Prayer for a Blessing on the New Year

O sacred and adorable Trinity,

hear our prayers on behalf of our holy Father the Pope, our Bishops, our clergy,

and for all that are in authority over us.

Bless, we beseech Thee, during the coming year, the whole Catholic Church;

convert heretics and unbelievers;

soften the hearts of sinners so that they may return to Thy friendship;

give prosperity to our country and peace among the nations of the world;

pour down Thy blessings upon our friends, relatives, and acquaintances,

and upon our enemies, if we have any;

assist the poor and the sick;

have pity on the souls of those whom this year has taken from us;

and do Thou be merciful to those who during the coming year

will be summoned before Thy judgment seat.

May all our actions be preceded by Thy inspirations and carried on by Thy assistance,

so that all our prayers and works, having been begun in Thee,

may likewise be ended through Thee. Amen.

~ Prayer found here. ~

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Purgatory Project: Masses for Souls in Purgatory

"The Purgatory Project exists to aid the souls in purgatory. Anyone can register the names of people who have died. Registering them here will help them. It is not hard to help these souls, it costs you no money and it is a very good and important thing to do.

"The goal is to get all registered souls released from purgatory as quickly as possible. Those souls which are not released immediately will still be helped because they will be elevated to a greater degree of purification and will have to endure less suffering in purgatory.

"The main benefit the souls will receive is the priceless value of hundreds of Masses being said each year for "all souls registered in the Purgatory Project". You are invited to join in with fasting and Mass intentions to the extent you are able - but you don't have too. However your own prayers and offerings are very important to the success of the prayers we are offering for your registered souls. The more prayer power we can gather the better !!

"Please register as many souls as you wish. There is no limit. Many people register one soul. A few people have single handedly registered several thousand souls. But the main thing is that Any and All Souls are welcome here !!

"We are equally thankful to each of you who register souls, whether it is one special soul or hundreds of special souls, they are all infinitely valuable and worthwhile to Our Lord who shed His Precious Blood for each of them.There is a firm and holy intention of continuing the Purgatory Project for many years to come. This is not a flash in the pan. Please come back often - and fast and pray with us as you are able - this is very holy and important work and we are totally committed to it. "

~ From the Purgatory Project: Register deceased souls here. ~

Father Paul of Moll: Helper of Souls in Purgatory

Father Paul of Moll
A Flemish Benedictine and Wonder - Worker of the 19th Century
By: Edward Van Speybrouck

Father Paul of Moll's remarkable life included numerous predictions. miracles. intercessions. prophecies and holy sayings. His body was found incorrupt.

Excerpts from the book:

He also said that a great number of suffering souls continually came to him to ask his prayers for their deliverance, and that at night, his bed was surrounded by suffering souls.

"The souls in purgatory are aware of the discord of the members of their families on earth, and this knowledge increases their sufferings."

Speaking of the soul of a lady deceased, Father Paul said, "She remained only one hour in purgatory, and she did not stay there any longer because she brought up her children so well." He added that by a special privilege, this lady had undergone the hour of her purgatory on the chair in which she had expired.

A lady having died after a long and painful sickness her daughter went to Steenbrugge and asked Father Paul if he thought that her mother went straight to heaven, after so many sufferings.

"Madam," he replied, "your mother would be already in heaven, if she had not spoiled her children so much. She is still in purgatory pray hard for her."

A young girl from the country asked Father Paul to say a Mass for the success of a certain affair. Rather have that Mass said for the repose of the soul of your mother who is deep down in purgatory," he replied.

Prayer to the Heart of Jesus for the Souls in Purgatory

O gentle Heart of Jesus, ever present in the Blessed Sacrament, ever consumed with burning love for the poor captive souls in Purgatory, have mercy on them. Be not severe in Your judgments, but let some drops of Your Precious Blood fall upon the devouring flames. And, Merciful Savior, send Your angels to conduct them to a place of refreshment, light and peace. Amen.

Cento Requiem Prayer for Souls in Purgatory

For the Suffering Poor Souls

This prayer was known as "Cento Requiem" in Italy. Our Lord made known to Bl. Ted. that whoever for a certain period would say "Eternal Rest etc." for 100 times would obtain that for which he prayed, if it was good for his soul and according to the will of God.

Eternal Rest grant unto them O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon them, and may they rest in peace. (50 times.)

