Prayers for Our Loved Ones in Purgatory

As we close out All Souls Day, I realize I’ve been remiss in something I’d been planning to do here on the blog. Today saw Pope Benedict XVI pausing for quiet prayer in the Crypt beneath St. Peter’s Basilica to remember the souls of the faithfully departed pontiffs who have gone before him. Seeing the photo of him that was shared today on the News.va website reminded me of my own amazing time spent praying in that very place just a few years ago during the Beatification of Blessed John Paul II.

Today, I invited you to join me in remembering the names of loved ones gone before us in the comments section below — feel free to list them by first name, by relationship to yourself, or simply to say “please pray for my beloved departed” or something equally as all-inclusive. It would be an honor to pray with you for the souls of your loved ones, and I ask you to carry my intentions (for the names I will list in the comments) with you this weekend as well.

Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon them. May the souls of the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen.