REVELATIONS
on

PURGATORY
*j[b'

By

Anthony J. Beck, M. A.

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Published by

Mariannhill Mission Society
DETROIT, MICH.

Copyright, 1939

"NIHIL OBSTAT"

Feb. 11, 1938

Right Rev. Msgr. M. J. Grupa, D.D..L.L.D.,
Cens. Libr.

IMPRIMATUR

tSTEPHANUS S. WOZNICKI,

Vic. Gen.
Die. 16a Feb., 1938

“Μ Y

mother,” said Blessed Catherine Emmerich after a
A vision, “led me to the sojourn of many souls and I came
to a hill out of which appeared a spirit, red as copper and drag­
ging a chain. He had been here a long time and was without
any aid, as no one remembered him and prayed for him . . .
He said that the offering of Masses would be especially helpful
and that nothing else would so hasten his release. I always
beheld him being barked at and torn by dogs because he had
tortured people. Frequently he lay in different positions, some­
times resembling a block, while boiling blood was poured
through him and ran through his veins. He said that the hope
of deliverance was most refreshing to him. When he had finish­
ed speaking, he sank back into the hill and the place where he
had stood was covered with flaming grass. This was the third
time he appeared to me.”
"In comparison to the pains of Purgatory,” wrote St.
Magdalen of Pazzi, "all the torments of the martyrs are like a
pleasant garden.”
St. Teresa of Avila says: “The pains of the spirit differ
greatly from those of the body. Hence I conclude that the souls
in Purgatory suffer much more than we can understand ac­
cording to the measure of corporal pains” (Ribera, vita 4, 3).
But many Christians outside the Catholic Church hold that
there is no Purgatory, and many Catholics act as if its torments
were of little moment and short duration.
By the term, Purgatory, we understand the place where souls
which passed out of this world in friendship with God but are
not pure enough for heaven, pay the last debts of their trans­
gressions and shortcomings.
These souls must do penance either for venial sins or tern-

poral punishments due to sin. Everything impure must be purg­
ed away so that the image of God may be clearly reflected in
the soul. This occurs through fire.
True, some consider this fire only in a figurative sense, an
image of the spiritual agony through which this cleansing is
effected. Much of what we learn of Purgatory from the de­
scriptions of holy persons is to be understood in a symbolical
sense. However, as to the nature of Purgatory, most theologi­
ans hold that it is a physical fire which afflicts the departed
souls.
The Church’s doctrine on Purgatory confirms both to sound
reason and to the noblest feelings of the human heart. What
else could be done with the souls which are not sufficiently
pure for heaven?
They cannot be sent to Hell, for they died at peace with God.
There must be an intermediate place where these souls are ful­
ly prepared for Heaven. In view of our human frailties and of
the severity of God’s justice, how anxious we would be over our
fate if there were no hope of satisfaction after death! What
would console us at the death of our parents and friends if we
should have to fear that their souls were not without stain?
If there were no Purgatory, how could we explain the ref­
erence in St. Peter’s First Epistle (3, 19) to "those spirits that
were in prison’’? If they had been in Hell, they could not have
been liberated. In St. Matthew’s Gospel (5, 26) we read:
"Amen, I say to thee, thou shalt not go out from thence till
thou repay the last farthing.”
According to the passages in the second book of the Machabees which even the school children know by heart, some of
the departed are stained with sin but may be freed from it
through prayer, alms and sacrifice. In Matthew (12, 32) our
Divine Savior makes this threat:
"And whosoever shall speak a word against the Son of man.
4

it shall be forgiven him: but he that shall speak against the
Holy Ghost, it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this world,
nor in the world to come.”
According to these words there must be forgiveness of sin in
the hereafter. Not, of course, for mortal sin, for after death
there is no possibility of conversion, of gaining the state of
grace. Hence, there is question only of venial sins for which in­
sufficient satisfaction was made or for which the suffering soul
was not sufficiently sorry. Besides Heaven, where nothing sinful
may enter, and in addition to Hell, whose inmates are incapable
of receiving forgiveness, there must be another place for this
cleansing from venial sin and temporal punishments. This
place is Purgatory. St. Paul writes to the Corinthians (1, 3,
13-15):
‘‘Every man's work shall be manifest; for the day of the
Lord shall declare it, because it shall be revealed in fire; and the
fire shall try every man’s work, of what sort it is. If any man’s
work abide, which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a
reward. If any man’s work burn, he shall suffer loss: but he
himself shall be saved, yet so as by fire.’
Here the apostle contends that there is a class of sinners
who can be saved in the other world. He also indicates the
means, a cleansing as by fire. This fire cannot be the tribulations
of earth, for it burns after this life. It cannot signify the judg­
ment of God, for it burns, causes pain and consumes some­
thing. Nor can it be Hell fire, because those in Hell have no
hope of salvation. It can only be Purgatory.

5

VIEWS OF FATHERS OF CHURCH

The dear teaching of Holy Scripture on Purgatory is con­
firmed unequivocally by tradition. In Bellarmine’s treatise on
Purgatory we find numerous striking passages from Greek and
Latin authors. Tertullian (De Anima et De Resurr. Carn.)
speaks of the subterranean prison from which no one will be
released until he has paid the last farthing. From the connection
it is evident that he refers to Matthew (5, 25) and Luke (12,
58) and applies the text to Purgatory as do other theologians.
St. Gregory of Nyssa says in his speech on the departed
(Migne, Patrologisgralca, 46, 525) : “Separated from the body,
the soul understands clearly the difference between good and
evil and cannot enjoy the beatific vision unless its stains have
been wiped out in Purgatory.” St. Augustine declares positively
in his work, “The City of God,” that many must suffer tem­
poral punishment after death; that they must obtain forgive­
ness in the hereafter of guilt not remitted here, for otherwise
they would have to suffer eternal torments. This thought wor­
ried St. Augustine after the death of his dearly beloved mother
and he prayed, as we learn from the thirteenth chapter of the
ninth book of his Confessions:
“Although my mother lived in such wise that we would
have to praise Thy mercies in the greatness of her faith and her
purity of morals, I would nevertheless not contend that no
single word came from her mouth against Thy Command­
ments after her rebirth through Baptism . . . Therefore, I
forget for the moment the good works of my mother, for
whom I rejoice and thank Thee, God of my heart, life and
fame of my soul, and I entreat Thee for forgiveness of her sins.

6

Oh, God, hear my prayer in the name of Him who was fasten­
ed to the cross for us that He might become the healing of our
wounds and Who sits at Thy right hand, where He continual­
ly is our mediator. I know that she was merciful, that she for­
gave all those who had offended her. Remit Thou also the
offenses which she committed against Thee since her Baptism.
Forgive her, O Lord, I entreat Thee, forgive her . . . When
the day of her dissolution approached she pleaded for only one
thing, that we would constantly think of her at Thy altars
at which she served every day without fail and where she knew
the most adorable Sacrifice would be offered.”
St. Cyprian (third century) speaks of the custom of cele­
brating the Sacrifice for the repose of souls as being already
practised by the bishops who preceded him. Eusebius, the
historian (fourth century), describes how at the funeral of
Constantine the Great, the priests and people, with tears and
much lamentation,· offered up prayers and sacrifice for the re­
pose of his soul.
This is a modest selection of testimony from the Fathers
of the Church. We might also refer to the solemn declarations
of faith by the Church. In the confession of faith which was
made by Michael Palaeologus in 1276 and which Pope Eu­
gene IV on July 6, 1439, imposed on the Greeks, we read:
"When Christians die truly penitent in the love of God
but before they have made amends by penance for misdeeds
or omissions, their souls will be purified through the punish­
ment of Purgatory. Their penalties can be mitigated through
the entreaties of the living, namely the Mass, prayers, alms
and other pious works offered for them according to the laws
of the Church.’

Ί

CHURCH DECREES

The principal de fide decrees of the Church on the subject—
decrees, i. e., declaring that the doctrine set forth has been re­
vealed by God and is therefore binding on the faithful under
pain of heresy—are those of the Council of Trent (sess. 25),
that there is a Purgatory, and that the souls there detained
are assisted by the suffrages of the faithful, but especially by
the most acceptable Sacrifice of the Altar,” and the Council of
Florence which had previously (A. D. 1439) defined, "If
men have died penitent in the love of God, and before they
have made satisfaction by fruits worthy of penance for sins of
omission and of commission, their souls are purified after death
by the pains of Purgatory, and to the relief pf these pains avail
the suffrages of the faithful, sacrifices of Masses, prayers, alms,
and other offices of piety.”

©

8

PLEASING TO GOD
A report on the founding of a convent by St. Teresa of
Avila reveals how pleasing to God are prayers for the Poor
Souls. The saint had received from a Spanish nobleman, Don
Bernardino de Mendoza, a house, a garden and a vineyard for
the founding of a convent.
‘‘About two months later,” she writes, "the donor suddenly
became so seriously ill that he lost his power of speech and
could not make a confession. He could merely indicate by ges­
tures how earnestly he desired God’s forgiveness. Soon after­
ward he died, and God indicated to me that the nobleman’s
spiritual well being had been in doubt, but that, in view of his
donation, he had obtained mercy. However, his soul would re­
main in Purgatory until the first Mass would be offered in the
new convent.”
“The intense sufferings of this poor soul,” continues St.
Teresa, “were constantly in my mind. Though I was eager to
open a convent in Toledo, I delayed so as to be able to under­
take as soon as possible the foundation in Valladolid. But
there were delays, and God made known to me in prayer that
I should hurry, as that soul suffered greatly.”
<
The saint hastened to Valladolid, summoned artisans and
arranged the most necessary things for opening a convent. She
still lacked canonical permission, but she was allowed to have
Mass offered in the space to be used as a chapel. St. Teresa did
not expect in the least that the Lord’s promise concerning the
soul of the donor should be immediately fulfilled. She thought
the promise referred to the first Mass to read when the Holy
Eucharist was reserved in the tabernacle.

9

"But as I was about to receive Holy Communion,” continues
the saint, "and the priest approached with the Blessed Sacra­
ment, I saw near it the young nobleman with joyful counten­
ance. With folded hands he thanked me for what I had done
to redeem him from Purgatory, and then his soul entered
Heaven.”
From this we may conclude how exceedingly merciful is the
Lord and how impatiently he longs for the liberation of the
dearly beloved souls whose fate He has to a great extent placed
in our hands.

10

SEVERE VIEW
Convinced as we are of the existence of Purgatory, we know
little concerning its various penalties. This much is certain:
The sufferings of the Poor Souls arc measured by strict justice
and correspond to their wrong doings. With our imperfect
human faculties we can never fully grasp the magnitude of their
agony.
There are, generally speaking, two views of Purgatory.
However, they complement each other. The first, or severe
view, was held by many saints before Francis de Sales and
Catherine of Genoa (died in 1510). This view represents
Purgatory, as far as its pains are concerned, as being almost
on the same plane as Hell, except that its sufferings are not
eternal. Torments, cries of agony, fear and terror reign. Fire
which was created to torture souls, punishes them in a mysteri­
ous manner like the damned in Hell.
According to St. Bernardine of Siena, our earthly fire is like
a painted fire by comparison. The soul experiences an indes­
cribable terror at having become the victim of such physical
pain. Moreover, in the first stage of purgation, some souls are
held in intense darkness.
To the pain of the senses is added the sorrow of separa­
tion from God. The Poor Soul has had a glimpse of God’s
beauty and is now freed from everything which on earth dulled
its desire for God. We all know that intense feeling known as
homesickness. Yet all the longing of a child for its parents and
home on earth is trifling compared to the burning desire of the
Poor Souls for God and Heaven. The unconquerable urge for
happiness, which Divine Providence has placed in every hu­

11

man heart and which can only be satisfied by vision of the
Creator, awakes in all its intensity when the burden and dis­
tractions of earth are removed, and it drives the soul towards
God with terrific force. If not detained in Purgatory, it would
speed toward Heaven faster than the bullet seeks its goal. This
burning longing is experienced all the more by the Poor Souls
because they have the grace of God and know that they are to
be with Him forever. Invisible powers, the justice of God and
their own understanding of their guilt, hold them back. Hence
they burn with the pain of love and heavenly homesickness.
If souls could die, they would perish from agonized longing
for their Creator. Cajetan taught that some souls suffered more
intensely in Purgatory than others do in Hell.
If we had no other proofs, these considerations would suf­
fice to measure the intensity of these sufferings and to fill our
hearts with deepest sympathy for the Poor Souls among whom
perhaps are father, mother, brothers, sisters, etc. Just consider
the tortures which people have to undergo in this life as a re­
sult of illness! If we read the Lives of the Saints we learn of
the terrible torments suffered by confessors of the faith. From
these we may get an idea of the pains of the Poor Souls.
Cardinal Bellarmine, in his treatise on Purgatory, considers
the revelations of the saints in the light of theology. He cites
these words of St. Thomas: “In those questions concerning
Purgatory which the Church has not decided one must be
guided by the thoughts which harmonize with sayings and
revelations of the saints.’’
Some saints seem to have been destined by God to promote
devotion for the Poor Souls or to offer up their entire lives for
the liberation of these souls. Prominent among these was St.
Gregory the Great. In his day the savagery of barbarians
caused indescribable misery in Italy. Numerous churches were
without priests, and districts in which Christianity had flour­

12

ished became completely pagan. St. Gregory’s problem was
gigantic, but he knew where to find help. He made Rome a
place of refuge for exiles and the abandoned. To those outside
the city he sent physical and spiritual aid through his mission­
aries. His table was set for all who came to Rome and for the
poor of the city. Thus he had the privilege one day to have as
his guest his guardian angel and Our Divine Lord. The earth
was too small for his charity, which sent prayers and sacrifices
of expiation into Purgatory. He also won many intercessors for
the deceased. His dialogues are a mainspring of devotion for
the Poor Souls for all time. Peter Faber, a famous Jesuit, de­
clared that if Pope Gregory had not emphasized and clarified
the Church's teaching so successfully, the devotion for the
Poor Souls would have been much less ardent in succeeding
centuries.
A touching vision of Purgatory has been preserved for us
by St. Boniface in a letter written to the Abbess Walburga
by a pious brother in a religious order. The latter said it was as
if a veil had been removed from his eyes. Then he beheld
“down in the depths of the earth fiery wells, the place of pur­
gation, where hover many souls in deep sorrow. Over the fiery
stream is a bridge over which the souls come after judgment.
Some cross it without stumbling, but others plunge into the
flames which envelop some up to the knees, others to the
shoulders, and still others completely. On emerging on the
other side, they are more beautiful and purer than when they
fell in. Beneath the fiery wells, in the deepest abyss is Hell,
filled with indescribable sighs and complaints because God’s
mercy does not penetrate.”
The visions of St. Birgitta (died 1373) and of St. Frances
of Rome (died 1440) are more specific and provide additional
details. The former saw Purgatory as consisting of three de­
partments. On the first level over Hell is a large dark chamber.