O Wounds of our most holy Jesus, which cost Him so much sorrow and blood. O wounds most honorable, which were the source of His endless love for us, please have mercy on the poor suffering souls in Purgatory, and also have mercy on me, a wretched sinner. (Say Eternal Rest etc. 50 times)

O Holy Souls, which have passed from this world into Purgatory, and who are awaited eagerly in Heaven, pray for me and ask for all the graces I need, and for which I beg the Divine Majesty.

(Taken from a book published in Warsaw ... "Devotion for Poor Souls." Warsaw, Jan. 5, 1903.)

De Profundis for the Faithful Departed (Psalm 129)

Out of the depths I have cried to Thee,

O Lord, hear my voice.
Let Thine ears be attentive to the voice of my supplications.
If Thou, O Lord, shalt mark iniquities, Lord, who shall stand?
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 plentiful redemption.
And He shall redeem Israel from all his iniquities.

V. Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord.
R. And let perpetual light shine upon them.
V. May they rest in peace.
B. Amen.

St. Padre Pio: Pray Always for Dear Departed Souls

"Do as I have done.

Pray, pray always for the souls of the dear departed.

Even if your loved ones are in heaven,

we must always pray.

If they no longer need prayers,

they are applied to other souls."

~ St. Padre Pio of Pietrelcina ~

Morning Offering for Souls in Purgatory

A short offering which may be made each morning for the souls in Purgatory:

O my God, deign to accept my every thought, word, and action as a loving petition to Thy mercy on behalf of the suffering souls in Purgatory, particularly _____. I unite to Thy Sacred Passion the trials and contradictions of this day, which I purpose to bear with patience, in expiation for the sins and infidelities which retain Thy children in the purifying flames of Purgatory. Amen.

~ From Tan Publishers, Stories About Purgatory ~

The Perfecting of a Soul

"January 1880. On Christmas night, thousands of souls leave their place of expiation for Heaven, but many remain, and I am of their number. You sometimes say to me that the perfecting of a soul is a long process and you are also astonished that after so many prayers, I am so long deprived of the sight of God. Alas, the perfecting of a soul does not take any less time in Purgatory than upon earth. There are a number of souls, but they are very few, who have only a few venial sins to expiate. These do not stay long in Purgatory. A few well-said prayers, a few sacrifices soon deliver them. But when there are souls like mine — and that is nearly all whose lives have been so empty and who paid little or no attention to their salvation — then their whole life has to be begun over again in this place of expiation. The soul has to perfect itself all over again, and love and desire Him, whom it did not love sufficiently on earth. This is the reason why the deliverance of some souls is delayed. God has given me a very great grace in allowing me to ask for prayers. I did not deserve it, but without this I would have remained like most of those here, for years and years more."

~ From An Unpublished Manuscript on Purgatory ~

Love Reaches Souls in Purgatory

The Holy Souls in Purgatory are unutterably dear to God, because of all the graces and merits they have won and can never lose, and because of the keen sufferings which they are bearing with such heavenly patience in their love of Him, and their desire to be more worthy of Him. The Virgin Mother watches with a mother’s holy anxiety while the last faint traces and shades of sin fade off from each beautiful soul, longing for the moment when all shall be paid, and these her dear children received into their long-expected happiness. St. Joseph, the particular patron of these patient holy ones, is eagerly looking forward to the moment when he may bear his charges into the Father’s bosom.

And think you that God and Our Lady and St. Joseph will not love and bless those who by their holy liberality shall hasten that moment which they all so earnestly desire? And when those benefactors shall send their petitions through Purgatory and some dear sufferer shall cry to Heaven, “Grant them what they ask for, for they have done great things for us,” can you think the prayer will be unheard? See what St. Catherine of Bologna used to say on this subject. “When I wish,” she said, “to obtain some favor from the Eternal Father, I invoke the souls in their place of expiation, and charge them with the petition I have to make to Him, and I feel I am heard through their means.” This ought to be a great encouragement to us, and doubtless it will be. It is such an easy way of pleasing God and winning blessings for ourselves to make little compacts with the suffering souls that we will daily perform some indulgenced exercise for their relief, and that they in return will forward our particular intentions.

