Mass for the Souls in Purgatory.
Before Mass.
O merciful Lord, we offer Thee the precious blood of the spotless Lamb, in behalf of the suffering souls in purgatory, whose sole desire is to see and glorify Thee in heaven. Open to them, O Lord, the infinite treasures of Thy merits; apply to them the fruits of Thy Passion and death, and through the adorable sacrifice of the Mass, release them from the debt due to Thy sovereign justice. Amen.
Confiteor.
We confess our sins, O merciful God, in humility and sorrow of heart, and we acknowledge that in Thy sight no one living is justified. Woe to us, if Thou judge us according to Thy justice. To appease Thy anger, O Lord, we recur to the unbloody sacrifice of Him Who was nailed to the cross for our salvation, and who ceases not to intercede for us in heaven. O God of all clemency! forgive us our sins, we entreat Thee, and forgive also the sins committed by our deceased brethren, in the days of their mortal pilgrimage. Let Thy mercy prevail over Thy justice, and let the voice of the blood of Jesus plead more loudly for pardon than the voice of our iniquities cries for vengeance. Amen.
Introit.
Eternal rest give unto them, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon them. “To Thee is due the hymn, O God, in Sion, and to Thee shall [pg 469] the vow be paid in Jerusalem.” Oh, hear my prayer: to Thee shall all flesh come. Amen.
Kyrie.
O Jesus, show that Thou art the God of mercy, and take pity on the suffering souls who sigh and weep for the day of their deliverance. Oh, admit them without delay into Thy bosom!
Collect.
O God, the Creator and Redeemer of all the faithful, give to the souls of Thy servants departed the remission of all their sins; that through pious supplications they may obtain that pardon which they have always desired. Amen.
Epistle.
“And we will not have you ignorant, brethren, concerning them that are asleep, that you be not sorrowful, even as others who have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again: even so them who have slept through Jesus, will God bring with Him. For this we say unto you in the word of the Lord, that we who are alive, who remain unto the coming of the Lord, shall not prevent them who have slept. For the Lord Himself shall come down from heaven with commandment, and with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God: and the dead who are in Christ, shall rise first. Then we who are alive, who are left, shall be taken up together with them in the clouds to meet Christ, into the air, and so shall we be always with the Lord. Wherefore comfort ye one another with these words.”—1 Thess. 12-17.
[pg 470]Gradual.
“The sorrows of death have compassed me: and the perils of hell have found me. I met with trouble and sorrow: and I called on the name of the Lord. O Lord, deliver my soul: The Lord is merciful and just, and now Our God showeth mercy. The Lord is the keeper of little ones: I was humbled, and He delivered me.”—Ps. cxiv. 3-6. Eternal rest give unto them, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon them. Amen.
Gospel.
“Martha, therefore, said to Jesus: Lord, if Thou hadst been here, my brother had not died. But now also I know that whatsoever Thou wilt ask of God, God will give it Thee. Jesus saith to her: Thy brother shall rise again. Martha saith to Him: I know that he shall rise again in the resurrection, at the last day. Jesus said to her: I am the Resurrection and the Life: he that believeth in Me, although he be dead, shall live: And every one that liveth, and believeth in Me, shall not die forever. Believest thou this? She saith to Him: Yea, Lord, I have believed that Thou art Christ, the Son of the living God, Who art come into this world.”—John xi. 21-27.
Offertory.
Lord Jesus Christ, King of glory, deliver the souls of the faithful departed from the flames of hell, and from the deep pit. Deliver them from the lion's mouth, lest hell swallow them; lest they fall into darkness. And let the standard-bearer, St. [pg 471] Michael, bring them into holy light, which Thou didst promise of old to Abraham and his posterity. We offer Thee, O Lord, a sacrifice of praise and prayer: accept them in behalf of the souls we commemorate this day, and let them pass from death to life, which Thou didst promise of old to Abraham and His posterity. Remember, O Lord, Thy compassion, and Thy tender mercies, which are from the beginning. For ourselves also we pray: “One favor I have asked of Thee, and this I will seek; that I may dwell in Thy house all the days of my life. That I may see Thy beauty, and dwell forever in Thy temple. Amen.”
Secret.
Have mercy, we beseech Thee, O Lord, on the souls of Thy servants [name them], for whom we offer this Victim of praise, humbly beseeching Thy majesty, that by this sacrifice they may arrive at rest eternal, through Jesus Christ Our Lord. Amen.