13

alternately filled with fire and cold air, in which the Poor
Souls are tormented by gruesome looking poisonous animals
and the sight of evil spirits. An impenetrable darkness con­
stitutes their worst punishment. The saint beheld a soul pierced
by fire and wrapped in towering flames.
On the second level the saint saw souls suffering most from
the lack of those virtues and good works which they neglected.
They must linger until amends are made for this deficiency by
their friends or the prayers of the Church. They resemble a
patient who, after being freed of fever and pain, only gradually
acquires his former strength and beauty.
Finally, according to the saint’s vision, the soul enters the
third stage where it suffers no pain except an unutterable long­
ing to see God. Here are many souls and frequently for a long
time because during their life on earth they had no perfect de­
sire to be with God.
Few persons die and attain eternal happiness immediately
without being detained in this place. All these souls benefit
more or less by the prayers which the Church and persons on
earth offer for them. They long for these prayers more ardently
than the hungry person for food, the thirsty one for drink,
the sorrowing one for joy and the sick person for rest and
recovery (Revelation, book 4, chap. 7).
St. Frances of Rome likewise beheld Purgatory in three lev­
els, one above the other, but, according to her, all Poor Souls
are enveloped in a clear, bright fire unlike the dark fire of Hell.
Everywhere the saint saw at the left of the tortured souls evil
spirits who increased their suffering by contempt and ridicule.
However, on the right side of the Poor Souls were angels con­
soling them (Goerres, Christian Mysticism, 111, 474).
Very detailed was the picture presented to St. Magdalen of
Pazzi (died 1607). While she was at recreation in a garden
with other sisters, she had a vision. For two hours she walked

14

up and down the large garden, stopping here and there when
she was shown some particularly severe penalty, wringing her
hands, turning pale and stooping as under a heavy load and
showing such signs of terror that her companions shuddered.
When she came to the spot where the clergy suffered, she sigh­
ed heavily and crid out: “Good God, and you, too?”
According to her vision those who had sinned without full
knowledge and had died young suffered less and were consoled
by their angles. The hypocrites were punished most severely and
amid terrors close to Hell. The impatient and stubborn ap­
peared laden with a crushing burden. At one period of her
vision she became terror-stricken and called on Heaven for as­
sistance. Then she came to the place where molten lead was
poured into the mouths of liars while the misers, who could
never acquire enough goods on earth, were over-burdened with
pain and the impure were detained in an insufferable stench. Fin­
ally, she was shown those who had not been given much to
any one sin but had committed nearly all to some degree. They
shared the torments of all in a smaller degree. When the vision
had passed the saint begged God to never again let her see
such misery as her soul would perish (Goerres, Christian My­
sticism, 111, 473).
From these examples, which illustrate and emphasize the
terrors of Purgatory, we glean that the spirit of this severe
view is a holy fear of offending God, a desire for mortification
and a constant and wholesome dread pf God’s judgment.
These souls knew very well the great power of the passions
over weak human beings. They realized how difficult it is for
us to grasp spiritual things, how easily we make reservations
and set limits to our sacrifices for the love of God and how
easily we are content with past deeds instead of making special
exertions to win the prize of heavenly reward.
The severe view of Purgatory was entertained particularly
15

by those who had practiced unusual penance or were members
of strict orders. Scholastic theology, as we can see from Bellarmine, has systematically developed this view. It is “a begin­
ning of all wisdom and a way to happiness,” as Divine Provi­
dence warned Blessed Henry Suso at a time when, with in­
creasing intimacy with God, he came to value less the pains of
Purgatory. He was told to be wise and not to treat these suf­
ferings lightly.
This view is based on many truths. Having been held by
many great saints or servants of God, it is most worthy of
consideration. However, it is not complete and does not ex­
haust the Church’s teaching on the place of purgation. True
adoration of God also does justice to His love of man. This
is all the more necessary for poor, sinful, and frail man who
would otherwise fall into despair. Only when we consider also
the second or milder view of Purgatory and compare it with
the former to see what both have in common, do we get the
right picture of Purgatory, a picture full of lessons for our own
welfare and for aid to the Poor Souls.

16

THE MILD VIEW
The milder view of Purgatory includes the outlines of the
stricter view but emphasizes other considerations. The chief
points are found in the writings of Francis de Sales on the
subject. Bishop Camus writes in his book, The Spirit of St.
Francis de Sales:”
“The thought of Purgatory is more suited to inspire consol­
ation than fear. Most persons greatly fear Purgatory because
they are influenced more by love of self than by zeal for the
glory of God . . . Though the pains of the cleansing fire are
so intense that the sufferings of this life cannot be compared
to them, the interior satisfactions of Purgatory are so marvelous
as to exceed all joys and happiness of earth.”
Bishop Camus mentions twelve of these joys and highly
recommends the treatise of St. Catherine of Genoa on Purga­
tory. Let us sketch this work and add illustrations from the
experience of other holy souls.
As soon as a soul has left this earth at peace with God and
has been judged, it feels confirmed in this love, though it may
have to do penance for venial sins or temporal punishments.
It can neither sin nor earn merit and is destined through God’s
unchangeable judgment to enter some day into the empire of
the blessed and to see and enjoy God, its final end and the
source of its happiness.
For a fleeting moment the soul sees the cause of Purgatory
in itself, namely in its sins and offenses. This passing glimpse
enables the soul to form an act of the will to despise anew all
venial sins for which it did not have sufficient contrition in
life either because of inadequate knowledge or the misfortune

17

of sudden death. This act is not meritorious, but it shows
that literally no sin is forgiven unless man is sorry for it.
The Poor Soul realizes the evil consequences of its sins and
understands clearly that these effects hinder it from seeing God
until they have been expiated and removed by the fire of Pur­
gatory. It feels a penetrating desire to suffer these penalties and
voluntarily plunges into the cleansing fire. Indeed, if there
were no place of purgation, a veritable Hell would develop in
the soul because it would see that it could not reach God, its
highest goal.
If such a soul had the choice between immediately entering
Heaven or going to Purgatory and doing penance, it would
rather plunge into the hottest fire, yea even into a thousand
Hells, than appear with the slightest stain before the Divine
Majesty. Although its sufferings in Purgatory are almost as ter­
rible as those of Hell, the soul sees in them a manifestation of
exceeding mercy because thereby it is enabled to overcome an
obstacle to eternal happiness. The importance of Purgatory sur­
passes human understanding and human eloquence.
Thus St. Catherine.
According to St. Francis de Sales, the soul on entering Purga­
tory is consoled "by the amiable and luminous countenance of
Jesus Christ." It is "continually united with God and so re­
signed to His will and so changed that it wishes to remain
there as long as He desires.” It suffers the humiliation of
being prevented for a longer or shorter period from seeing God;
yet it praises the divine justice. It can not sin any more or be
impatient in the least nor become guilty of the smallest im­
perfection. Though still bearing minor stains, such a soul is
intensely loved by God and vested with the greatest beauty.
This is evident from a revelation of St. Gertrude. In her
convent two pious sisters had died—sisters who had preserved
their innocence and had served God with complete devotion.
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When St. Gertrude prayed for the elder of the nuns, she beheld
her soul near the divine throne and surrounded by light. Never­
theless, the soul evaded the glance of the Divine Savior and did
not dare to look at His Majesty. St. Gertrude asked in astonish­
ment:
"Most merciful God! Why dost Thou not receive this soul
into the arms of Thine infinite charity? What are the strange
gestures of diffidence which I behold in her?” Then Our Lord,
lovingly stretched out His right arm, as if He would draw
the soul nearer to Himself: but she, with profound humility
and great modesty, retired from Him. The saint, lost in still
great wonder, asked why she fled from the embraces of a
Spouse so worthy to be loved: and the religious answered her,
"Because I am not yet perfectly cleansed from the stains which
my sins have left behind them; and even if He were to grant me
in this state a free entrance into Heaven, I would not accept it:
for all resplendent as I look to your eyes, I know that I am
not yet a fit spouse for my Lord.”
A month later the other sister died after a long illness and
appeared to St. Gertrude while at prayer. The deceased nun
was in a brilliantly illuminated place. She was clad in purple
and at her side appeared Jesus giving her mysterious consolation
from His five sacred wounds. However, the deceased nun acted
as if she were worried about something and Jesus said to St.
Gertrude: "She can not be entirely satisfied because I am re­
vealing to her only the love of My humanity, because in her
last moments on earth, she showed great love for My suffer­
ings. When expiation has been made for all the negligences of
her earthly life, I will grant her the delight of beholding My
divinity. ”
St. Gertrude suggested that the sister’s short-comings might
have been wiped out by her holy longing near death. But Jesus
replied that this grace did not extend so far. "But,” queried

19

St. Gertrude further, “could the excess of Thy mercy not have
forgiven the rest of her sins, as Thou didst grant her from her
childhood an admirable kindness and charity toward others?”
Jesus answered: “Her charity will receive an excellent reward,
but first even the slightest stains of errors must be expiated
and extinguished.”
With signs of great affection, the Divine Savior turned to
the soul and said: “Moreover, My bride unquestioningly sub­
mits to the demands of My justice which denies to her the
full vision of My divinity until she is perfectly clean.” And
the soul replied: “Indeed, gladly!”
Thereupon the Divine Lord seemed to withdraw into Heav­
en and to leave the soul alone at the same place. She appeared
lonely and felt a great longing to follow Him. This was her
punishment for a somewhat inordinate pleasure in association
with other persons and for occasional indolence resulting from
physical frailty.
When St. Gertrude again prayed for this soul at Mass and
offered the Sacred Host for her, she saw in spirit almost innum­
erable persons kneeling beside herself and lifting up a picture
of the Holy Eucharist. The deceased nun was greatly consoled
and said to St. Gertrude:
“Now I experience the truth of the words of the Holy Gos­
pel that even the slightest good deed will be rewarded and
the smallest fault must be expiated before or after death. This
common sacrifice now affords me great refreshment because
of the joy with which I once received the Holy Eucharist. My
ardent charity toward all human beings now gives such power
with God to your intercession for me. But beyond all this I
expect an eternal reward for it.”
“Thus,” concludes St. Gertrude, “this soul, supported by
the prayers of the Church, seemed to rise higher and higher
towards God and finally she understood that as soon as she
20

arrived at her goal, our Lord Himself would, in His infinite
mercy, meet her with a crown in His hand and lead her into
the joys of supreme happiness.”
‘‘When the just soul has entered Purgatory,” says St. Cath­
erine, ‘‘it sees only two things, an excess of suffering and of
joy. Intense pain arises from the clear knowledge that God
loves it with infinite love, that He is the highest good and has
destined it to be eternally happy in the company of the blessed.
Hence, it loves Him with the purest and most perfect love. At
the same time, however, it is aware that it can not see and pos­
sess Him, and its sorow is magnified by its uncertainty as to
when the period of exile from God and from paradise will
end.”
This pain of separation is so extraordinary that no tongue
can describe it. Imagine that there were only one loaf of bread
in all the world, and people were sated by merely looking at
it. What would be the feelings of a healthy, hungry man who
could neither see nor eat the bread and could neither become ill
nor die? His hunger would increase and cause him intolerable
pain.
This comparison, writes Father William F. Faber in his
book, Everything for Jesus, is merely an image of the real suf­
fering of the Poor Soul. It feels itself drawn toward God by
a loving power that surpasses understanding and this power
increases in proportion to the time it is deprived of the object
of its intense longing. Its pain likewise would grow if it were
not assuaged by the certainty that it was approaching eternal
happiness. The prophet says: “And the Lord was pleased to
bruise Him in infirmity: if He shall lay down His life for sin,
He shall see a long-lived seed, and the will of the Lord shall
be prosperous in His hand.” (Isaias 53, 10).
The pain of sense of the Poor Soul is compared by St. Cath­
erine to the purifying of gold in the furnace. She writes: “The
21