Prayer for the Holy Souls is a most fruitful devotion for all, but especially for those who have lost some dear relation, some friend, or someone in whom they took an intense interest, and who they conjecture may still be detained in the purifying fire. Let me give a few words from the third of Lady Georgiana Fullerton’s letters about the “Helpers of the Holy Souls,” which relate to this subject: “Amongst the Helpers of the Holy Souls,” she writes, “several have made great sacrifices to God in order to obtain mercy for souls long ago called away from this world. We can all imitate their example. ‘Oh, if it were not too late!’ is the cry of many a heart tortured by anxiety regarding the fate of some loved one who died apparently out of the Church, or not in the state of grace. We answer: It is never too late. Pray, work, suffer. The Lord foresaw your efforts. The Lord knew what was to come, and may have given to that soul at its last hour some extraordinary graces which snatched it from destruction and placed it in safety, where your love may still reach it, your prayers relieve, your sacrifices avail.”

~ Excerpts from Stories About Purgatory, Tan Publishers ~

Pope Paul VI: Eternal Life and the Communion of Saints

"We believe in the life eternal. We believe that the souls of all those who die in the grace of Christ -- whether they must still be purified in purgatory, or whether from the moment they leave their bodies Jesus takes them to paradise as He did for the Good Thief -- are the People of God in the eternity beyond death, which will be finally conquered on the day of the Resurrection when these souls will be reunited with their bodies.

"We believe that the multitude of those gathered around Jesus and Mary in paradise forms the Church of Heaven, where in eternal beatitude they see God as He is,[38] and where they also, in different degrees, are associated with the holy angels in the divine rule exercised by Christ in glory, interceding for us and helping our weakness by their brotherly care.[39]

"We believe in the communion of all the faithful of Christ, those who are pilgrims on earth, the dead who are attaining their purification, and the blessed in heaven, all together forming one Church; and we believe that in this communion the merciful love of God and His saints is ever listening to our prayers, as Jesus told us: Ask and you will receive.[40] Thus it is with faith and in hope that we look forward to the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come.

"Blessed be God Thrice Holy. Amen."

~ Pope Paul VI, from Credo of the People of God, 6-30-68 ~

Blessed Pope John XXIII, All Souls Day

... this devotion to the memory of our dead “who are gone before us with the sign of faith” is particularly worthy. It is above all a meditation on eternal truths, enabling us to perceive what it is that passes away and what is destined to survive. Today, we have come to pay our respects to the memory of the dead, and a tribute of prayers to the Lord for their souls, in the hope that divine mercy may finally receive them in the glory of heaven. But the memory of those who have gone before us, to whom we are linked by bonds of fidelity and gratitude, must also accompany us in all the acts of our daily life. For this is the memorial that they deserve: this redounds to their honour; this is the spirit of Christian prayer for the dead, which is inseparable from Christian life and practice.

~ Prayers and Devotions from Pope John XXIII,

his personal thoughts for every day of the year ~

St. Josemaria Escriva: Remember Souls in Purgatory Often

"The Holy Souls in Purgatory. Out of charity, out of justice, and out of excusable selfishness — they have such power with God! — remember them often in your sacrifices and in your prayers.

May you be able to say when you speak of them, “My good friends the souls in purgatory.”

~ St, Josemaria Escriva, The Way, 571 ~

Gratitude of Souls in Purgatory

"In Purgatory the souls are not entirely occupied by their sufferings. They pray for all the interests of God and for those who shorten their sufferings. They pray and thank God for His infinite mercies in their regard, because the space between Purgatory and Hell for some of them was very narrow and they barely escaped falling into Hell. Judge then what the gratitude of those souls is who were barely rescued from Satan."

~From An Unpublished Manuscript on Purgatory ~

Novena for Souls in Purgatory

Marino Restrepo Testimony About Eucharist, Confession, Purgatory

In the midst of intense suffering, Marino Restrepo received the greatest gift from God. During an eight hour mystical experience, he was shown the disastrous state of his soul and given the grace of repentance and conversion. His powerful testimony can be a benefit to anyone who cares to listen and take the lessons he learned to heart.

"He enjoys a very strong support from the authorities of the Catholic Church at home and abroad. He will not do any thing without the consent of the church first."

"About Me: Marino Restrepo is a Catholic lay missionary from Colombia who travels the world sharing his testimony. Marino was born a Catholic but disregarded his faith at an early age and embraced all the self-seeking illusions of the world. He chose to experience a life of drugs, unhealthy relationships and New Age philosophies. His acting/musical career led him to Hollywood where he was a producer and musician. Marino thought he had it all until a visit home to Columbia in 1997 for Christmas. His sister encouraged him to pray a novena prayer to the baby Jesus. He accepted thinking it would give him an extra ounce of 'good luck'. Following the novena, Marino went on his way to visit his uncle. His visit was short-lived as Marino was kidnapped by guerrilla rebels of the FARC (Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia) and held captive in the jungle for six months. They told him they would kill him once they had received ransom for his kidnap. For 15 days he lay in a cave full of bats and infested with numerous insects and bugs. It was here, in his complete isolation and despair, that Marino had a mystical experience of God. His life changed forever.

