About the Chaplet for the Souls in Purgatory: Have you recently lost a loved one? Are you worried that they may have sinned just before their passing and you are not sure if they are in Heaven? The mercy of God is great, and so is His justice. In both Church tradition as well as Biblical evidence, we see that there is a place between Heaven and Hell for holy souls who have lived imperfect lives and need a purification in Purgatory. These souls cannot pray for themselves. All selfishness is gone as they must align their hearts for perfect union with the Will of God to be with Him in Heaven. It is an act of charity to pray for the deceased souls in Purgatory. Every November the Church dedicates a time for the faithful to remember the souls in Purgatory in our prayers. On November 1 we celebrate All Saints Day, and on November 2 we remember to pray for all the souls of our deceased loved ones in Purgatory.
Why do we pray for the dead? We belong to one body of believers that are here on Earth (called the Church Militant), Saints in Heaven (called the Church Triumphant), and Holy Souls in Purgatory (called the Church Suffering).
The Church Triumphant in Heaven assist the faithful on Earth with their intercessory prayers for us.
The saints tell us that the suffering souls in Purgatory are subjected to a blazing fire of purification. Some saints tell us the pain of Purgatory is not all that different from the suffering of hell. These holy souls have obtained salvation but they remain impure and cannot immediately enjoy the consolations of Heaven, and this causes them spiritual agony.
The souls in Purgatory rely on the charity of Christians on Earth who pray for them. We can petition our Eternal Father for mercy on these souls in an act of charity much like the saints in Heaven intercede for us. The Father sends His purifying fire of love to assist the souls we pray for. The souls in Purgatory are unable to pray for themselves. They are completely reliant on our intercession for them in order to hasten their arrival to Paradise. Let us pray for these souls in the month of November.
"Judas rallied his army and went to the city of Adullam. As the seventh day was approaching, they purified themselves according to custom and kept the sabbath there. On the following day, since the task had now become urgent, Judas and his companions went to gather up the bodies of the fallen and bury them with their kindred in their ancestral tombs. But under the tunic of each of the dead they found amulets sacred to the idols of Jamnia, which the law forbids the Jews to wear. So it was clear to all that this was why these men had fallen. They all therefore praised the ways of the Lord, the just judge who brings to light the things that are hidden. Turning to supplication, they prayed that the sinful deed might be fully blotted out. The noble Judas exhorted the people to keep themselves free from sin, for they had seen with their own eyes what had happened because of the sin of those who had fallen. He then took up a collection among all his soldiers, amounting to two thousand silver drachmas, which he sent to Jerusalem to provide for an expiatory sacrifice. In doing this he acted in a very excellent and noble way, inasmuch as he had the resurrection in mind; for if he were not expecting the fallen to rise again, it would have been superfluous and foolish to pray for the dead. But if he did this with a view to the splendid reward that awaits those who had gone to rest in godliness, it was a holy and pious thought. Thus he made atonement for the dead that they might be absolved from their sin."
The New Testament also shows us that prayers offered by the living frees the dead from any sin that continues to separate them from God.
Paul offers a prayer for a man named Onesiphorus who had died in 2 Timothy 1:
“May the Lord grant mercy to the family of Onesiphorus because he often gave me new heart and was not ashamed of my chains. But when he came to Rome, he promptly searched for me and found me. May the Lord grant him to find mercy from the Lord on that day. And you know very well the services he rendered in Ephesus.” 2 Timothy 1:16-18.
Onesiphorus seems to have died before this letter was written by St. Paul. Onesiphorus’ family is mentioned twice by St. Paul, here in the first chapter of 2 Timothy and again in the fourth chapter of 2 Timothy. Paul offers a prayer for Onesiphorus after his death, as Onesiphorus was helpful to Paul in prison and rendered much service to the community of Ephesus. Paul asks for the mercy of God on his soul. To learn more about this, read: Did the Apostle Paul pray for Onesiphorus after he had died in 2 Timothy? (This PDF is from CatholicConvert.com.)
St. Thomas Aquinas on the Principal Pain of Purgatory:
“The more one longs for a thing, the more painful does deprivation of it become. And because after this life, the desire for God, the Supreme Good, is intense in the souls of the just (because this impetus toward him is not hampered by the weight of the body, and that time of enjoyment of the Perfect Good would have come) had there been no obstacle; the soul suffers enormously from the delay.”
"Purgatory basically means that God can put the pieces back together again. That He can cleanse us in such a way that we are able to be with Him and can stand there in the fullness of life. Purgatory strips off from one person what is unbearable and from another the inability to bear certain things, so that in each of them a pure heart is revealed, and we can see that we all belong together in one enormous symphony of being."
Why do we Pray for the Souls of the Dead?
We pray for the souls of the dead beginning at the moment of death. Loved ones of the dying ought to pray fervently at the bedside of the dying in prayer, and immediately afterward.
Loved ones often pray vigil prayers before the funeral for the deceased loved one, and then a funeral Mass is offered for the soul. The Rite of Committal is another prayer often offered at the burial site. Our prayers for the dead are in a hope that God will free the souls of the dead loved ones from any burden of sin and prepare a place them in Heaven. Death is a great mystery for all of us. The act of charity we can offer for the souls of the dead is a beautiful gift of selfless love. The Church teaches us that our love, linked to Christ’s love, can help our deceased loved ones become purified as they await the moment they can meet God face to face in Paradise as a clean and purified soul.
The Chaplet for the Holy Souls in Purgatory
Pray the Chaplet for the Souls in Purgatory
The devotion of the Chaplet for the Holy Souls is prayed on an ordinary rosary.
Opening Prayer
Make the “Sign Of The Cross” and pray:
1. Apostle's Creed
I believe in God,
the Father almighty,
Creator of heaven and earth,
and in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord,
who was conceived by the Holy Spirit,
born of the Virgin Mary,
suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died and was buried;
he descended into hell;
on the third day he rose again from the dead;
he ascended into heaven,
and is seated at the right hand of God the Father almighty;
from there he will come to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the holy catholic Church,
the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
and life everlasting.
Amen.
2. Our Father
℣. Our Father, Who art in Heaven, hallowed be Thy name; Thy kingdom come; Thy will be done on earth as it is in Heaven.
℟. Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. Amen.
3, 4, 5. Three Hail Mary Prayers
For an increase in faith, hope, and love
℣. Hail Mary full of grace the Lord is with thee. Blessed are thou among women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.
℟. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death.
℣. Hail Mary full of grace the Lord is with thee. Blessed are thou among women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.
℟. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death.
℣. Hail Mary full of grace the Lord is with thee. Blessed are thou among women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.
℟. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death.
6. For Each of the 5 Decades
6. On the Large Bead
℣. O Holy Souls draw the fire of God’s love into my soul,
℟. to reveal Jesus Crucified in me here on earth, rather than hereafter in Purgatory.
7. On the 10 Small Beads
All: Crucified Lord Jesus, have mercy on the souls in Purgatory.
(On the Chain before the Large Bead)
At the Close of Each Decade Pray:
All: Oh Sacred Heart of Jesus, have mercy on the Holy Souls in Purgatory. Bring to completion their purification and console them with Your eternal love.
All: Immaculate Heart of Mary, pray for the conversion of sinners and the world.
Closing Prayers
On Beads 3,4,5. Glory Be (3x)
All: Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.
All: Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.
All: Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.
2. The Prayer of St. Gertrude for the Holy Souls in Purgatory
All: Eternal Father, I offer You the most precious blood of thy Divine Son, Jesus, in union with the Masses said throughout the world today, for all the Holy Souls in Purgatory, for sinners everywhere, for sinners in the universal Church, for those in my own home, and in my family. Amen.
Download a printable Chaplet for the Souls in Purgatory PDF.
On the Holy Souls in Purgatory
“Each man receives his eternal retribution in his immortal soul at the very moment of his death, in a particular judgment that refers his life to Christ: either entrance into the blessedness of heaven-through a purification or immediately, — or immediate and everlasting damnation.” – CCC 1022
“Those who die in God’s grace and friendship and are perfectly purified live for ever with Christ. They are like God for ever, for they ‘see him as he is,’ face to face.” – CCC 1023
“All who die in God’s grace and friendship, but still imperfectly purified, are indeed assured of their eternal salvation; but after death they undergo purification, so as to achieve the holiness necessary to enter the joy of heaven.” – CCC 1030
3 Responses
I am so grateful for finding this on Pinterest ! I will be praying it daily,I already did just now. It will be part of my daily despair prayers,as I am in great despair. I’m not allowed to use the word despondency, but I understand I have been put into a period of desolation to suffer for the Lord’s purposes. I pray daily for the souls in purgatory, but never ask them to pray for me. But I am really in desolation, so I really felt really grateful to find this. It makes me feel Comfortable to ask the souls for prayer.Thank You so Much!!!!!!
Joan, thank you so much for this response. I will be praying for you that God gives you the grace you need to overcome despair. Your comment made me think of a passage in Hebrews 6: 9-12
“But we are sure in your regard, beloved, of better things related to salvation, even though we speak in this way. For God is not unjust so as to overlook your work and the love you have demonstrated for his name by having served and continuing to serve the holy ones. We earnestly desire each of you to demonstrate the same eagerness for the fulfillment of hope until the end, so that you may not become sluggish, but imitators of those who, through faith and patience, are inheriting the promises.”
Hello – this is fantastic! I have been looking for a devotion, prayer or chaplet that’s is geared towards to the individuals who are in purgatory.
Looking at the rosary graphic, will you please list #8. It appears to be the medallion but can’t find #8 on the ledger. Thank you so much!!!