more it melts the purer it becomes, and it is melted until all
base elements are eliminated. This is the effect of fire on earth­
ly things. Similarly the divine fire works on the soul until it
rests entirely pure in God.”
A striking illustration is found in the revelations of St. Ger­
trude. She had received news that a very wordly man had
died. Moved by the sorrow of his relatives, she prayed ardently
for a long time for his soul. The latter appeared to her in a
disfigured form, black as coal and with an expression of intense
pain. One could not see the tormentor, but it was evident that
his old sins, for which he had not done penance, were piercing
and tearing those parts of his body which had been the instru­
ments of his misdeeds. St. Gertrude prayed more earnestly and
implored Jesus to be merciful to the offending soul. The Di­
vine Savior showed Himself willing but asked whether He
should forgive all sins and release the Poor Soul from all pain.
St. Gertrude feared that this might not be in accord with His
justice. Jesus replied:
“It would not be against justice if you interceded confident­
ly. While he was dying I foresaw your prayer and, therefore,
filled him with holy desires so that he might enjoy the fruits
of your charity.”
“Then,” said St. Gertrude, “I entreat Thee, O God, the
source and cause of our salvation, to complete this work of
mercy in the manner pleasing to Thee, for Thy grace has given
me complete confidence.”
Scarcely had she uttered these words when the soul of the
departed appeared in human form, cleansed of the hideous black
color, but with flesh which, though white, still was stained.
The soul manifested great joy and appreciation for its de­
liverance from its terrible torments. St. Gertrude realized that
this soul still needed sympathy so that its soiled flesh might
become snow white and worthy of seeing God.

22

“It is remarkable,’’ continues the saint, “that to attain this
blessing this soul had to be cleansed from this rust through
blows with iron clubs. As this soul had continued a long time
in habitual sin, it required great effort to attain whiteness. It
was as if a person has been exposed incessantly for a whole
year to the rays of the sun.”
St. Gertrude says she marveled “how a soul could be so
joyful in the midst of so much pain and discomfort.” She was
informed that a soul which, after committing many grievous
sins, passes away in the grace of God, can not attain relief
through the ordinary intercessions of the Church. Only when
it has been gradually cleansed through the mercy of God, will
the ordinary prayers of the faithful be effective. Only then
works of penance, offered for it with the right intention, will
ease its burden, particularly if they are inspired by ardent char­
ity.
St. Gertrude adds that when the soul referred to had re­
ceived this blessing, it raised its hands to God and entreated
Him, by the love which induced Him to suffer death on the
cross, to assist in their trials all those who prayed for the Poor
Soul. And Jesus, says St. Gertrude, indicated that He granted
this request.
Another inspiring example is found in a book written by
Blessed Mechtild of Helfeda. A generous benefactor of her con­
vent, Count Burkhard, had died in his prime, and Mechtild
prayed for him. On the second day she saw his soul lying at
the feet of Jesus, weeping bitterly because toward the end of
life it had made acts of contrition more from fear of punish­
ment than love of God and never in life had shed tears of di­
vine charity.
Moved by the poverty of this soul, Mechtild besought the
Lord to grant it the fruits of His own innocent tears in ex­
piation. Jesus complied and the soul was greatly consoled.
23

During Mass on the thirtieth day Mechtild saw this same soul
at the alter and heard it sing: “I know, O Lord, that when
Thou doomed me to death it was for my salvation and consol­
ation.” Mechtild asked: “Are you free of pain?” The soul re­
plied: “I suffer this, that I cannot see my God and yet long
for this favor so ardently that the longings of all men on earth
for Him are as nothing in comparison.
“How is that?” asked Blessed Mechtild. “Many saints have
desired God with an indescribable longing.” The Poor Soul
replied: “As long as man carries the burden of his body his
physical needs and intercourse with his fellowmen turn his
soul from God and prevent it from having the ardent love for
God that inflames the soul freed from the flesh and all its hin­
drances.”
In the third month Mechtild again saw this soul with its
guardian angel at its right while at its left was one of the choir
of holy spirits into whose ranks it had just been received.
Now a word as to the second feeling experienced by the soul
on entering Purgatory. St. Catherine calls it an excess of joy.
We human beings can scarely imagine how one can be glad
amid severe suffering. And yet the lives of the saints teach us
that joy and sorrow may dwell in the same heart. Jesus and
Mary always suffered greatly, but they never were unhappy.
The souls in Purgatory love with the purest of motives and
realize that their sufferings result from His mercy. Hence, they
gladly accept them and rejoice in spite of them. St. Catherine
says:
“If a Poor Soul were admitted to the beatific vision before
it was completely cleansed, it would suffer ten times more than
in Purgatory, for it would be unable to bear this excess of ben­
evolence.”
St. Catherine believes that only the saints in heaven are more
content than the Poor Souls in spite of their fiery torments.

24

In so far as their will is concerned, they are so well satisfied
with God’s sacred decrees that their pains scarcely deserve the
name. But this resignation in their utter helplessness does not
dimish their feeling in the least. On the contrary, their love,
which is the source of their patience, augments their sufferings,
which increase with the perfection of their desire for God.
To sum up these two points: In view of its sufferings Pur­
gatory appears as a sort of Hell. From the viewpoint of the
Poor Souls’ certainty of salvation, their imperturable peace amid
bitter pain and their intense love of God, it is like Heaven.
Nevertheless, it is terrible, for it delays human perfection which
consists in seeing and loving God and praising Him for all
eternity. And yet in comparison to earth and its dangers and
trials, it is more to be desired than feared, for its flames are
flames of love, and longing. We can sum it all up in these sim­
ple words of Blessed Catherine Emmerich:
“I was in Purgatory tonight. It was as if I were being led
into an abyss, where I saw a large hall. It is touching to see
the Poor Souls so quiet and sad. Yet their faces reveal that they
have joy in their hearts, because of their recollection of God’s
mercy. On a glorious throne I saw the Blessed Virgin, more
beautiful than I had ever beheld her.”
Blessed Catherine then adds this request to the clergyman
to whom she told of her vision: ”1 entreat you when in the
confessional to instruct people to pray for the Poor Souls in
Purgatory, for they certainly will pray much for us out of
gratitude. Prayer for these souls is very pleasing to God be­
cause it enables them to see Him sooner.”
Here we might cite further revelations of St. Gertrude con­
cerning the two nuns previously mentioned by her. They were
seriously ill at the same time. One seemed to be stronger and less
in need of care but died first. She had done penance for her sins
by her patience and resignation in God’s will. The only thing
25

for which she had to make amends was an occasional lack of
zeal for Confession. As her conscience had not upraided her
for any sin, she had neglected to obtain forgiveness for her
daily imperfections and pretended to be asleep when the chap­
lain came by so he would not speak to her. Because of her pa­
tience in her illness, Jesus wished to cleanse her of these stains
before her death and inspired her with a longing for a confessor
but at the same time deprived her of speech and gave her a
holy fear of God’s judgment because of her negligence. By
means of this contrite fear He completed her purification at the
moment of her death.

When the other sister had died a month later she appeared
to St. Gertrude. She was beautifully attired in the splendor
of her innocence, her purity of morals and her zeal in observing
the rules of the order. Nevertheless, she seemed to lack some­
thing. The reason was that she had delighted too much in little
presents and visits of friends which were not necessary while
her fellow religious had been overlooked. St. Gertrude saw her
standing before the gate of the glory of God, who was amiable
toward her beyond human undertsanding; but she seemed to
faint because she could not approach Him, and her dress seemed
to catch on nails. This punishment was the result of her in­
ordinate delight in human consolation. For a time the Poor
Soul appeared unable to move. Even when she was freed of
this hindrance to her happiness, God still refused to crown her.
He explained the delay to St. Gertrude: “She is not being tor­
tured but joyfully expects the completion of her happiness.
She is like a young girl who on the evening before a feast longs
for the next morning when she will don the splendid attire
which she now sees in the hands of her mother.”
Blessed Mechtild tells how on All Souls Day the Lord led
her into a beautful garden near Heaven. There was a large
number of souls among whom He distributed all prayers and
26

good works which the Church offered on this day. When the
response to the Ninth Lesson was sung, Mechtild asked why
this should cause so much joy to these souls. At God’s com­
mand their hearts were opened and Mechtild saw in each one a
large worm which gnawed and punished them without ceas­
ing. Moved to immediate pity, she prayed most fervently for
them. Thereupon the worms died and the released souls hurried
joyfully to Heaven. The Lord then showed Purgatory to
Mechtild, who beheld various punishments. However, when
she implored Jesus for the Poor Souls they were immediately
free and flew to the garden whence the others had just entered
Heaven.
This milder view of Purgatory is evidently inspired by ten­
der love of God, an extraordinary fear of offending Him and
an eagerness to champion His cause everywhere. The incident
in the revelation of St. Gertrude which represents a soul as
avoiding the glance of Jesus and voluntarily remaining in the
place of purgation, expresses the character of this milder view
of Purgatory. Throughout its painful imprisonment, the soul
suffers from love of God, from zeal for His honor, from deep
sorrow for having displeased Him; but greater than its longing
for bliss is the consolation that now at least it is completely
fulfilling the will of God.

27

COMPARISON OF TWO VIEWS

When we compare the severe and mild views of Purgatory
we find that they agree in this that the duration and intensity
of its pains exceed the powers of our imagination. These tor­
ments are intense because of the subject, the disembodied soul,
and because of God's purpose, the cleansing of the soul from the
tiniest trace of guilt.

Marina of Escobar beheld in March, 1617, a Poor Soul
in such terrible suffering that she wept with compassion. After
she had offered up nine Holy Communions the soul was re­
moved from the flames. However, it was not admitted into
Heaven but for a long time "had to wander about in pain out­
side, now here, now there, after the manner of a sick bird
fluttering around.”
In the life of Sister Mary Dionysia, who died in 1653, we
read that nine years before her death, on the Feast of Our
Lady of the Angels, the Lord led her after Holy Communion
to the border of Purgatory. He showed her the soul of a mighty
lord who had been killed in a duel but who had received the
grace of making an act of contrition before his last breath. God
commanded Sister Dionysia to pray especially for him. Imme­
diately she beheld the soul and understood that perhaps it
would have to do penance till the Last Judgment. In spirit
she saw the entire past life of the lord, how he had followed
the spirit of the world and of the flesh and cared little for his
Poor Soul. His pitiful state aroused her compassion, but she
marvelled even more and was most grateful that divine grace
had saved this soul in the midst of an act which merited Hell.
1 herefore, she devoted the rest of her life, nine years and

28

three months, to expiation for this Poor Soul and even offered
her own life to give it relief from its suffering. As her case is
so remarkable, we must also note her explanation. This and
her penances for the Poor Soul were recorded by her superior.
As she failed physically because of her worry and suffering, her
superior remonstrated with her. She replied that she was moved
less by the pitiful condition of the Poor Soul of the wordly
lord than by the marvelous grace which effected its salvation.
She considered it a sign of the infinite love and benevolence of
God. The act by which the lord died deserved eternal damna­
tion. There was no thought or prayer on his part to initiate
grace. But, thanks to the consoling communion of saints, he
participated in the prayers recited for him. He had not lost the
faith.
Therefore, she says, he resembled dry wood that easily takes
fire. The spark of divine grace touched his soul, and immedi­
ately the fire of love flared up in the saving act of contrition.
God had employed the natural human instinct of calling on
the Creator when in danger, and thus inspired him with the
thought of taking refuge to grace. This is more powerful than
we can imagine. We can not wink an eye as quickly as it works
in the soul. This is an illustration of how wonderfully the hu­
man soul is created in the likeness of God. With the rapidity
of lightning, grace overpowered Saul and conquered his heart.
In his extremity, the man who was stricken in a duel instinc­
tively called on God and gained consciousness for a moment
to react to God’s grace. In that moment he became truly con­
trite and thus was able to make an act of perfect contrition
before his death. Thus he found salvation where thousands
and thousands go to perdition. Sister Dionysia adds:
“And since the devil is a devil, he probably never was more
sorely disappointed than when he lost this prey. For he was
ignorant of the inner-most sentiment of his victim in those few
29

seconds of grace which divine benevolence granted him after he
was mortally wounded.”
Sister Dionysia had the task of giving her life for the release
of this Poor Soul. Her corporal and mental sufferings are in­
describable. Finally, God showed her the tormented soul over
the fiery abyss and assured her that it would be freed from
Purgatory some time before the Last Day. Sister Mary now
requested another pious nun to pray with her, and in time
others were induced to offer Masses and good works for her
intention. Finally, Sister Mary offered all her sufferings, pray­
ers, Masses, Communions and indulgences and even her life
for the liberation of the Poor Soul. Her sacrifice was accepted.
Shortly before her death she announced that it would take
many years of prayer and sacrifices to release the poor lord’s
soul. However, when death finally crowned her heroic sacrifice
of nine years of penance and pain, the Poor Soul was freed.

