seven named Camera Sanctae Mariae,
and she remained there for the rest of her life; offered up her sufferings
for the souls in purgatory and had visions of their being set free through
her intercession
Adelaide of La Cambre, OSB Cist. V (AC) (also known as Aleydis, Alice); cultus
confirmed in 1907. Saint Adelaide was a young Cistercian nun of the La Cambre
convent who endured many physical afflictions. She became blind, contracted
leprosy, and then paralysed. She had to be segregated from her community.
Adelaide offered up her sufferings for the souls in purgatory and had visions
of their being set free through her intercession. Her life was written by
a contemporary (Benedictines, Encyclopedia). |
Luke 12 versus 57-59
57 "Why do you not judge for yourselves what is right?
58 If you are to go with your opponent before a magistrate, make an effort
to settle the matter on the way; otherwise your opponent will turn you over
to the judge, and the judge hand you over to the constable, and the constable
throw you into prison.
59 I say to you, you will not be released until you have paid the last penny."
12
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Maccabees 1
A man called Dositheus, a powerful horseman and one of Bacenor's
men, caught hold of Gorgias, grasped his military cloak and dragged him along
by main strength, intending to capture the vile wretch alive, when a Thracian
horseman attacked Dositheus and cut off his arm at the shoulder. Then Gorgias
fled to Marisa. {6 [35] One of Bacenor's men: certain ancient witnesses to
the text have "one of the Toubiani"; cf 2 Macc 12:17.}
36
After Esdris and his men had been fighting for a long time and
were weary, Judas called upon the Lord to show himself their ally and leader
in the battle.
37
Then, raising a battle cry in his ancestral language, and with
songs, he charged Gorgias' men when they were not expecting it and put them
to flight.
38
Judas rallied his army and went to the city of Adullam. As the
week was ending, they purified themselves according to custom and kept the
sabbath there.
39
On the following day, since the task had now become urgent, Judas
and his men went to gather up the bodies of the slain and bury them with their
kinsmen in their ancestral tombs.
40
But under the tunic of each of the dead they found amulets sacred
to the idols of Jamnia, which the law forbids the Jews to wear. So it was
clear to all that this was why these men had been slain.
41
They all therefore praised the ways of the Lord, the just judge
who brings to light the things that are hidden.
42
Turning to supplication, they prayed that the sinful deed might
be fully blotted out. The noble Judas warned the soldiers to keep themselves
free from sin, for they had seen with their own eyes what had happened because
of the sin of those who had fallen.
{ [42-45] This is the earliest statement of the doctrine that
prayers (2 Macc 12:42) and sacrifices (2 Macc 12:43) for the dead are efficacious.
The statement is made here, however, only for the purpose of proving that
Judas believed in the resurrection of the just (2 Macc 7:9, 14, 23, 36).
That is, he believed that expiation could be made for certain sins of otherwise
good men-soldiers who had given their lives for God's cause. Thus, they could
share in the resurrection. His belief was similar to, but not quite the same
as, the Catholic doctrine of purgatory.}
43
He then took up a collection among all his soldiers, amounting
to two thousand silver drachmas, which he sent to Jerusalem to provide for
an expiatory sacrifice. In doing this he acted in a very excellent and noble
way, inasmuch as he had the resurrection of the dead in view;
44
for if he were not expecting the fallen to rise again, it would
have been useless and foolish to pray for them in death.
45
But if he did this with a view to the splendid reward that awaits
those who had gone to rest in godliness, it was a holy and pious thought.
46
Thus he made atonement for the dead that they might be freed from
this sin.
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Psalm 129 (De Profundis,
Psalmus CXXIX)
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.
OUT OF THE depths I have cried unto Thee, * O Lord! Lord, hear my voice.
Let Thine ears be attentive * to the voice of my supplication.
If Thou, O Lord, shalt mark our iniquities: * Lord, who shall endure 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 unto night, * let Israel hope in the Lord.
Because with the Lord there is mercy: * and with Him plenteous redemption.
And He shall redeem Israel * from all its iniquities.
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The Raccolta For
The Faithful Departed.
