All Souls Day

It is a centuries-old tradition in Western Christianity to observe All Souls’ Day on November 2 by attending mass, offering prayers and sacrifices, and lighting candles to help ease the suffering of those who have died without having been saved and whose souls are believed to be in purgatory. In a looser interpretation, many people who are not strict adherents to church doctrine still may set this day aside to contemplate their family’s or social circle’s departed, in solemn remembrance and honor.

On All Souls Day, the Catholic Church teaches that the purification of the souls in purgatory can be assisted by the actions of the faithful on earth. Its teaching is based also on the practice of prayer for the dead mentioned as far back as 2 Maccabees 12:42–46. In the West there is ample evidence of the custom of praying for the dead in the inscriptions of the catacombs, with their constant prayers for the peace of the souls of the departed and in the early liturgies, which commonly contain commemorations of the dead.

Click HERE to view the resources developed by National Today.