30

DURATION OF SUFFERING
So much for the intensity of these torments. As to their
duration, Sister Mary remarks that time is measured differently
in the other life than on earth. Years of sorrow, poverty and
sickness in this world are not to be compared with one hour
in Purgatory. We are greatly favored when divine mercy per­
mits us to exert even some influence on the Poor Souls (Faber,
p. 316). We are told that there are four reasons why these souls
remain much longer in the place of purgation than men gen­
erally assume:
First, the inconceivable purity which they require before
they may appear before Him who is sanctity itself. Secondly,
our innumerable venial sins and faults and our lack of penance
for mortal sins. Thirdly, the utter inability of Poor Souls, to
help themselves. Fourthly, the laxity of most Christians in
praying and offering good works for the Poor Souls, as we
forget the dead almost as soon, as we no longer see them, al­
though true love follows them through the flames of Purgatory
to the gates of paradise (Faber, p. 313).
The long duration of Purgatory can be understood in two
ways—as real duration and as apparent length of time because
of the excessive sorrow. Concerning the former we know from
the life of Marina of Escobar “that some souls must linger
20 years: other, 40 and 50 and more years. One soul informed
her that it had been condemned to such wearisome pain that
it was terrible to merely learn of it; but it had been shortened
by virtue of her entreaties and those of others.”
In the life of Sister Frances of the Blessed Sacrament we read
that many souls had suffered for decades in Purgatory before

31

they were even permitted to appear to her or to give messages
to others. She beheld pious Carmelites who, after thirty and
even sixty years in Purgatory, still were far from being released.
A pious bishop had been in Purgatory for 59 years because of
some negligence in his office, before he appeared to Sister
Frances. A priest was detained 40 years because some persons
who were ill had died without the sacraments as a result of his
carelessness. A nobleman had to suffer 64 years to expiate a
fondness for playing for money.
Blessed Catherine Emmerich was noted for her prayers for
the Poor Souls. She had dealings with many souls who had
been on earth in her youth and whom she and others had con­
sidered pious. They had long since been forgotten and had
only now obtained permission to appear to her and request
her intercession. On one occasion she obtained the release of a
priest who had suffered for years because of his inclination for
jesting. Among others who asked for her prayers was the soul
of a Catholic lord of Brandenburg and the soul of a pious
Austrian emperor who had been in Purgatory for decades. She
writes :
"They pleaded for promotion to a higher rank so that they
might influence their successors on earth.”
She notes that an angel folded her hands in prayer. If they
sank from fatigue the angel lifted them up, saying: “You must
pray longer." She recorded this vision on Sept. 24, 1820:
"My mother led me to the sojourn of many souls and I came
to a hill out of which appeared a spirit, red as copper and drag­
ging a chain. He had been here a long time and was without
any aid, as no one remembered him and prayed for him. He
spoke only a few words, but I learned his entire history. At
the time of an English king who was at war with France, this
man was commander-in-chief and perpetrated all sorts of cruel­
ties. He had been poorly trained, and his mother seemed to be
32

responsible for this. However, he had a secret respect for
Mother Mary. He destroyed all sacred pictures. On passing a
statue of the Blessed Virgin, he was about to wreck it when he
was overcome by emotion and desisted. Thereupon he became
ill with a high fever and desired to pray but grew unconscious.
However, he died penitent and thus escaped damnation. He
could receive help but no one thought of him. He said that of­
fering up of Masses would be especially helpful and that noth­
ing else would so hasten his release. I always beheld him barked
at and torn by dogs because he had tortured people. Frequent­
ly he lay in different positions, sometimes resembling a block,
while boiling blood was poured through him and ran through
his veins. He said that the hope of deliverance was most refresh­
ing to him. When he had finished speaking, he sank back into
the hill, and the place where he had stood was covered with
flaming grass. This was the third time he appeared to me.”
Three days later Blessed Catherine saw this soul again and
was given to understand how, in the infinite mercy and justice
of God, nothing good in him was lost. She saw the good and
evil traits of forbears effective in their children working, witf
their consent, to their welfare or misfortune. She saw how the
Poor Souls received assistance in a marvelous manner from the
treasures of the Church and the love of her children and how
all this was “truly a substitution for, and completion of, their
defects.”

These examples could be greatly increased. But they suffice
to excite our compassion for the Poor Souls and to counteract
the grave error of imagining that the departed are in Heaven
because of their good qualities. It is unjust to them and to us
to conclude from a false love that they are no longer in pain,
for thus they become the poorest and most abandoned.
It was an altogether different spirit which arranged foun­
dations for weekly or annual Masses for centuries for the de­
33

ceased, or for various works of charity on the anniversary of
departed relatives. The Church has explicitly rejected the con­
tention that an anniversary foundation is not effective after
10 years, as if no soul would have to suffer longer.
It is said erroneously that the duration of Purgatory seems
long to some Poor Souls because of intense torments but is
really short according to our way of measuring time. Marina
of Escobar saw the soul of a benefactor immediately after his
death surrounded by flames and very sad because the pain
lasted so long. However, after she offered up Holy Commun­
ion, this soul was admitted at once into Heaven. Similarly St.
Francis Hieronymus cites many examples of souls who appear­
ed to the saint a few hours after their death and believed that
they had been in Purgatory for many years.
But there are numerous revelations which attest the long
duration of suffering in Purgatory.
The second point in which both views of Purgatory coin­
cide is that those faults which we consider trifling on earth
are severely punished. Sister Marina saw a soul suffer three days
because, in addition to other failings, it had an inordinate long­
ing for life. Sister Marina offered up nine Holy Communions
for its deliverance and already on the third day at Holy Mass
the soul was released. Then came angels — some of whom
brought the deceased little son of the man to greet him—and
took his soul to Heaven.
On another occasion Sister Marina beheld the superior of a
religious community who suffered for many days with a fiery
ring about his foot because he was guilty of venial sins. She
gained an indulgence for him and he was freed. A very pious
priest, who had been confessor for many years and for whom
many religious had offered prayers, appeared very sad and ex­
hausted.

34

“Good Jesus,” she exclaimed, “is this that same priest? I
thought he had been in Heaven a long time.”
It was revealed to her that he was suffering for certain de­
fects and that she would pray for him and urge others to do
likewise. Some days afterward he attained to the beatific vis­
ion. She adds:
“Would to God that we would guard against small defects.
For besides exacting penance in Purgatory, they are steps to
important things and cool our love forGod. None of these de­
fects is so trifling that, if not resisted, it will not weaken our
ability to practice virtue.”
Then we are told of a monk who had to do penance for
five years because he refused to stoop to pick up lost articles.
Another monk suffered 15 years because he did not have suf­
ficient desire to behold the Blessed Trinity. A preacher was 40
days in Purgatory for having taken too much delight in his
elegant style. The sister of St. Peter Damian suffered 18 days
because she had taken too much pleasure in a pleasant song.
The sister of St. Catherine of Siena was greatly tormented be­
cause she was fond of fine attire. St. Vitalia had to enter Pur­
gatory because she devoted too much care to her body on a
Friday, and another saint because he associated closely with a
heretic. Sister Frances of the Blessed Sacrament tells of a girl of
14 years being in Purgatory because she was not entirely re­
signed to the will of God in dying so young. Sister Frances
beheld souls who suffered unusually because they had been ex­
cessively scrupulous. One of them said to her: “Oh, men think
little in life of how severely they must do penance here for
faults which they scarely notice,” (Faber, p. 297). Bellarmine
says:
“Unless God is very merciful to them, scarcely any just per­
sons escape the great pain of Purgatory, and enter Heaven im­
mediately after death” (Book 4, contr. 2).

35

In the autobiography of St. Teresa we read: “Though the
Lord revealed to me the condition of many souls, I do not know
whether any of those I saw escaped Purgatory except two re­
ligious priests.”
Everything that man thinks, speaks and does,” says Blessed
Catherine Emmerich, “has in it something living that continues
to work for good or evil. He who has done evil must hasten
to wipe out his guilt through contrition and confession..
Otherwise he can prevent only with difficulty or not at all
the consequences of evil in its entire development. It always was
shown to me that guilt for which no penance has been done has
incalculable consequences.
"When near the remains of some departed in cemeteries I
had the feeling of light and overflowing blessing. Near others
I experienced different degrees of poverty and felt an appeal for
help through prayer, fasting and alms. However, at many graves
I was filled with fear. If I had to pray at night in a cemetery
I experienced at such graves a deeper darkness than that of night
. . . Sometimes I saw something like black vapor rising from
such graves, something that made me shudder. At times when
my desire to help urged me to penetrate into this darkness, I
felt my assistance was rejected. The living conviction of God’s
all holy justice was like an angel that led me from the horrors
of such a grave. Over other graves I saw lighter or darker col­
umns of shadow, and on still others, columns of light of vary­
ing power.
"On many graves I saw nothing, a circumstance that sadden­
ed me most. I became convinced that the lighter or darker rays
from the graves were expressions of the Poor Souls concerning
the degree of their need, and that those who were unable to
give any indication were without help in Purgatory; that no
one thought of them, and that they were on the lowest plane
of ability to communicate with the body of the Church. If I

36

lay praying on such graves I often heard a laborious dull voice
sighing from the depths: 'Help me to come out,’ and I felt the
fear of an entirely helpless person. I always prayed more ar­
dently and longer for the forgotten and helpless ones than
for others, and gradually I noticed over these silent tombs grey
shadows rising that became lighter after continued prayer.
“It was revealed to me that the graves over which I beheld
lighter or darker shadows were those of Poor Souls which were
not entirely bound and which, through the degree of their
cleansing pain or through the help and prayers of living
friends, had attained to a more or less consoling relation with
the militant Church on earth. They have the ability to give
signs and are progressing toward light and bliss. They entreat
us because they can not help themselves, and what we do for
them they present for us to the Lord Jesus. They always ap­
pear to me like poor prisoners who still are able to arouse the
compassion of their fellowmen through a cry, an entreaty for
an outstretched hand.
“During my life God often granted me the grace of seeing
many souls ascend from Purgatory into Heaven with great re­
joicing. Oh, how grateful these dear Poor Souls were to me!
Oh, if only all men would desire to share this joy with me!
What an excess of graces there is on earth, and how they are
forgotten and wasted while the Poor Souls sigh so much for
them! In their various places with different torments they are
filled with anxiety and longing, pining for help and deliver­
ance. No matter how great their need, they nevertheless, praise
the Lord and Savior. Everything we do for them causes infinite
pleasure.”
We have quoted Blessed Catherine Emmerich at length be­
cause her revelation is more instructive than a long treatise on
Purgatory.

37

HELPLESSNESS OF POOR SOULS

Another point on which the mild and strict view of Purga­
tory coincide is the utter helpessness of the Poor Souls and their
boundless gratitude. They depend entirely on our charity. They
can do no penance, win no merit, offer no satisfaction, gain no
indulgence, receive no sacrament and are beyond the judgment
of the vicar of Christ, who disposes of such a vast treasure of
graces and means of salvation. Their great helpessness is inten­
sified by the forgetfulness of the living, or, as Father Faber
tells us, through the cruel flattery of relatives who insist that
those who were near them in life died the death of the just, and
have long since attained to the beatific vision. Of how many
Masses and prayers, of how much help and consolation, they
thereby deprive the Poor Souls of those to whom they owe
everything!