135. THE OFFICE.
St. Pius V., in his Bull Quod a nobis, July 9, 1568, granted -
i. An indulgence of 100 days to all the faithful, as often as
they shall devoutly say of obligation the Office of the Dead on the days prescribed
by the rubrics of the Roman Breviary.
ii. Forty days indulgence, to all the faithful, every time they
say it out of their own devotion. See another Bull, Superni omnipotentis
Dei, April 8, 1571.
136. THE "DE PROFUNDIS" AT THE FIRST HOUR AFTER THE "AVE MARIA."
Pope Clement XII. was the first who, in order to move the piety
of Christians to pray for the souls in Purgatory, granted, by a Brief of Aug.
4, 1736, Coelestes Ecclesiae thesauros -
i. The indulgence of 100 days to all the faithful, every time
that at the sound of the bell, at the first hour after the evening Ave Maria,
they say devoutly on their knees the psalm De profundis, with a Requiem aeternam
at the end of it. (The evening Ave Maria in Rome varies with the season;
it is commonly taken as 6 o’clock.)
ii. A plenary indulgence to those who perform this pious exercise
for a year at the hour appointed, once in the year, on any one day, after
Confession and Communion. Those who do not know by heart the De Profundis,
may gain these Indulgences by saying in the way already mentioned for the
De profundis, one Pater noster and one Ave Maria, with the Requiem aeternam.
Observe also, that the aforesaid Clement XII. declared, Dec. 12,
1736, that these Indulgences might be gained by saying the De profundis, &c.,
as above, although, according to the custom of a particular church or place,
the "signal for the dead,” as it is called, be given by the sound of the
bell either before or after one hour after the evening Ave Maria.
Pope Pius VI., by a Rescript of March 18, 1781, granted the above-named
Indulgences to all the faithful who should chance to dwell in any place where
no bell for the dead is sounded, and who shall say the De profundis or Pater
noster, as aforesaid, about the time specified above.
Ps. 129.
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: * propter legem tuam sustinui te, Domine.
Sustinuit anima mea in verbum 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.
Requiem aeternam * dona eis, Domine.
Et lux perpetna luceat eis.
Requiescant in pace.
Amen.
End at pleasure with the following:
V. Domine, exaudi orationem meam,
R. Et clamor meus ad te veniat.
Oremus.
Fidelium Deus omnium conditor et redemptor, animabus famulorum
famularumque tuarum remissionem cunctorum tribue peccatorum: ut iudulgentiam,
quam semper optaverunt, piis supplicationibus consequantur. Qui vivis et
regnas in saecula saeculorum. R. Amen.
V. Requiem aeternam dona eis, Domine.
R. Et lux perpetua luceat eis.
V. Requiescant in pace.
R. Amen.
TRANSLATION.
Ps., 129.
Out of the depths I have cried unto Thee, O Lord, Lord, hear my
voice.
Let Thine ears be attentive: to the voice of my supplication.
If Thou, O Lord, shalt mark our iniquities: O lord, who can abide
it?
For with Thee there is mercy: and by reason of Thy law I have
waited on Thee, O Lord.
My soul hath waited on His word : my soul hath hoped in the Lord.
From the morning watch even unto night: let Israel hope in the
Lord.
For with the Lord there is mercy: and with Him is plenteous redemption.
And He shall redeem Israel: from all his iniquities.
Eternal rest give to them, O Lord.
And let perpetual light shine upon them.
May they rest in peace.
Amen.
V. Lord, hear my prayer.
R. And let my cry come unto Thee.
Let us pray.
O God, the Creator and Redeemer of all the faithful; grant to
the souls of Thy servants departed the remission of all their sins, that
by our devout supplications they may obtain that pardon which they have always
desired. Who livest and reignest world without end. Amen.
V. Eternal rest give unto them, O Lord.
R. And let perpetual light shine upon them.
V. May they rest in peace.
R. Amen.
137. FIVE PATER'S AND AVE'S, WITH THE V. TE ERGO, ETC.
Pope Pius VII., by a Brief dated Feb,. 7, 1817, the original of
which is kept in the Archivium of the Chapter of the Cathedral Church of Arezzo,
whose bishop first prayed for this Indulgence, granted -
i. An indulgence of 300 days, to all the faithful who, being contrite
in heart, and devoutly meditating on the Passion of our Lord Jesus Christ,
shall say in suffrage for the faithful departed five Pater noster's and five
Ave Maria’s, with the versicle Te ergo quaesumus, tuis famulis subveni, quos
pretioso sanguine redemisti, or, who shall say the ejaculation, "Eternal
Father, we pray Thee help the souls of Thy servants, whom Thou hast redeemed
with the blood of Jesus Christ;" and the Requiem aeternam.
ii. A plenary indulgence and remission of all sins to all who
shall have practised this pious exercise every day for a month, on any one
day in each month when, being repentant, they shall, after Confession and
Communion, pray for our holy Mother the Church, &c., and for the eternal
repose of the departed.
