It is a centuries-old tradition in Western Christianity to observe All Souls’ Day on November 2 by attending mass, offering prayers and sacrifices, and lighting candles to help ease the suffering of those who have died without having been saved and whose souls are believed to be in purgatory. In a looser interpretation, many people who are not strict adherents to church doctrine still may set this day aside to contemplate their family’s or social circle’s departed, in solemn remembrance and honor.
History
On All Souls Day, the Catholic Church teaches that the purification of the souls in purgatory can be assisted by the actions of the faithful on earth. Its teaching is based also on the practice of prayer for the dead mentioned as far back as 2 Maccabees 12:42–46. In the West there is ample evidence of the custom of praying for the dead in the inscriptions of the catacombs, with their constant prayers for the peace of the souls of the departed and in the early liturgies, which commonly contain commemorations of the dead.
Tertullian, Cyprian and other early Western Fathers witnessed the regular practice of praying for the dead among the early Christians. The theological basis for the feast is the doctrine that the souls which, on departing from the body, are not perfectly cleansed from venial sins, or have not fully atoned for past transgressions, are debarred from the Beatific Vision, and that the faithful on earth can help them by prayers, alms deeds and especially by the sacrifice of the Mass.
As far back as the 6th century CE, it became a regular tradition in Benedictene monasteries to set aside a day to honor the departed, at that time set for the Monday after Pentecost. Though other dates were set by other groups, eventually — in the 11th century — Saint Odilo of Cluny standardized the day after All Saints’ Day — All Souls’ Day — as the time to pray for the unsaved who had passed on, for all members of monasteries dependent on the Abbey of Cluny.
The new day and customs gradually spread to other monasteries and then generally throughout the Western Church. In the Church of England it is called ‘The Commemoration of the Faithful Departed’ and is an optional celebration. Anglicans view All Souls’ Day as an extension of the observance of All Saints’ Day, serving as a reminder to those who have died, in connection with the theological doctrines of the resurrection of the body and the Communion of Saints.
Partially due to circumstances surrounding World War I — the great number of dead and the number of destroyed churches, in particular — priests were granted the privilege of conducting three masses in one day on All Souls’ Day. This custom is still in practice today.
Credit: National Today