Especially rich in this respect was the experience of a con­
temporary of St. Teresa, Blessed Francesca, who died in Pampeluna in 1629. From her father she had inherited a heartfelt
pity for the Poor Souls, and this compassion was increased by
appearances of her mother and deceased sisters who made pitiful
appeals to her. God permitted the Poor Souls to learn of her
sympathy for them.
Day and night they came to her—largely because of her ex­
piatory prayers and suffering—to receive consolation. Deceased
persons of all walks in life, clergymen and lay persons; those
who had been zealous in life and the negligent; those who had
died well and others who had not been well prepared—all came
to her in her cell, told of their need and begged for assistance.
Often they appeared in fiery forms; frequently with black bodies
38

or only some members black; at times in terrible shapes resemb­
ling more wild animals than human beings.
As Francesca often became unconscious from terror, they be­
gan to show themselves as floating shadows until she was accus­
tomed to their appearance. They differed according to signs in­
dicating their former vocation or avocation and their respective
guilt. Thus a notary came with a pen and writing material; a
locksmith with glowing hammer; a drunkard with fiery cup;
a vain woman in rags. If Francesca was in the choir, they waited
for her at the Holy water font and accompanied her to her cell.
If she was with her fellow sisters or at recreation, they came and
signalled her. Especially large was the throng on the night of All
Souls Day. Some who had been released came to thank her. If
she was sleeping they waited at her bed until she awoke. Never­
theless, she could not throw off her fear and always became
sad at sundown.
Many Poor Souls gave her instructions for living relatives,
but when this caused embarrassment for the convent, her super­
iors forbade her to pass on such instructions. In consequence,
the souls complained very much but praised the sister’s obedience.
Some souls brought her news of other Poor Souls who were not
allowed to come.
Her trials and suffering with them were intense. She did her
utmost to assist them, prayed incessantly for them, offered up
Holy Communion, had priests read Masses for them, fasted most
of the time on bread and water, scourged herself for hours and
offered to God all her sufferings, her sleep, her terror, her work,
her misery and every activity. Then she would remonstrate with
them saying: “O dear, sister, some day I will have to suffer
many years in Purgatory, for I have given you everything and
kept nothing for myself.” But they would console her by
promising their gratitude and aid in return.
In the life of Marina of Escobar we read that while she was
39

praying for a relative the Lord showed her this soul, “in the
midst of flames on a burning pyre.” Making the sign of the
cross, she entered the flames and drew out the Poor Soul. Im­
mediately she saw two other souls which with folded hands, ask­
ed her to take pity on them, as they had been two of her serv­
ants. She prayed ardently for them and immediately the three
souls, singing praises, were led by their angels into Heaven.
"They turned back,” she relates, “to thank me for the favor.
There was such great rejoicing among the angels when these
souls entered Heaven that I asked the reason, and the answer
was that they had suffered a long time.”
To the foregoing three points common to both views of Pur­
gatory, we may add four that are well founded according to
Catholic teaching.
The first consideration is that Purgatory does not signify one
and the same place of detention. Many visions of mystics indi­
cate various places where the Poor Souls are purged. Sister Mar­
ina was led by angels to a stream where she saw four boys wad­
ing in the sand and trying in vain to enter the water. Four other
souls were sad and shivered with cold, while farther on four
others stood in the water to their breasts and trembled. It was
revealed to her by God “that these were souls which must en­
dure their punishment outside of Purgatory.”
Other revelations tell of souls which must await their puri­
fication in the air, or at their graves, or near altars where the
Blessed Sacrament is reserved, or in the rooms of those who
pray for them, or amid the scenes of their former vanity and
frivolity.
Blessed Catherine Emmerich relates: “The Poor Souls are
not punished in the same place. I find these places vary greatly.
The souls must travel from place to place, over difficult roads
which I traverse praying for the souls. In doing so, I remind
the saints who accompany me of their sufferings and offer them

40

ί
)

up in union with those of Jesus for the Poor Souls. The places
of the souls vary according to their condition—gardens, a world
of different kinds of disfavor, privation, pain, anxiety, fear, etc.
In many places the souls are crowded together and there is great
fear. Some are down deeper and appear darker; others are higher
and lighter. Those who were together on earth are in the same
place only if they require cleansing in the same degree. In some
places evil spirits torment, terrify and punish the souls. These
are the most horrible places and one would mistake them for
Hell if the unutterable and touching patience of the souls did
not prove the contrary.
"Words fail to express the joy and consolation felt by the
remaining souls when others are released. When this occurred
I saw souls ascend from lower to a higher plane. Many have the
consolation of being able to move about. They are privileged if
they can appear to us, to beg for help and prayers. I also saw
places where souls which were declared holy at their departure
from earth but had not completed their sanctity, were purified.
When Masses were offered for certain souls, I saw dark and
forsaken souls crowd toward the altar. They spoke like hungry
persons: 'We have not been fed for a long time’. Abolition of
foundations for Masses for Poor Souls is an indescribable cru­
elty and theft practiced on the poorest of the poor.”
The second of the four additional points is that the purifying
of the Poor Souls and their capacity for consolation is in pro­
portion to expiation made in life. All depends on the disposition
of heart, and God saves all men who have even a spark of good
will. Those who are especially contrite, confess sincerely and pass
away with strong confidence in the merits of Jesus Christ are
much more able to make atonement and to derive aid from the
communion of saints than those who died lukewarm, accepted
no admonition because of self love, had no love for penance and
were self centered even if they had not committed serious sins.

41

If to this condition there are added mortal sins for which
there was scarcely any contrition or if important responsibilities
were neglected because of self love, then this circumstance will
determine not only the degree of pain but also the help received
from the Church and good Christians. Such persons must make
great amends before being eligible for much assistance. The
merits of the saints and particularly those of the bitter passion
and death of Christ, when offered for them to God, will make
them more and more receptive for the grace of deliverance.
Blessed Catherine Emmerich says:
‘One can not get a clearer picture of their condition than by
imagining on earth perfect penal and reform institutions which
are entirely adapted to the defects to those being punished and
making atonement. If we prescind from the physical separation
of men and the fact that one may act in and for the others we
have a picture of expiation and redemption.”
Blessed Catherine tells how on one occasion she “was drawn
toward Poor Souls without being able to reach them . . . There
was a mother with two children. She was down deep and I
could not go near her. She spoke in deep and dull tones which
were difficult to understand. The children were in another cir­
cle and I could approach them. One of them seemed to be on a
visit. If I tried to approach the mother, it seemed as if I were
too heavy and sank. Though I tried various means and offered
prayers and sorrows for her I could not attain to her. I saw a
dark vast empire, a world of fog with many circles.
“The condition, privations and pains of the souls necessarily
result from their imperfections and wrong doing on earth. One
can not approach these souls except through grace, mediation,
prayer, good works and merits of the saints, some fruit of some
good trait in the life and being of these souls ... I made many
attempts to understand the soul of the mother and to assist her
and the children, but when I thought I had raised them, there

42

always was another hindrance. Finally, I induced St. Mary
Marcus to accompany me and through her merits I could ap­
proach closer.”
In Purgatory, says Blessed Catherine further, ‘‘one sees lighter
and darker figures with countenances emaciated and sorrowful
but patient. It is impossible to describe how touching is their
sight. Nothing is so consoling as to see their patience and to
note how one rejoices at another’s release and deplores the suf­
fering of the others or of a new arrival. I also saw children. The
relation of these souls to earth is so tender that the mere desire
and longing to assist them effects great relief. What a benefactor
is he who continually denies himself for them and constantly
seeks deliverance!”

43

NUMBER OF POOR SOULS
The third point of similarity concerns the number of the
Poor Souls. Father Faber, who contends that probably the suf­
fering Church in Purgatory is far larger than the militant
Church, seems to voice the views of most of the saints on this
question. Sister Marina marvelled at her privilege in being able to
release four Poor Souls after each Holy Communion. However,
Our Lord said to her: “Be not astonished but bear in mind that
all those whom you may release are in comparison to those re­
maining in Purgatory like a drop of water to a mighty stream.
The fourth point is the mysterious longing of Jesus for the
liberation of the Poor Souls. When the savior was on earth,
He wept on several occasions. We know of at least three def­
inite instances: At the grave of Lazarus, at the sight of Jerusa­
lem and in His agony. It must have been touching beyond hu­
man understanding to see His sacred countenance bathed in tears.
And yet the people whose misfortune moved Him so deeply,
were sinful persons, in the last two instances, His tormentors.
How great then must be His compassion for the Poor Souls in
Purgatory, souls confirmed in His love and grace! And yet He
must let them pine away in the greatest torments for weeks,
months, years and even decades. How eager He must be to find
those who will mediate between His justice and His mercy for
these beloved souls! For this purpose He has put at our disposal
all His merits of expiation. We may apply His precious blood
like water to quench their flames. We can dispose of His holy
sacrifice and even recommend to Him the souls that are to ben­
efit from it. If we pray and offer sacrifices for the Poor Souls,
and mediate for them, paying their debt through alms, fasting

44

and good works, how Jesus must rejoice over such loving retri­
bution! He will note all these things in the book of His omni­
science and requite them with high interest!
What thoughts, then, what feelings, what love should in­
spire us when, like choirs of earthly angels, we look down on the
quiet, vast and sinless empire of suffering souls and, as it were,
with the hands of Jesus pour out the healing balm of His blood.
No one can enter far into this field of thought without find­
ing hundreds of springs of love and refreshment which are
covered by only a thin layer for the thoughtless world but
which break forth with strong streams as soon as one seeks
them. Another example of the old saying: ‘‘There is an abun­
dance of justice and goodness in the world. One must only have
the gift and the will to understand it, to seek it intelligently
and to receive it gratefully.”

45

BELIEF AMONG JEWS
Already in the Old Law we find widespread among the people
the belief that the living can and should assist the dead. Clear
proof of this is the famous passage in the second book of the
Machabees (chap. 12, v. 39--46). Judas Machabeus had fought
a bloody battle with the governor of Idumea and lost many of
his men. On the following day when his soldiers prepared to
bury their fallen comrades they found “under the coats of the
slain some of the donaries of the idols of Mania, which the law
forbiddeth to the Jews: so that all plainly saw that for this
cause they were slain . . . And so betaking themselves to prayer
they besought Him (God) that the sin which had been com­
mitted might be forgotten.” Judas made a gathering and “sent
12,000 drachmas of silver to Jerusalem for sacrifice to be of­
fered for the sins of the dead,” for “it is therefore a holy and
wholesome thought to pray for the dead, that they may be loos­
ed from sins.”
This incident clearly illustrates the prevailing belief of the
Jews that prayer and sacrifice would benefit the dead. More­
over, the divinely inspired scriptural writer records it with ap­
probation.

46

DEVELOPMENT OF DEVOTION FROM EARLY
CHRISTIAN ERA
Loving solicitude for the departed blossomed to the full in
the Christian era. Besides the good works of men, the Divine
Savior entrusted to His Church the precious treasure of His
sacrifice in the Mass with its infinite merits of satisfaction. These
are applied not only to the living so that they may offer valid
expiation but also to the Poor Souls to supply for their deficien­
cies. More than this. Though most of the faithful on earth do
not practice more penance than they require, some holy souls
have done more in their zeal for penance. Their overabundant
works of satisfaction in union with those of Jesus Christ· con­
stitute an inexhaustible treasury from which the Church grants
indulgences for the benefit of the living and the departed. So
fruitful is the charity of the Church.
The principles of this devotion are so simple and correspond
so fully to human sentiment that they are seldom questioned,
and the history of dogma pays comparatively little attention to
them. Aside from the Gnostics and Manicheans, who rejected
the entire Christian order of salvation, Arius stands alone with
the contention that prayer and alms do not benefit the dead
but harm the living. The Fathers of the Church expounded the
true teaching which the faithful accepted without difficulty and
followed zealously.
Occasional abuses and doubts afforded occasions for decisions
on the part of the Church. The fourth Council of Carthage ruled
that persons doing penance who died without benefit of clergy
would not be deprived of prayers and Masses if otherwise they
had complied with the laws of penance. The Roman Synod

47

of 502 declared it was a sacrilege if an administrator of Church
property permitted strangers to obtain alms given by some one
for the repose of his soul. Unless there is a case of suicide, the
offering made for one who died as a result of a crime is not to be
rejected according to the Synod of Orleans (533). The Synod
of Chalons (813) prescribed that in all Masses intercession
should be made for the departed and that no day be excepted
from this rule. The Synod of Worms (868) ordained that
prayers and offerings be made for criminals who had been
executed, if they had received the sacraments before death.
These regulations sufficed to direct the intense zeal of the
faithful of those days into the right channels. Only in its ne­
gotiations for reunion with the schismatic Greeks and Armen­
ians did the Church find it necessary to insist on recognition of
sound principles. We already have referred to the pledge of
faith· which was given by the Byzantine emperor, Michael
Paleologus. This was also presented to the Greeks by the Coun­
cil of Florence in 1439. Similar articles had to be accepted by
Armenians in 1341.
Both the scholastics and the mystics of those days elucidated
the teachings of the Church and their practical application.
True, that period was also noted for new opponents such as
Luther, Calvin, etc. Their errors were rejected by the Council
of Trent, which included this article in the confession of faith
that it prescribed for important occasions: “I firmly believe that
there is a Purgatory and that the souls in Purgatory are aided
by the intercession of the faithful.”
The life of the Church is best exemplified by its liturgy, and
in the liturgy we notice particularly the "Memento mortuorum,
now prayed silently by the priest when offering Mass. Formerly
in this part of the Mass the deacon read the names of those who
had passed away, "professing the true faith” and who rested
"in peace with the Church.” Now the missal contains all the
48

