November, the month for mercy and the Holy Souls

When St. Faustina visited Purgatory in her vision, she saw Mary visiting the suffering souls: “The souls called her ‘The Star of the Sea’ [Stella Maris]. She brings them refreshment” (Diary, 20).

Offer your prayers for the Holy Souls during the month of November at the National Shrine of The Divine Mercy.

By Dr. Veronica Szczygiel

In one of St. Faustina’s visions, her Guardian Angel accompanied her through Purgatory. 

The young nun was surprised to find that “I was in a misty place full of fire in which there was a crowd of suffering souls. They were praying fervently, but to no avail, for themselves; only we can come to their aid” (Diary of Saint Maria Faustina Kowalska, 20). 

The month of November provides us with the perfect opportunity to aid these suffering souls whose “greatest torment … was longing for God.” November is dedicated to the Holy Souls in Purgatory.

Pope Benedict XVI wrote that “in order to be saved we personally have to pass through ‘fire’ so as to become fully open to receiving God and able to take our place at the table of the eternal marriage-feast” (Spe Salvi). Souls in Purgatory are promised a share in Heaven’s eternal glory, but must first pass through a refiner’s fire — that is, purification from sin.

Soldier on
We can support their purification process through intercessory prayer and works of mercy. November 2 is the great feast of All Souls, a day we are encouraged to honor our beloved dead by offering Masses and visiting their gravesites. In Poland, for instance, people light candles at their family gravesites as a prayer for heavenly rest. By nightfall, the entire cemetery is ablaze with light. This is a beautiful sign of our prayers for the absolution of souls.

A few days later, on Nov. 11, we celebrate the Feast of St. Martin of Tours. Born in 316 A.D., St. Martin was a soldier who later founded a monastery. He dedicated his life to works of charity and helping the poor. Most famously, when he encountered a beggar, he took his sword and cut his cloak in half, giving one half to the poor man. The next day, Christ appeared to St. Martin in a vision wearing half of the cloak. This is a reminder that our works of mercy make a difference, both for man and in the eyes of God. 

On St. Martin’s feast day, we also remember military service men and women who put their lives at risk to protect our freedoms. Originally established as Armistice Day in 1918 to commemorate the end of “the war to end all wars,” Nov. 11 was renamed as Veterans Day in 1953 to honor military veterans. We can pray specifically for deceased veterans who are in Purgatory, in need of our intercession.

Star of the Sea
When St. Faustina visited Purgatory in her vision, she saw Mary visiting the suffering souls: “The souls called her ‘The Star of the Sea.’ She brings them refreshment” (Diary, 20).

In November, we have two Marian feasts when we can seek Mary’s intercession. The first is the Feast of the Miraculous Medal on Nov. 27. This day celebrates the Blessed Virgin Mary’s apparitions to St. Catherine Labouré in Paris in 1830. Mary revealed to St. Catherine the design for the Miraculous Medal and further promised, “Those who wear it around their necks will be given wondrous graces.”

The next day, Nov. 28, is the Feast of Our Lady of Kibeho, dedicated to the first Vatican-approved Marian apparition from Africa. Mary appeared to three schoolgirls in Rwanda from 1981-1989 and referred to herself as Nyina Wa Jambo or “Mother of the Word.” In these apparitions, Mary foretold the 1994 Rwandan genocide and urgently appealed for a “repentance and conversion of hearts” through Rosary prayers, specifically the Seven Sorrows Rosary.

A to-do
Intercessory prayers for the deceased awaiting final eternal rest dates back all the way to the Old Testament, when Judas Maccabeus “made atonement for the dead that they might be absolved from their sin” (2 Macc 12:46). We can do the same, especially in November, through spiritual Works of Mercy. Saying the Rosary and Divine Mercy Chaplet; participating in Mass; visiting gravesites; and spreading Marian devotions are all practical ways we can intercede for these suffering souls in Purgatory. 

Especially this month, let us remember the Holy Souls and be ignited in our commitment to, as St. Faustina wrote, “come to their aid.”
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