"Five and a half months later, Marino was miraculously released from captivity after a miracle of God, and after his release he went back to his Catholic faith. Eighteen months later he became a full time missionary for the Catholic Church leaving all of his past, and his worldly possessions behind."

In the first video of the following three, Marino's testimony begins at 2:22 minutes, following a song. He gives POWERFUL and VALUABLE testimony!

3/11 videos: The other 8 videos of Marino Restrepo's testimony can be viewed here,

and his official website is here.

The Holy Sacrifice of the Mass is the Greatest Gift for Faithful Departed Souls

"All the good works in the world are not equal to the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass
because they are the works of men; but the Mass is the work of God.
Martyrdom is nothing in comparison for it is but the sacrifice of man to God;
but the Mass is the sacrifice of God for man."
~ Saint Jean Vianney ~

The greatest gift that anyone can give their faithful departed loved ones is the gift of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. Even though they are no longer with us, we can have Masses said for them to show our love. If they are in Purgatory, they will be greatly helped by having Masses offered for them. If they are in Heaven and not in need of the Masses, they will know of the offering made out of love on their behalf.

The Diocese of Lincoln, Nebraska shares this information:

Since we do not know when a soul is released from purgatory, when should we stop having Masses and prayers said for a deceased person?

Unless God were to give us a special revelation, which He generally never does, or a person is canonized by the Church, we do not know if the soul of a particular person is in heaven, hell or purgatory. We know that it is very useful and even important to pray for the souls in purgatory. It is considered the general consensus of saints and theologians that if we are praying for a soul already in heaven or one that has been damned to hell, our prayers will be of value to ourselves and our own salvation, even though prayers for souls in heaven and hell have no value to them. God will give us personally the benefit of our prayers for them. No prayer is ever "wasted." Therefore, there is really no time limit for our prayers and Masses for the deceased. (For more information about Purgatory from the Diocese of Lincoln, click here.)

The Gregorian Masses are thirty consecutive days of Masses said for one individual. The souls receive the benefit of the Masses quickly instead of being spread out over months or years. They are what I would want for myself or loved ones. However, any single Mass or number of Masses would be most welcome if we were in Purgatory waiting for relief and hoping our loved ones will not forget to help us! Tears and fond memories will not help us when we are in Purgatory. What are needed are Masses, prayers, sacrifices, and acts of charity.

The sooner the Masses are said the better. At Catholic funerals, usually there are donations made in memory of the deceased that can be used for Masses. Arrangements should be made to have Masses said as soon as possible. After arrangements are made for those first Masses, that does not relieve families of the obligation to continue helping their departed loved ones. I wonder how often family members enjoy their monetary inheritance without a thought of the neediness of their departed loved ones.

Unfortunately, in this day and age many Catholics do not believe in Purgatory or do not take it seriously; so there might be little thought of making reparation for their own sins or helping souls in Purgatory. Probably many younger Catholics know very little about Purgatory, and older Catholics might not like to think about the reality of a not so far in the future day of reckoning.

We need to do for others what we would want done for ourselves if we were in Purgatory; and we need to make reparation for our own sins while we can, so we hopefully will not need to be purified in Purgatory when our time comes to leave this world for the next. Since none of us know when God will call us home, we need to take advantage of the time we still have now to help others and to help ourselves by making reparation for our sins.

BLESSED ARE THE MERCIFUL; FOR THEY SHALL OBTAIN MERCY. (Matt. 5:7)

Intercession of the Holy Souls in Purgatory

"If one knew what we may obtain from God by the intercession of the Holy Souls,

they would not be so much abandoned.

Let us pray a great deal for them,

they will pray for us. "

~ St. John Vianney ~

The Evil of Sin

"When the soul leaves the body it is as if it were lost in or, if I may say so, surrounded by God. It finds itself in such a bewildering light that in the twinkling of an eye it sees its whole life spread out, and at this sight, it sees what it deserves, and this same light pronounces its sentence. The soul does not see God but is annihilated in His presence. If the soul is guilty as I was and, therefore, deserves to go to Purgatory, it is so crushed by the weight of the faults that still remain to be blotted out, that it hurls itself into Purgatory. It is only then that one understands God and His love for souls and what a terrible evil sin is in the eyes of the Divine Majesty. St. Michael is present when the soul leaves the body. I saw him only, and he is the only one that every soul sees."