texts of the Mass, but formerly they were divided into three
books, just as today three books are used at a Pontifical High
Mass.
While the words differ, the sense is the same in the corres­
ponding texts of the oldest’liturgy of the Orient. Concerning
this agreement, St. Chrysostom wrote pertinently: “Not with­
out reason did the apostles ordain that the departed be remem­
bered at the celebration of the most adorable mysteries. The
dead thereby obtain great benefit.” (Ep. ad Philip).
Not only were the dead remembered at Mass, but the Holy
Sacrifice was offered up for the repose of their souls. Already St.
Cyprian attests this fact.
As to the particular days on which the Mass was offered
for the departed, St. Ambrose calls attention to different cus­
toms. Some, he says, observe the third and the thirtieth days;
others, the seventh and fortieth days. In the eighth book of
the Apostolic Constitutions we read:
With reference to the departed, psalms, readings and prayers
should mark the third day in view of Him who rose on the
third day; the ninth day in memory of the survivors and depart­
ed; the fortieth day, according to the example of the Old Law,
as the people mourned Moses for that period. . .”
In contrast to this testimony of the Greek Church the Latin
liturgy designates the third, seventh, thirtieth and the anniver­
sary days as a time of special remembrance.
Tertullian mentions the day of death and the anniversary.
St. Ambrose observed the seventh day for his brother, Satyrus
saying this was a symbol of eternal rest. St. Gregory of Nazianz mentions the anniversary in his memorial concerning his
brother, Caesarius. Ephraem the Syrian spoke of the thirtieth
day, while in the Church of Palestine the seventh day was com­
memorated.
This difference in customs is easily explained. While fond
49

of Biblical motives, the Church had to make allowance for exist­
ing customs. Memorial days were figured from the day of death
or burial. “We forget the birthday of the deceased,’’ said St.
Ambrose, “but we observe instead the day of death with solemn
ceremonies.” The day on which rhartyrs died was known as
“natalitia,” that is, the day of birth for eternal life.
While memorial days for individuals had been designated, the
great day of commemoration for all had not yet been introduced.
Many departed souls are scarcely remembered aside from the gen­
eral memento of the Mass. A general memorial day seems proper
—at least to us who are accustomed to it. But in the early days
of the Christian era the attention of the faithful was so thor­
oughly centered on the central point of the liturgy, the Mass,
that its various prayers made a deep impression. The daily spe­
cial and general memento for the dead ofter the Consecration
touched the hearts, especially so long as the liturgy was cele­
brated in the catacombs beside the graves of the martyrs and
the memento was spoken aloud by the deacon. But this practice
gradually disappeared and there was need of new incitement to
remembrance of the departed.
This need was felt first in the monastries, the nurseries of the
liturgy, where the thought of the hereafter is ever active. St. Isidor, in his monastic rules, ordained that the Holy Sacrifice be
offered for the deceased on the day after Pentecost. Presumably
he was influenced by the general observance of the Feast of All
Saints since 609. About 200 years later Amalar of Metz re­
marked that as a feast in honor of all saints is beneficial to the
living, a memorial day for the departed would likewise be
very desirable.
But many years passed before this thought was generally put
into action. First the rule of St. Isidor was renewed and perfect­
ed in the Benedictine monastery of Cluny, which enjoyed great
prestige. The Cluny congregation had monasteries in various

50

parts of Europe and was noted for its high standards of monas­
tic life and zeal. Its abbots were in communication with kings
and popes. Thus St. Odilo was esteemed by the greatest of his
contemporaries. In 928 Abbott Odilo decreed that in all monas­
teries of his congregation on the day after the Feast of All
Saints, the memory of those resting in Christ should be honored
by singing psalms, giving of alms and especially the celebration
of Mass. This custom quickly spread to other orders, especially
the Carthusians. Bishops likewise followed it, and the Holy
Sea approved the observance even in St. Odilo’s time. Through
the missal of Pope Pius V it was introduced in all churches of
the Latin rite.
The Greek-Orthodox Church observes a similar memorial day
on the Saturday before Apokreos Sunday (Septuagesima), and
the Armenian Church on Easter Monday.
Even the old Mass books of the early Christian era include
orations for Masses for the faithful, for priests and for bishops.
According to the Apostolic Constitutions, whose liturgy goes
back to the third and fourth century, psalms as well as the Mass
were offered for the dead. These psalms developd into our Of­
fice of the Dead. In the tenth century this office was recited daily
not only at the monasteries of Einsiedeln and Cluny but also
by secular priests. Later on this practice lagged, but Pope Pius V
prescribed that wherever it had been customary, the Office of
the Dead be recited on the first “free” day of the month and on
every Monday in Lent and Advent that is not a feast day.
This office consists mainly of psalms and readings, the latter
from the Book of Job. In his suffering, Job is a true image of
human impotence and is often pictured as such in the catacombs.
But Job also is a confessor of faith in the resurrection.
Closely associated with the Office of the Dead is the prayer
for the dying. At the deathbed of the child the love of the
mother finds expression in the tenderest words as if she could

51

thereby keep it alive. The Church is a mother, and at the death­
bed she thinks of the eternal life for which she gave new birth
to her child in baptism.
The “commendatio animae" in the Ritual is a grand, deepfelt explanation of that commendation of soul which the Savior
made for Himself and for members of His mystical body, the
Church, when He said: “Father, into Thy hands I commend
My spirit.”
The reader may think that we have deviated from the sub­
ject, the history of devotion for the Poor Souls. But this de­
votion stems from the cross. When the Savior commended His
spirit to his Father, he pleaded not only for Himself but also for
all who believe in him. Must the Church not imitate this prayer
of her dying Bridegroom and continue it for her children until
they attain to glory? The anxiety of the mother for her child
continues until it is safe in paradise. Since she does not receive
any revelation as to the fate of the individual, she prays unceas­
ingly for all to the end of time, leaving it to the zeal of the
faithful to remember certain ones in particular.
Though the Church is concerned first of all with the soul,
she believes in the resurrection of the body also and, therefore
lays the body to rest with proper ceremonies. Cemeteries are
blessed and often are situated next to the Church. St. Augustine
was asked whether the place of burial had any influence on the
lot of souls in the hereafter. True, he replied, the place itself is
immaterial, otherwise the martyrs would be at a great disadvan­
tage. However, proper care for the remains of the dead is dic­
tated by human sentiment as well as by the Christian con­
viction that the body of a baptized person has been the temple
of the Holy Ghost and is destined for heavenly bliss.
The place of burial, said St. Augustine further, reminds us
of the departed that we may make intercession for them through
the Mass, prayer and alms giving. If the dead are buried near the

52

memorials to the martyrs, i. e., the churches, they benefit there­
by, as the living commend them to the intercession of the saints
in Heaven.
In the history of the early Christian era we find many refer­
ences to the devotion for the Poor Souls. In the acts of the mar­
tyrs, Felicitas and Perpetua (202 A. D.), we read that the latter,
while in prison, had a vision of her deceased brother, Dinocrates,
as suffering in Purgatory. After she had prayed day and night
for him, she had another vision indicating that he had been re­
leased.
Eusebius tells us how Emperor Constantine the Great wished
to be buried in a church which he had erected in Constantinople
so that he might be remembered at Mass and in the prayers of
the faithful.
When his remains were borne to the grave, they were ac­
companied by a multitude of people who manifested their love
for him not only in tears but also in prayers for the repose of
his soul. After the death of Emperior Theodosius, St. Ambrose
addressed these remarkable words to his people:
“I loved him. Therefore, I wish to accompany him into the
land of the living and not leave him until, through tears and
prayers, I have brought him to the holy mount of the Lord”
(De obitu Theodosii).
Beautiful and touching are the words which St. Hieronymus
addressed to Pammachius at the death of the latter’s wife, Paul­
ina:
Other husbands strew violets, roses, lilies and purple flow­
ers on the graves of their wives. Our Pammachius sprinkles the
holy ashes and venerable remains with the balm of alms.
Through these colors and scents he warms the ashes, for he
knows that it is written: ‘As water quenches fire, so alms wipe
out sin’.”
St. Paulinus of Nola had a good friend, Bishop Delphinus,
53

to whom he recommended the soul of his deceased brother, say­
ing: "Be sure to obtain forgiveness (for him) through your
prayers so that, like dew, refreshment may trickle on his soul,
even if it be only a drop from the little finger of your holy
hands.”
Such quotations may seem repetitious, but they offer proof of
the devotion for the Poor Souls in the early Christian era. They
also are most consoling for us and rob death of much of its bit­
terness. Hence, with the reader’s indulgence we will quote a few
more apposite statements. St. Augustine says with reference to
the care for the deceased:
"We must not omit the prayers for the souls of the departed
which the Church has ordained for a general memento of all
those who died in the Christian and Catholic Communion, so
that the one common mother may intercede for them if there
are no parents, children, relatives or friends to plead for them.”
"The offering of the Holy Sacrifice,” writes St. Gregory the
Great, "benefits the souls after the death so much that some­
times they seem to request it.”
St. Mathilda had Mass offered up daily for her deceased hus­
band, King Henry I, and she and her trusted servant, Richburga,
often rose at midnight to pray for him in the chapel of the castle.
Her last request was that her nephew, William, Archbishop of
Mayence, would often offer up Mass for her, her husband and
her son. Emperor Lothar had Mass read daily for the deceased,
attended the Holy Sacrifice, and recommended the Poor Souls to
the mercy of God for the sake of the passion of Christ.
Though persecutions of the Church have destroyed founda­
tions for Masses for the Poor Souls, the faithful continually for
centuries have set aside bequests for this purpose. Some people
of means have established convents and monasteries where their
bodies were buried and their souls constantly remembered in
prayer and at Mass.
54

FRATERNITIES AND MASS LEAGUES
Well known, too, are special fraternities for the purpose of
remembering the departed.
Records of such fraternities from the eighth and ninth cen­
turies contain the names of not only monks but also of their
benefactors. Such a book was called “liber vitae’’ because the
graces which it implied gave promise of having one’s name en­
tered in the book of eternal life. Prelates were accustomed to
join such fraternities. The bishops and abbots who assembled
at Dingolfing about 770 adopted this resolution:
“When one of the undersigned passes away, every bishop and
abbot who has signed this agreement must have 100 Masses and
as many psalteria sung in the cathedral of the abbey church.
He himself must offer 30 Masses or have them celebrated by his
clergy. For each deceased priest or monk, the bishop or abbot
must read 30 Masses and as many psalteria.”
Many such Mass leagues exist today among the secular and
religious clergy. Catholic lay organizations include among their
benefits the offering of Masses for deceased members. They
are imitating in this respect the guilds of the Middle Ages.
A daily custom with many Catholics is to apply indulgences
to the Poor Souls. There is irrefutable evidence of this practice
in the fifteenth century, but the custom goes back much far­
ther. Catholic historical experts doubt reports dating from the
ninth and tenth century. However, it is a fact that in the thir­
teenth century many scholastics discussed and defended the ap­
plication of indulgences to the Poor Souls. At that time the
devotion to the Poor Souls was so widely prevalent that it led
to the introduction of a special feast for their remembrance.

55

Indulgences that may be applied to the souls in Purgatory
have been greatly increased with the centuries. Even more nu­
merous are those which were granted for the spiritual welfare
of the living faithful but may be applied to the departed.
The degree to which indulgences as well as Masses benefit
the departed depends to some extent on the penitential disposi­
tion with which they died. A plenary indulgence would suffice
to wipe out all the remaining guilt of a suffering soul, but
we have no certainty as to how far and how soon an indul­
gence is applied.

56

GREGORIAN MASSES.
St. Gregory the Great, while still head of St. Andrew’s Ab­
bey in Rome, had 30 Masses read on successive days for a de­
ceased monk named Justus. On the thirtieth day Justus appear­
ed to his living brother and told him that he had on that very
day been delivered from Purgatory. As a result of this incident
the practice of the Thirty Gregorian Masses spread rapidly.
The altar on which the first Gregorian Masses were read
and on which St. Gregory is said to have offered Masses for
the departed, received special veneration. It is located in the
Monastery of Monte Celio, now named for St. Gregory. Con­
fident that Masses offered at this altar would be particularly
beneficial to the Poor Souls, priests in large numbers applied
for its use especially during the octave of All Souls Day. In the
course of time the Holy See gave to this altar the privilege of a
plenary indulgence. In the sixteenth and seventeeth centuries
the Popes accorded this privilege to altars dedicated to other
saints. These altars became known as “Gregorian Altars.”
Sometimes the faithful request six Gregorian Masses. This
custom seems to derive from the fact that in many convents
it was common practice to offer Masses on Sunday for the
people and to celebrate the Holy Sacrifice on the six other
days of the week for the deceased. No privilege attaches to
this custom.

