Novena
Novena for the Holy Souls in Purgatory
Nine-day novena · begins 24 October, ending on the Solemnity of All Saints
Nine days of prayer for the faithful departed who are being purified before entering the joy of heaven, customarily kept from 24 October to All Saints so that it ends as the Church begins the month of the dead. The received prayer asks the Holy Souls' intercession and offers them, in return, the satisfactory value of one's prayers, work, joys and sufferings.
Background
The Church teaches that those who die in God's grace but imperfectly purified undergo a purification so as to achieve the holiness needed to enter heaven, and that the living can help them by prayer, almsgiving, indulgences and above all the Sacrifice of the Mass. This is a devotional novena, not a liturgical rite; its proper season is the days around All Souls, 2 November, when a plenary indulgence applicable only to the departed is attached to visiting a cemetery under the usual conditions. The received form repeats one prayer daily, so the day-by-day subjects below are editorial and the prayer is unaltered. The cited source rightly adds that assisting at Mass and having a Mass offered for them are the most powerful helps of all.
Days
Intention
the relief and swift entry into glory of the souls being purified, and preparation for one's own death
Usually begun
24 October, ending on the Solemnity of All Saints
Structure
nine_days
Duration
9 days
Content subtype
full_novena