138. PRAYERS FOR THE WHOLE WEEK.
"Purgatory opened to the Piety of the Living, or a Brief daily
Exercise in aid of the Souls in Purgatory," as the title of a little book
of which many editions have been printed in Rome and elsewhere, and which
is in the hands of many a devout person.
Pope Leo XII., in order to hold out a greater inducement to the
faithful to pray for the faithful departed, granted by a Rescript of the
S. Congr. of Indulgences, Nov, 18, 1826 -
An indulgence of 100 days, to all who say with contrite heart
and devotion once a day the prayers assigned in the above mentioned exercise
to each day in the week, with one Pater, Ave, and the De profundis;
and his holiness expressed at the same time his desire that the little books
containing these devotions should be distributed gratis, as indeed has hitherto
been the constant practice. Those, however, who use these prayer-books, are
therein exhorted to say every day two Ave Maria's additional; one for all
those who are associated in the exercise, and the other for all those who
of their charity assist in promulgating it.
THE PRAYERS.
For Sunday.
O Lord God Almighty, I pray Thee, by the Precious Blood which
Thy Divine Son Jesus shed in the garden, deliver the souls in purgatory, and
especially that soul amongst them all who is most destitute of spiritual
aid; and vouchsafe to bring it to Thy glory, there to praise and bless Thee
for ever. Amen.
Pater, Ave and De Profundis.
For Monday.
O Lord God Almighty, I pray Thee, by the Precious Blood which
Thy Divine Son Jesus shed in His cruel scourging, deliver the souls in purgatory,
and that soul especially amongst them all which is nearest to its entrance
into Thy glory; that so it may forthwith begin to praise and bless Thee for
ever. Amen.
Pater, Ave and De Profundis.
For Tuesday.
O Lord God Almighty, I pray Thee, by the Precious Blood which
Thy Divine Son Jesus shed in His bitter crowning with thorns, deliver the
souls in purgatory, and in particular that one amongst them all which would
be the last to depart out of these pains, that it may not tarry so long a
time before it come to praise Thee in Thy glory and bless Thee for ever.
Amen.
Pater, Ave and De Profundis.
For Wednesday.
O Lord God Almighty, I pray Thee, by the Precious Blood which
Thy Divine Son Jesus shed in the streets of Jerusalem when He carried the
cross upon His sacred shoulders, deliver the souls in purgatory, and especially
that soul which is richest in merits before Thee; that so, in that throne
of glory which awaits it, it may magnify Thee and bless Thee for ever. Amen.
Pater, Ave and De Profundis.
For Thursday.
O Lord God Almighty, I pray
Thee by the Precious Body and Blood of Thy Divine Son Jesus, which He gave
with His own Hand upon the eve of His Passion to His beloved apostles to
be their meat and drink, and which He left to His whole Church to be a perpetual
sacrifice and the life-giving food of His own faithful people, deliver the
souls in purgatory, and especially that one which was most devoted to this
Mystery of infinite love, that it may with the same Thy Divine Son, and with
The Holy Spirit, ever praise Thee for Thy love therein in eternal glory.
Amen.
Pater, Ave and De Profundis.
For Friday.
O Lord God Almighty, I pray Thee, by the Precious Blood which
Thy Divine Son shed upon the wood of the cross, especially from his most sacred
Hands and Feet, deliver the souls in purgatory, and in particular that soul
for which I am most bound to pray; that no neglect of mine may hinder it
from praising Thee in Thy glory and blessing Thee for ever. Amen.
Pater, Ave and De Profundis.
For Saturday.
O Lord God Almighty, I beseech Thee, by the Precious Blood which
gushed forth from the Side of Thy Divine Son Jesus, in the sight of, and
to the extreme pain of his most holy Mother, deliver the souls in purgatory,
and especially that one amongst them all which was the most devout to her;
that it may soon attain unto Thy glory, there to praise Thee in her and her
in Thee world without end. Amen.