Preface.
It is truly just, and reasonable, and salutary, to return Thee thanks at all times, and in all places, O almighty Father, eternal God. Through Jesus Christ Our Lord, and through His merits, we hope for a glorious resurrection; so that if the sentence of death alarm and deject, the promise of immortality consoles and animates us; for to Thy faithful servants death is only a passage from this life to a better. Therefore we unite with all the blessed citizens of the heavenly country in singing a hymn to Thy glory, and saying without ceasing: Holy, [pg 472] holy, holy, Lord God of Sabaoth: heaven and earth are full of Thy glory. Blessed is He that cometh in the name of the Lord; His blood pleads for pardon, and His voice rises ever to the throne of mercy in behalf of His miserable creatures. Amen.
Canon.
O Father almighty, Whose kind providence extendeth to all creation, cast an eye of pity on the souls that ardently love Thee, and whose greatest suffering is to be separated from Thee. Remember, O Lord, that they are the work of Thy hands, and that they have been purchased by the infinite merits of Thy Son, Jesus Christ. Oh, will not the sound of that sweet name move Thee to pity and forgiveness? We offer in their behalf, the precious blood which streamed from the sacred side of our dying Redeemer on the cross; we offer Thee the powerful intercession of the most blessed Mother of Jesus and Queen of martyrs; we offer Thee the prayers of St. Joseph, St. Peter, St. Paul, and all the saints, together with the earnest supplications of Thy Church on earth; and we beseech Thee to take pity on the souls Thou lovest so tenderly. Show them Thy glory, receive them into Thy heart, and inundate them with that torrent of bliss, of which Thou art the inexhaustible fountain. Amen.
Elevation.
O sacred Host! Victim of man's salvation! be propitious to us and hear our prayers. Precious blood of Jesus, shed to wash away the sins of mankind, sanctify our soul, and plead for mercy for the souls in purgatory! Amen.
[pg 473]Pater Noster.
O divine Jesus! at Whose name every knee doth bend, in heaven, on earth, and in hell! Sovereign Judge of the living and the dead! may Thy name be honored by the deliverance of the souls for whom we pray. May the gates of heaven be open to receive them, and may Thy will, which desires the salvation of all men, be this day perfectly done in their regard. Grant that, after having been fed on the bread of sorrow, they may be fed with the living bread of heaven in the possession of Thyself. We implore Thy forgiveness of the sins of our parents, friends, and benefactors, particularly of the sins to which we unhappily have been accessory. Preserve us from those avenging flames, which we have but too well merited by our repeated abuse of grace, our tepidity in Thy service, and our negligence in resisting temptation. Deliver us from sin, the greatest of all evils, and enable us to feel and understand that it is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God. Amen.
Agnus Dei.
Lamb of God, Who by death didst trample on the devil, about to seize his helpless prey, have mercy on the souls in purgatory! Lamb of God, Who wast offered as a sacrifice of expiation, that by Thy death we might be rescued from the slavery of sin, have mercy on the souls in purgatory! Lamb of God, Who wast immolated for love of us that we might pass from the region of malediction to the true land of promise, grant eternal rest to the souls in purgatory! Amen.
[pg 474]Communion.
May eternal light shine on them, O Lord, together with Thy saints forever, for Thou art merciful. Grant them, O Lord, eternal rest, and let perpetual light shine upon them. Amen.
Post-Communion.
O God, Who willest that while we pray for the souls in purgatory, we should at the same time remember the most essential of our duties, grant us through Thy infinite merits and unbounded charity, the pardon of our past negligences. We will not defer the all-important duty of penance, lest it soon be too late to discharge our debts to Thee. We will fervently and perseveringly pray for the souls in purgatory, and apply to them also the fruits of our almsdeeds and exercises of mortification. O bountiful God! bless these resolutions, and strengthen us to observe them faithfully. Amen.
Last Gospel.
“I know that my Redeemer liveth, and in the Last Day I shall rise out of the earth: and I shall be clothed again with my skin, and in my flesh I shall see my God. Whom I myself shall see, and my eyes shall behold, and not another. This my hope is laid up in my bosom.”—Job xix. 25-27. After having sat in darkness, and dwelt amidst the shades of death, we shall rise to the contemplation of eternal life forever! “In Thee, O Lord, have I hoped: let me never be confounded!” Amen.