57

HEROIC ACT
Love is inventive and it utilizes the little things of daily life
to show its devotion. Hence solicitude for Poor Souls led to
the so-called Heroic Act in the early Christian ages. Thus we
learn that St. Nicholas of Toledo offered up daily all his pray­
ers, acts of penance and especially the Mass for the Poor Souls.
Father Ferdinand de Monroy bequeathed to them in writing at
his death all the Masses which would be read for his soul, all
works of penance and all indulgences offered for him.
The Blessed Virgin herself inspired the venerable Cardinal
Ximenes to make this heroic bequest. St. Francis de Sales left
no day go by without special remembrance of the Poor Souls
and frequently criticized severely the indifference of men to­
ward the departed. To persons so devoid of charity he applied
the saying: “Out of sight, out of mind.”
Toward the close of the eighteenth century Caspar Oliden,
a member of the Theatine congregation in Spain, undertook
“to offer to God for the early release of the Suffering Souls all
meritorius works of his life and likewise all works and prayers
of intercession for him after death.” With childish piety he
entrusted them to the Blessed Virgin that she might apply them
to those Poor Souls whom she, in her motherly wisdom and
love, wished to see liberated from Purgatory.
This is the origin of the Heroic Act of Charity. Substantially
it had been practiced by some pious souls prior to this time.
But since heroic Father Oliden, moved by an ardent benevolence
toward the Suffering Souls, formulatd it clearly, daily renewed
it in his heart and devoted his life to spreading it, this act has
been formally accepted by innumerable members of the laity,
58

religious, priests and bishops. It has been enriched with gener­
ous indulgences by Pope Pius VI (1788) and Pope Puis IX
(1854).
He who makes this act can gain a plenary indulgence for
the Poor Souls as often as he receives Holy Communion, visits
a church and recites prayers prescribed for a plenary indulgence,
six Our Fathers and Hail Mary’s for the Pope’s intention. He
also can gain this indulgence on every Monday—or on Sunday
if otherwise prevented—-by hearing Mass and reciting the in­
dulgence prayers. Moreover, the faithful who make this act
and are loyal to it may bestow on the Poor Souls all the other
indulgences which they can merit—a unique privilege. The
priests furthermore enjoy daily the "personal privilege of the
altar.” For children and the faithful who are unable to receive
Holy Communion the confessors who have received explicit
authority may prescribe some good work.
He who makes the heroic act does not take a vow and may
rescind his gift at any moment. No special formula is prescribed
for the act, and an act of the will suffices. However, daily re­
newal is recommended. It is not essential to entrust one’s merit
to the Blessed Virgin. The one indispensable condition is that
one offer all present works of satisfaction and all indulgences
and likewise all assistance to be received after death, for the
souls in Purgatory.
You may ask: “Is it not imprudent to expose onesself to the
danger of extending one’s time in Purgatory?” True, in one
respect a person making the act may suffer loss; but it is only
something temporary and relatively brief. There is no com­
parison between the temporary loss and the eternal gain. The
Heroic Act is meritorious and is blessed even on earth with
new graces shortening our Purgatory and increasing our glory
in heaven forever. This merit we can not give away.
The really charitable man is not so anxious about his own

59

welfare. He acts on the promise of the Savior: “Blessed are
the merciful for they shall obtain mercy.” God’s omnipotence
knows how to regard such charity. If in our charity we find
ways and means of assisting the Poor Souls, then the all-wise
God certainly knows how to help us in turn. Nor do the
liberated souls forget their benefactor, while the saints at the
throne of God look joyously and benevolently on the earthly
pilgrims who, with St. Paul, are “anathema” for their brothers,
that is, make satisfaction to God's justice for the misdeeds of
others.
At all times the Church has had heroic children who were
not content to make moderate use of her means for assisting
the Poor Souls but literally offered themselves out of compas­
sion for their suffering brothers and sisters.

60

THE SPIRIT OF THIS DEVOTION
In dealing with the spirit of this devotion, let us first con­
sider the particular liturgical prayers and then the devotion in
general.
The Church’s principal means of aiding the Poor Souls
is the Mass. It always is offered for all the living and deceased
members of the Church, but a Requiem Mass may be celebrated
specially for the departed on days which have no “festum du­
plex.” The solicitude and sorrowful intercession of the Church
are voiced by the Dies Irae, which pictures the terrors of the
judgment.
The significance of the Requiem Mass is best indicated by
this prayer from the Offertory:
“O Lord Jesus Christ, king of glory, deliver the souls of
all the faithful departed from the pains of Hell and from the
deep pit: deliver them from the mouth of the lion that Hell
may not swallow them up, and they may not fall into dark­
ness: but may the holy standard bearer, KJichael, introduce them
to the holy light, which Thou didst promise of old to Abra­
ham and his seed.”
Here we see applied in a most consoling manner a mystery
of our faith which is too little appreciated. In view of the
prayers and passion of His only begotten Son, God bestowed
many graces even before the redemption of mankind was com­
pleted. Similarly He grants contrition to the dying sinner in
consideration of the prayers of the faithful and the Church.
St. Chrysostom, the famous bishop of Constantinople and a
Father of the early Church, says in one of his homilies that
we should rather come to the assistance of the departed through

61

prayer and good works than to mourn them without being
consoled. He adds:
“Not in vain do we recall the dead in the divine mysteries.
Not in vain do we approach the altar and pray for them to
the Lamb which takes away the sins of the world. They re­
ceive solace from this. If Job purified his children by offering
sacrifice to God for them, how much more must the sacrifice
which we offer for the deceased alleviate their condition? The
Mass is a common sacrifice of expiation from which all bene­
fit. At Mass we pray for the whole world and remember the
dead, with the martyrs, the confessors and the priests, for we
form one body, though some members give more light than
others. Forgiveness may be obtained for them through prayers,
sacrifice offered for them and through the help of those who
are mentioned with them. Why, then, remain in your sorrow?
Why your complaints? Can you thereby win such a great grace
for the departed?”

In the Offertory of the Mass the Church prays thus:
“We offer to Thee, O Lord, sacrifices of praise and prayers:
do Thou receive them in behalf of those souls whom we com­
memorate this day: grant them, O Lord, to pass from death
to that life which Thou didst promise of old to Abraham and
to his seed.”
In addition to the Mass, the Church has a special Office of
the Dead. This is another proof of the fervent love and devo­
tion with which the Church champions the cause of her suf­
fering children at the throne of God. A beautiful illustration
of this is the circumstance that the one who recites the Office
almost everywhere speaks in the name of the Poor Souls, who
plead with him and through him for God’s mercy.
Good parents have an inexpressible longing to assist their
suffering sons away from home. Similar are the feelings of Our
Divine Lord towards the Poor Souls whom He loves so ten62

derly. True, His Sacred Heart can not feel sorrow in heaven,
but it experiences everything else that moves a compassionate
heart eager to render assistance. Accordingly He urges the
Church, His bride, to not forget Him and His children, to pay
the debt of the departed and to liberate the poor prisoners.
Well has she understood Him. It is the spirit of the divine
heart of Jesus which incessantly urges the Church to pray and
be concerned for the Poor Souls. She prays for them daily at
Mass at thousands of altars. In prayers, during the day, she
pleads insistently for them and always ends her supplications
with the cry: "And may the souls of the faithful departed
through the mercy of God rest in peace!” Every Sunday at the
Asperges before High Mass she leads the faithful in spirit to
the cemetery to remind them of the Poor Souls and to offer
common prayer for them. She lets no day go by without re­
membering them after the evening Angelus and calling to us in
the name of the suffering souls: Take pity on us and ask God’s
mercy for us!
So much for the spirit of the Church in her liturgical prayers
for the Poor Souls. Now let us consider the spirit of the devo­
tion itself.

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PROMOTES VIRTUE

Father William Faber, a special friend of the Poor Souls,
calls this devotion the central point in which all Catholic de­
votions unite. He says it promotes all virtues especially the theo­
logical virtues, in an heroic degree and furthers the spiritual
life more than does any other devotion.
This devotion strengthens our faith in the supernatural life,
in the virtues of the sacraments, the Mass, the communion of
saints and the Church’s power to remit sins.
It confirms our hope, for all our prayers and actions for
the suffering souls are based on childish confidence in the fi­
delity of God, the supernatural motive of Christian hope. We
expect mercy for the Poor Souls because we pray for them
and we offer prayers and good works for them because we rely
completely on God.
Through this devotion we practice charity in an eminent
degree because we assist those to attain the highest Good whom
God Himself loves exceedingly, and we do this because He loves
them and because we wish to honor and praise Him.
Furthermore, we honor and imitate the Blessed Virgin Mary
and the angels and saints whose love for the suffering souls
is beyond human words. We aid in increasing the Church tri­
umphant and thereby the number of our intercessors with God.
We gain friends in heaven who are grateful in the highest de­
gree.
Another fruit of this devotion is that it leads us to fill many
duties toward God and the saints. There is a similarity here
to indulgences. In a hundred different ways they tend toward
the same goal of contrition and betterment of life. In the de­

64

gree in which these are attained there flow from them innum­
erable glorious and beneficial works of piety.
This devotion, says Father Faber, “is so full of doctrine,
and embodies so much that is supernatural, that we need not
be surprised at the influence is exercises over the spiritual life.
In the first place, it is hidden work from first to last. We do
not see the results, so that there is little food for vain-glory;
neither is it a devotion, the exercise of which appears in any way
before the eyes of others. It implies, moreover, an utter ignor­
ing of self, by making away with our own satisfactions and
indulgences, and keeping up a tender interest in an object which
does not directly concern ourselves.
“It is not only for the glory of God, but it is for His greater
glory, and for His sole glory. It leads us to think purely of
souls, which it is very difficult to do in this material world,
and to think of them, too, simply as spouses of Jesus. We thus
gain a habit of mind which is fatal to the spirit of the world
and to the tyranny of human respect, while it goes far to coun­
teract the poison of self-love. The incessant thought of the Holy
Souls keeps before us a continual image of suffering, and not
a merely passive suffering, but of a joyful conformity to the
will of God under it. Yet this is the very genius of the Gospel,
the very atmosphere of holiness.”

65

MEANS OF PRACTICING DEVOTION

The means of assisting the Poor Souls are aptly summarized
by Venerable Bede when he attributes these words to an angel:
“The prayers of the living, their alms and fasting and especially
the celebration of Mass enable many to be liberated before the
day of judgment.”
The expiatory value of the Mass is illustrated by St. Cyrillus of Jerusalem in this comparison: “Suppose a king banished
subjects who had offended him, and their relatives offered him
a crown by way of satisfaction. Would the sovereign not be
inclined to forgive the offenders? Similarly, though sinners,
we entreat God for the departed and offer Him not a mere
crown but His only begotten son, Jesus Christ, who bled for
our and their sins. Surely the merciful God will be lenient with
us and with them.”
St. Gregory the Great relates a happening which convinced
him of the great effectiveness of the Mass in liberating Poor
souls. A valiant man had been captured and taken far from
his home. For a long time his wife had no news of him.
Thinking he had died, she had Mass read for him each week
Finally, the prisoner was freed and returned home. He told his
friends that once every week his fetters were loosed for a while.
Investigation revealed that this had occurred at the very hour
on the day when Mass was offered for him.
“When Mass is celebrated,” wrote St. Chrysostom, of Con­
stantinople, “the angels of heaven hasten to open the prisons
of Purgatory.”
Blessed Henry of Suso, a famous monk and preacher, had
a beloved friend in his student days. When they had to part,
66

he tells us, they “agreed that when one of them died, the sur­
vivor would be loyal to him after death and would celebrate
for him two Masses a week for one year . . . Something over
a year later the friend died, but he (Henry of Suso) had for­
gotten his promise of certain Masses, although he faithfully
remembered his friend. While he meditated in the chapel one
morning his chum appeared to him and said: “Oh, friend, how
disloyal! How you have forgotten me!’ He replied: ‘But I
remember you every day in my Mass.’ The dead friend re­
torted: “That is not enough. Keep your promise of Masses so
that the innocent blood may trickle down and quench my
severe Purgatory. Then I soon will be released!’ He (Henry)
did so faithfully and with sorrow for his forgetfulness, and
the other soon was freed.’’ (Diepenbrock, chap. 45, p. 127).
Besides the Mass, the most important means of assisting the
Poor Souls, we have at our disposal prayer, fasting and alms
giving—in short, all our intercourse with God, works of self
denial, patience in trials, works of mercy, spiritual and corporal.
If we are in the state of grace and unite these works with the
merits of Jesus Christ, they have expiatory value. We may offer
these to God with the petition that He apply them to the Poor
Souls according to his mercy and wisdom. We cannot demand
this application, but we may confidently ask it, as the merciful
God hears the prayers of His children for each other.
We can not only offer to God our merits of satisfaction for
the Poor Souls, but we can also beseech Him to be merciful to
them in their dire need and helplessness. We can do this
through an ejaculation such as “Eternal rest grant unto them,
O Lord,” or an Our Father, a Rosary, or a decade of the beads,
the Office of the Dead, etc., according to the time at our dis­
posal.
Our satisfactory merits may be only a few drops of water
sprinkled into the insatiable flames, but God places at our dis67

posai also the merits of Christ and those of the saints to be
transmitted through indulgences to the Poor Souls.
And who could describe the hunger and thirst of the Poor
Souls for this refreshing assistance! The Fathers of the Church
picture for us angels at the altars dipping golden vases into the
chalice with the precious blood of Christ and pouring it out
over the flames of Purgatory, where every moment souls are
made clean and wing their way upward to the eternal mansions.
A beautiful but feeble picture of the joy which we can create
in Purgatory by likewise pouring out this treasury over the
suffering souls.
“My dear, son,” said St. Louis, King of France, on his
deathbed, “let Masses be celebrated for my poor soul and have
prayers offered throughout the kingdom and let me share in
all your good works.” Thus spoke a holy man at the moment
when he entered eternity. (Huguet, “Devotion to the Holy
Eucharist,” p. 390).
St. Thomas of Acquin had a sister who died while she was
abbes at Capau. She repeatedly appeared to her brother and
asked him to intercede for her to hasten her deliverance from
Purgatory. Likewise St. Malachy, Bishop of Armagh, lost a be­
loved sister for whom he prayed much and read Masses. But
when he concluded that she was in heaven and consequently
omitted his customary prayers for the repose of her soul, he
saw in a dream a man who told him that his sister had stood
hungry and complaining outside the church for 30 days. St.
Malachy resumed his intercession and again offered Mass for
her. Now she appeared herself, still in mourning but near the
entrance of the church. After continuing his prayers and Mass­
es for some time, the saint beheld her dressed in white, yet still
distant from the altar. Again after another period of interces­
sion for her she appeared at his altar in the midst of blessed

