November, the month dedicated to the Poor Souls
Twenty-fifth Sunday after Pentecost
J.M.J.


Q. What benefits can flow from a visit to a Catholic cemetery?

A. It must first be recalled that a Catholic cemetery is a holy place, being
consecrated ground, especially blessed by the Church to receive the bodies,
temples of the Holy Ghost, that will rise up to meet Our Lord, the Supreme
Judge, on the last day. It is for this reason that it was always considered
obligatory for the bodies of faithful Catholics to be buried in Catholic
cemeteries (Canon 1205, 1 of the 1917 Code).

A visit to a cemetery is consequently an act of religion, as is the special
care of the cemetery and of the tombs of those who are buried there. It
inspires a Catholic with reverence, awe for God's judgments, respect for the
souls of those whose bodies are buried there, with an awareness of the
brevity of this earthly life, and of the union of the Church militant with
the Church suffering in the mystical body of Christ. Special graces are
consequently attached to silent and prayerful visits to cemeteries. It can
easily be understood why Church law prescribes that each parish have its own
cemetery (Canon 1208), and why it is the traditional custom for it to be
physically adjoining the parish.

However, if Catholics love to visit cemeteries, it is especially out of a
motive of charity. We long to assist the suffering souls in purgatory by our
prayers, sacrifices, and Masses, given that we are united as members of the
same mystical body. A physical visit to a cemetery is a great help in
inciting us to this duty of charity. It is for this reason that the Church
has generously enriched with her indulgences visits to cemeteries. During
the eight days from November 1-8, any of the faithful can, simply by
visiting a cemetery and praying for the poor souls, obtain a plenary
indulgence, applicable to the poor souls in purgatory, under the usual
conditions. At other times of the year this is a partial indulgence. The
gaining of a plenary indulgence does not mean that one soul is freed from
Purgatory, but that the power of the Church's suffrages is added to the
personal prayers and applied to the poor souls, by manner of intercession.
How could we refuse to take advantage of the unlocking of the Church's
treasury, which simply depends on our visits and prayers.

Let us consequently be generous and regular with our visits to Catholic
cemeteries, and let us never pass one by without stopping to recite a short
prayer for the poor souls there, or at least reciting such a prayer as we go
by.

Q&A by Fr. Scott

I don't think the span of time matters. We used to walk up to the cemetery at school and we'd only stay 5-10 minutes, to say some prayers out loud and then some personal prayer.

I'm lucky in that there's a very old Norman church nearby, so I can walk up there in the early morning and say some prayers without having to drive anywhere or take lots of time out of my schedule. I like to go daily during November. I pray one Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory Be and the Creed, plus the De Profundis. I think those are the requirements for the indulgence- is that right?

Ah ok, thanks Alex!