~From An Unpublished Manuscript on Purgatory ~

Pray for Those Who Have Died

" If Job’s sons were purified by their father’s sacrifice (Job 1:5),

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."

~ St. John Chrysostom ~

When Blessed Mother and St. Michael Come to Purgatory

"1879, Retreat in September. We see St. Michael as we see the angels. He has no body. He comes to get the souls that have finished their purification. It is he who conducts them to Heaven. He is among the Seraphim as Monsignor said. He is the highest angel in Heaven. Our own Guardian Angels come to see us but St. Michael is far more beautiful than they are. As to the Blessed Virgin, we see her in the body. She comes to Purgatory on her feasts and she goes back to Heaven with many souls. While she is with us we do not suffer. St. Michael accompanies her. When he comes alone, we suffer as usual. When I spoke to you of the great and the second Purgatory, it was to try and make you understand that there are different stages in Purgatory. Thus I call that stage of Purgatory great or worst where the most guilty souls are, and where I stayed for two years without being able to give a sign of the torments I was suffering. The year you heard me groaning, when I began to speak to you, I was still in the same place.

"In the second Purgatory, which is still Purgatory but very different from the first, one suffers a great deal, but less than in the great place of expiation. Then there is the third stage, which is the Purgatory of desire, where their is no fire. The souls who did not desire Heaven ardently enough, who did not love God sufficiently are there. It is there that I am at this moment. Further, in these three parts of purgatory, there are many degrees of variation. Little by little, as the soul becomes purified, her sufferings are changed."

~ From An Unpublished Manuscript on Purgatory ~

St. Padre Pio and Souls in Purgatory

"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."

"The Holy Souls are eager for the prayers of the faithful which can gain indulgences for them. Their intercession is powerful. Pray unceasingly. We must empty Purgatory!"

~ Saint Padre Pio ~

Blessed Fr. Francis Xavier Seelos: Communion of Saints

"What does it mean to believe in a Communion of Saints? Simply stated, it means that, as Christians, we believe that we are still in communion with those who have died. Among other things, this says that we can relate to them, speak to them, and be spoken by them. The bond of love offamily still exists between those who have died and ourselves, and we can still be present to each other and influence each other's lives...There is a rich mysticism, not to mention an immense fountain of grace and consolation, lying untapped here."

~ Fr. Ronald Rolheiser, OMI ~

Blessed Francis Seelos Official Website

Family claims cancer cure through intercession of Blessed Seelos.

Revelations of Jesus to St. Gertrude About Purgatory

"When anything is offered to Me for the faithful departed, I immediately use it for them, according to My natural inclination to show mercy and pardon, either for the remission of their sins for their consolation or for the increase of their eternal felicity, according to the condition of those for whom the offering is made."

"I take particular pleasure in prayers for the dead, when they are addressed to Me from a natural compassion, united to a good will; thus a good work becomes perfected."

~ Jesus to St. Gertrude the Great ~

PRAYER OF ST. GERTRUDE THE GREAT

Given by Our Lord to St. Gertrude,

to release many souls from Purgatory each time it is said.

Eternal Father,

I offer Thee the Most Precious Blood of Thy Divine Son, Jesus,

in union with the Masses said throughout the world today,

for all the holy souls in Purgatory.

(The following words were added later by an unknown source.)

for sinners everywhere,

for sinners in the universal Church,

those in my own home and within my family. Amen.

St. Margaret Mary Alacoque: Daily Pilgrimage to Purgatory

“In union with the divine Heart of Jesus make a short pilgrimage to Purgatory at night. Offer Him all your activities of the day and ask Him to apply His merits to the suffering souls. At the same time implore them to obtain for you the grace to live and die in the love and friendship of this divine Heart. May He never find in you any resistance to His holy will, nor any wish to thwart His designs in your regard. Fortunate will you be, if you succeed in obtaining deliverance for some of these imprisoned souls, for you will gain as many friends in heaven.”

~ St. Margaret Mary Alacoque ~

DAILY PILGRIMAGE TO PURGATORY PRAYERS: Click here.