68

spirits and he justly concluded that now she had entered eter­
nal joy. (Huguet, 187).
Offering up of Holy Communion is likewise much desired
by the Poor Souls, as it gives them relief. Pious and erudite
Louis Blosius tells of a servant of God seeing a Poor Soul
which was wrapped in flames and suffered terribly because
of lukewarmness in the reception of Holy Communion. He
was told that, if he would communicate once for the soul’s
intention, it would be freed. He complied and soon beheld the
soul brighter than the sun in eternal glory.
Especially instructive in this regard is the experience of Bless­
ed Catherine Emmerich. From early youth she had offered many
of her prayers for the Poor Souls in Purgatory, and, as we
noted previously, they came in large numbers to seek her as­
sistance. To make her intercession through penance more effec­
tive she knelt in the snow in winter time and prayed with outstreched arms until they almost were frozen stiff. Sometimes
she knelt on a sharp-edged piece of wood or scourged herself.
“While I was still a child,” she writes, “I was led by an un­
known person (presumably her guardian angel) to a place that
appeared to be Purgatory. I saw there many souls in great
agony who begged for my prayers. I was touched, for they
were such quiet and sad persons whose faces indicated that
they still had joy in their hearts and thought of God's mercy.
I felt that they had great interior pain. If I prayed ardently
for them, I heard voices which said: ‘I thank you, I thank
you!’ ”
Her intercourse with the Poor Souls was guided by her
guardian angel, who not only gave her strength and patience
and confidence but also led her through Purgatory so that she
might see the relief she brought and distribute the benefits of
her penance and prayers.
"The angel,” she writes, “exhorted me to donate to the Poor
69

Souls every act of self denial and privation. For they cannot
help themselves and are so cruelly forgotten and neglected . . .
I was filled with terror at the gross neglect and waste of graces,
which are offered in such abundance through the Church to
mankind but which are so little appreciated while the suffering
souls pine away in longing for them.”

70

STATE OF GRACE REQUIRED

What is the condition under which our devotion will benefit
the suffering souls? We must be in the state of grace, that is
free from mortal sin. The degree of our merit for the Poor
Souls depends not only on the importance of the work itself
but also on the ardor of our love of God with which we per­
form it.

Devotion for the Poor Souls often is rewarded even on earth
in a temporal as well as spiritual manner. In the breviary we
are told of an act of mercy to them that was decisive for the
entire life of St. Peter Damian. While a mere boy, he lost his
parents and was given in charge of a hard-hearted brother, who
treated him cruelly and denied him even necessary clothing and
food. One day Peter found a coin of no value. In his need
he thought of many things to buy. However, he remembered
those poorer than himself and gave the coin to a priest as a
stipend for a Mass for the Poor Souls. From then on his lot
changed completely. He was taken in by another brother, who
was kind-hearted and whose solicitude enabled Peter to study
for the priesthood and later become the great saint and cardinal.
(Huguet, 182).
While Peter Damian derived temporal and spiritual benefits
in life from his pity for the Poor Souls, Joachim de Sanctis, a
physician of more modern days in Rome, was signally blessed
after death. From the sufferings of his patients he concluded
as to the agony of the Poor Souls and daily offered up to God
for them all his works. He said he would consider himself for­
tunate if he could give relief to only one suffering soul by being
in Purgatory until the Last Judgment. For hours he would
71

pray with outstreched arms. After his death he appeared to
a pious person and announced that, after a brief delay but
without entering Purgatory, he had reached Heaven. At the
same time another person saw him in company of his guardian
angel who cleansed him of the remaining stains and led him to
the blessed.
How grateful the Poor souls are for prayers on their be­
half, is evident from a vision of Blessed Marina of Escobar.
A noble lady for a long time had prayed tearfully for the spir­
itual welfare of her son.
For this intention she finally promised to assist a poor girl,
a niece of Blessed Marina, to enter an Augustinian convent.
However, when death overtook her before she could carry out
this resolution, she entrusted fulfillment of her promise to her
erring son. He complied with her orders, but continued his
dissolute life and soon afterward was murdered.
Marina feared for his eternal welfare, and some days later
saw his soul in torment in Purgatory. Glad that he had not
been condemned, she asked in surprise: “How is it that you are
there?” He replied: “A short time before my death my deceased
mother appeared to me and admonished me: ‘My son, be rec­
onciled with God, for you are about to meet with a great mis­
fortune.’ With God’s grace I was sorry for my sins and earn­
estly resolved to improve my life. Meanwhile I was slain and
God mercifully sent me to Purgatory, where I suffer unut­
terable pain. Have pity on me.”
The influence of this devotion on those practicing it is illus­
trated by the life of Blessed Mary of the Angels, a Discalced
Carmelite nun who died in 1717 in the Convent of St. Chris­
tina in Turin and was beatified in 1865. A near relative of
St. Aloysius, she was intent from her early years on preserving
her innocence and had fervent devotion to the passion of Christ.
She was eager to assist the Poor Souls, and our Lord repeatedly

72

revealed to her the nature and intensity of their sufferings.
They frequently appeared to her and told of their agony. Her
biography states that her prayers and works of mortification
for them were innumerable.
The first person to appear to her was Sister Isabella of the
Cross, who thanked her for her remembrance and informed
her that she would have to suffer until a bequest of a relative
was carried out. She requested Blessed Mary to hasten this and
indicated the very room and even the spot where the will was
hidden. The humble nun did not have the courage to tell of
the vision. However, the Poor Soul appeared again and con­
jured her not to prolong her torment, touching her face with a
glowing finger and leaving a burnt mark. Relatives were noti­
fied, but they could not locate the will. Once more the suffering
soul visited Blessed Mary and told her that the document had
fallen behind a certain drawer. There it was found.
In St. Theresa’s Convent in Turin there died in 1692,
Father John of the Cross, a religious who had strictly observed
the rule. He, too, appeared in the midst of flames and begged
Blessed Mary for assistance.
She immediately offered many
prayers and acts of penance and had the joy of seeing his soul
ascend into heaven.
She realized that the Mass offers the greatest relief to the
Poor Souls. For this reason she gathered alms for Mass stip­
ends or made vestments and sent them to a priest suggesting
that in return he offer Mass for the Poor Souls. During her
last term as prioress she promised the Poor Souls five Masses
a month while she was in office. However, the sister counsellor
pointed out that this would be most difficult for the poor
convent. God Himself provided the means as an indication of
His pleasure in this great charity. That same day a man came
to the convent and left stipends for several Masses according
to the intention of Blessed Mary.

73

She was in constant communication with Poor Souls who
pleaded for her prayers and sacrifices in their behalf. One day
a Poor Soul appeared to her and revealed that it was in great tor­
ments as it had not sufficiently expiated evil talk concerning
others. Moved by compassion, Blessed Mary offered herself to
divine justice for this suffering soul. Soon she was afflicted
with severe toothaches, fever and convulsions. Physicians gave
her medicines and applied poultices which aggravated her con­
dition. She appeared as if covered with leprosy from head to
foot. The doctors admitted that medical science could give her
no assistance. In spite of all these sufferings, Blessed Mary’s
face was like transfigured with joy. She seemed to be in ecstasy
and in lively conversation with several persons. Questioned
by her confessor, she explained that they were Poor Souls, whom
she had to liberate. When she had recovered sufficiently that
she could go to Holy Communion with the other nuns, she
had a vision in which she beheld a large number of formerly
suffering souls ascending into heaven.
Those who were intimately associated with her stated that
virtually all her deceased acquaintances came to either ask her
intercession or to thank her for having aided their liberation
from the torments of Purgatory. Souls appeared to her at all
times of the day or night—in church, in the refectory, etc.
Sometimes they woke her at night and begged for her prayers
and good works.
Many of these visits were accompanied by extraordinary
graces. Now she was privileged to view the glory to be enjoyed
by souls whom she was assisting. Then again they strength­
ened her in trials, guided her in dangers and advised her con­
cerning her spiritual life or the affairs of the convent. If the
sufferings she had assumed for them seemed unbearable and
Nature cried for consideration then she would see the Divine
Savior who was laden with a huge cross on His bleeding should-

74

ers and who said: “See, My daughter, what I endured and the
bed on which I was laid for love of you.”
These instances and experiences indicate what a tremendous
power God has placed in our hands to assist the Poor Souls by
every good work in every state of life. We can offer up for
them all the sufferings and merits of Jesus Christ. We can
have Mass read or assist at it or them. We can pray and do
penance for them and offer up the expiatory value of our simp­
lest daily actions, disappointments and suffering. We can donate
to them almost all indulgences to be gained, and many of these
are more easily obtained for them than for ourselves. Every
minute of the day or night, every commonplace duty, every
joy or sorrow we can make a means of shortening the suffer­
ings of Poor Souls.
In doing this we can gain double merit for ourselves. An
Our Father or Rosary recited for them brings us more bless­
ing than if we had prayed without this intention; and God
will hear us more generously because of charity and zeal for
souls. By assisting them we help ourselves. By sharing our
spiritual merits with them we enrich ourselves.
This devotion strengthens our faith, confirms our hope and
inflames our charity. It promotes all virtues. It pleases not
only the Poor Souls and the saints of heaven, but, above all,
it delights the Sacred Heart of Jesus because it hastens the union
of blessed souls with Him in eternal glory. God is not out­
done in charity, and He will reward such service and charity
one hundredfold. Jesus promised to reward even a cup of water
given in His name. Would He then have no reward for the
great joy which we have prepared not only for the redeemed
souls but also for all in Heaven, for His dear Mother, Mary,
and particularly for His Divine Heart? Truly, He will grant us
a reward transcending all human understanding.

75

THE ΠΟίΛ SACRIFICE
OF THE MASS

The greatest solace and surest help to the
Poor Souls in Purgatory
In every need of soul and body for ourselves and
others, we find salvation in the Holy Sacrifice of the
Mass.
No one knows this better than the suffering souls in
Purgatory. They look to the Altar with a piteousness
of appeal that would melt our hearts if we could see
it. They know, as we shall some day know, that it is
the Mass they must chiefly look for rest and deliver­
ance.
In’their helplessness they cry to us: "Have pity upon
me, at leats you my friends, for the Hand of the Lord
hath touched me.” To honor our dead we may place
flowers upon their graves, build earthly monuments
to their memory, but none of these shall bring relief
to the suffering souls. "If you wish to come to the aid
of your departed”, says St. Chrysostom, "do so by the
Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, by prayer and almsdeeds.”

MARIANNHILL MISSION MASS LEAGUE
Enroll your beloved, departed ones in the Mariannhill Mission Mass League. Every day until the end of
time, they will be remembered in the Holy Sacrifice of
the Mass. Every day throughout the years to come,
shall their souls be remembered in the prayers and spir­
itual exercises of the Mariannhill Fathers, Brothers,

76

Sisters, native children and Christians in our Missions.
No greater gift can you bestow upon them, no greater
provisions can you make for yourself and your loved
ones, than by enrolling them in the Mariannhill Mis­
sion Mass League.
A donation of $1.00 will enroll one member of your
family as a Mass League member for one year.
A donation of $10.00 will enroll one member of
your family as a perpetual Mass League member, for
time and eternity.
A donation of $25.00 will enroll your entire fam­
ily, all living and deceased members, and the parents
of both sides, husbands and wifes, as perpetual mem
bers of the Mariannhill Mission Mass League.

MARIANNHILL MISSION SOCIETY,
Post Office Box 87
Detroit, Michigan.

Rev. and dear Fathers:
I am eager to enroll my beloved deceased ones in the
Mariannhill Mission Mass League, and enclose my offering
of $
in full (part)
Please enroll the following as annual □ perpetual □
member (s)
Please send the diplama (s) to:

Name_________

Address
City and State

77

In conformity with the decree of
Pope Urban VIII, we declare that
all statements regarding the vari­
ous supernatural facts related in
this booklet, are mere private and
personal opinions, and we by no
means, wish to forstall the Apos­
tolic decisions.

The Publishers.

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