The Litany of the Saints.
Ant. Remember not, O Lord, our offences, nor those of our parents; neither take Thou vengeance of our sins.
Our Father (secretly).
V. And lead us not into temptation,
R. But deliver us from evil.
Psalm LXIX.
Deus in Adjutorium.
O God, come to my assistance: O Lord, make haste to help me.
Let them be confounded and ashamed that seek after my soul.
Let them be turned backward, and blush for shame that desire evils unto me.
Let them be straightway turned backward, blushing for shame, that say to me: 'Tis well, 'tis well.
Let all that seek Thee be joyful and glad in Thee: and let such as love Thy salvation say always, The Lord be magnified.
But I am needy and poor: O God, help me.
Thou art my helper and my deliverer: O Lord, make no long delay.
[pg 479]Glory be, etc.
V. Save Thy servants,
R. Who hope in Thee, O my God.
V. Be unto us, O Lord, a tower of strength.
R. From the face of the enemy.
V. Let not the enemy prevail against us.
R. Nor the son of iniquity approach to hurt us.
V. O Lord, deal not with us according to our sins.
R. Neither requite us according to our iniquities.
V. Let us pray for our Sovereign Pontiff [N.].
R. The Lord preserve him and give him life, and make him blessed upon the earth, and deliver him not up to the will of his enemies.
V. Let us pray for our benefactors.
R. Vouchsafe, O Lord, for Thy name's sake, to reward with eternal life all them that do us good. Amen.
V. Let us pray for the faithful departed.
R. Eternal rest give unto them, O Lord; and let perpetual light shine upon them.
V. Let them rest in peace.
R. Amen.
V. For our absent brethren.
R. Save Thy servants, who hope in Thee, O my God.
V. Send them help, O Lord, from the sanctuary.
R. And defend them out of Sion.
V. O Lord, hear my prayer.
R. And let my cry come unto Thee.
Let Us Pray.
O God, Whose property is always to have mercy and to spare, receive our humble petition, that [pg 480] we, and all Thy servants who are bound by the chain of sin, may, by the compassion of Thy goodness, mercifully be absolved.
Graciously hear, we beseech Thee, O Lord, the prayers of Thy suppliants, and forgive the sins of them that confess to Thee; that, in Thy bounty, Thou mayest grant us both pardon and peace.
Show forth upon us, O Lord, in Thy mercy, Thy unspeakable loving kindness; that Thou mayest both loose us from all our sins and deliver us from the punishments which we deserve for them.
O God, Who by sin art offended, and by penance pacified, mercifully regard the prayers of Thy people making supplication to Thee, and turn away the scourges of Thine anger, which we deserve for our sins.
Almighty, everlasting God, have mercy upon Thy servant [N.], our Sovereign Pontiff, and direct him, according to Thy clemency, into the way of everlasting salvation; that by Thy grace he may both desire those things that are pleasing to Thee and perform them with all his strength.
O God, from Whom all holy desires, all right counsels, and all just works do come, give unto Thy servants that peace which the world cannot give; that our hearts being devoted to Thy commandments, and the fear of our enemies being taken away, our times, by Thy protection, may be peaceful.
Inflame, O Lord, our reins and heart with the fire of the Holy Ghost; that we may serve Thee with a chaste body, and please Thee with a clean heart.
O God, the Creator and Redeemer of all the faithful, give to the souls of Thy servants departed the remission of all their sins; that through pious [pg 481] supplications they may obtain the pardon which they have always desired.
Prompt, we beseech Thee, O Lord, our actions by Thy inspirations, and further them with Thy continual help; that every prayer and work of ours may always begin from Thee, and through Thee be likewise ended.
Almighty, everlasting God, Who hast dominion over the living and the dead, and art merciful to all whom Thou foreknowest will be Thine by faith and works: we humbly beseech Thee that they for whom we intend to pour forth our prayers, whether this present world still detain them in the flesh, or the world to come hath already received them stripped of their mortal bodies, may, by the grace of Thy loving kindness, and by the intercession of all the saints, obtain the remission of all their sins. Through Thy Son Jesus Christ Our Lord, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, forever and ever.
R. Amen.
V. O Lord, hear my prayer.
R. And let my cry come unto Thee.
V. May the almighty and merciful Lord graciously hear us.
R. Amen.
V. And may the souls of the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace.
R. Amen.