Pater, Ave and De Profundis.
139. THE HOUR OF PRAYER ON THE THREE LAST DAYS OF HOLY WEEK.
By a decree of the Sacred Congregation
of Indulgences for Italy and the adjacent islands, April 6, 1745, Benedict
XIV. granted -
An indulgence of seven years and seven quarantines to all the
faithful, on each and all of the three days, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday
in Holy Week, provided that on those days they devoutly make an hour's mental
or oral prayer for the benefit of the souls in purgatory.
140. HEROIC ACT OF CHARITY,
OR, OFFERING OF ALL WORKS OF SATISFACTION AND SUFFRAGE IN BEHALF
OF THE SOULS IN PURGATORY.
This heroic act of charity in behalf of the souls
in purgatory consists in a voluntary offering made in their favour by any
one of the faithful of all works of satisfaction done by him in this life,
as well as of all suffrages which shall be offered for him after his death;
by this act he deposits them all into the hands of the Blessed Virgin, that
she may distribute them in behalf of those holy souls whom it is her good
pleasure to deliver from the pains of purgatory, at the same time that he
declares that by this offering he only foregoes in their behalf the special
and personal fruit of each satisfactory work; so that, being a priest, he
is not hindered from applying the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass according to
the intentions of those who give him alms.
This heroic act of charity, called also a vow or
oblation, was instituted by F. Gaspar Oliden, a Theatine; for although it
was not unknown in former ages, it was he who propagated it, and it was at
his prayer that it was enriched with many indulgences first by Pope Benedict
XIII. in his decree of August 23, 1728; and then by Pope Pius VI., in a decree
of Dec. 12, 1788; these indulgences were finally specified by our Sovereign
Pontiff Pius IX, in a decree of the S. Congr. of Indulgences of Sept. 30,
1852. They are as follows:
i. An indult of a privileged altar, personally, every day in the
year, in all priests who have made this offering.
ii. A plenary indulgence, applicable only to the departed, to
all the faithful who have made this offering, whenever they go to Holy Communion,
provided they visit a church or public oratory, and pray there for a time
according to the mind of His Holiness.
iii. A Plenary indulgence, every Monday, to all who hear Mass
in suffrage for the souls in purgatory, provided they visit the church, and
pray as above.
iv. All Indulgences granted or to be granted, even though not
applicable to the dead, which are gained by the faithful who have made this
offering, may be applied to the holy souls in purgatory.
v. Lastly, the same Sovereign
Pontiff, Pope Pius IX., having regard to the young who are not yet communicants,
as well as to the poor sick, to those who are afflicted with chronic disorders,
to the aged, to farm-labourers, prisoners, and others who are debarred from
communicating and unable to hear Mass on Mondays, vouchsafed by another decree
of the S. Congr. of Indulgences, of November 20, 1854, to declare that for
all the faithful who cannot hear mass on Mondays, the mass heard on Sundays
should be available for gaining the Indulgence no. iii; and that in favour
of those who are not yet communicants, or who are hindered from communicating,
he leaves it at the disposal of their respective ordinaries to authorise
confessors to commute the works enjoined.
And note lastly, that although this act of charity is denominated
a vow in some printed tracts, in which also is given a formula for making
the offering, no inference is to be drawn therefrom that this offering
binds under sin; neither is it necessary to make use of the said formula,
since, in order to share in the said indulgences, no more is required than
a hearty act of our will.
141. ALL INDULGENCES DURING THE HOLY YEAR OF THE JUBILEE, APPLICABLE IN SUFFRAGE
FOR THE SOULS IN PURGATORY.
Pope Benedict XIII,, in the
Bull, Salvatoris, April 28, 1725, granted to all the faithful power to apply
in suffrage for the souls in purgatory all the indulgences which are suspended
throughout the whole Catholic world during the year of the Universal Jubilee,
and this even although in the grant of any of these Indulgences there should
never have been given the power to apply them for this purpose. Benedict
XIV, Clement XIV., and Leo XII., renewed this grant in their respective Bulls,
quoted above, on the suspension of Indulgences during the Holy Year.
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