All Souls Day 2023: Date, History, Significance, Facts about Purgatory

All Souls Day 2023: In Western Christianity, November 2 is All Souls’ Day. To honor those who have died without being saved and whose souls are thought to be in purgatory, people go to mass, pray, make sacrifices, and light candles. This is done to ease their pain. A less strict interpretation says that many people who don’t strictly follow church doctrine may still set aside this day to think about the dead in their family or social group in a solemn way.

All Souls Day 2023: HISTORY

The Catholic Church teaches on All Souls Day that the deeds of the faithful on earth can help the souls in purgatory become more pure. Prayer for the dead is something that is taught in the Bible as far back as 2 Maccabees 12:42–46. In the West, there is a lot of proof that people prayed for the dead. For example, the inscriptions in the catacombs are full of prayers for the peace of the souls of the dead, and early liturgies often include prayers for the dead.

According to Tertullian, Cyprian, and other early Western Fathers, the early Christians frequently prayed for the dead. The feast is based on the religious belief that souls that leave the body but are not completely free of minor sins or have not fully atoned for past sins are not allowed to enter the Blessed Vision. The faithful on earth can help these souls by praying, giving to others, and especially by celebrating the Mass.

As early as the sixth century CE, Benedictine houses would regularly set aside a day to remember the dead. At that time, it was the Monday after Pentecost. Other groups set different dates at first, but in the 11th century, Saint Odilo of Cluny made the day after All Saints’ Day, called “All Souls’ Day,” the official day to pray for the dead who were not saved. This was for all members of churches that depended on the Abbey of Cluny.

Over time, the new day and practices spread to other monasteries and then to the whole Western Church. The Church of England calls it “The Commemoration of the Faithful Departed,” and people don’t have to share in it. As a way to remember those who have died, Anglicans see All Souls’ Day as an extension of All Saints’ Day. It is linked to the religious ideas of the rising of the body and the Communion of Saints.

Because of the terrible things that happened during World War I, like the huge number of deaths and the destruction of buildings, priests were allowed to hold three masses in one day on All Souls’ Day. People still do this tradition today.

All Souls Day 2023: FACTS

• In the “Catholic Encyclopedia,” it says, “The ancient Liturgies and the inscriptions of the catacombs speak of [Purgatory as] a’sleep of peace,’ which would be impossible if there was any doubt about the ultimate salvation.”
• Some theologians, including St. Robert Bellarmine, thought that souls in Purgatory had more power to pray because they were closer to God than live people.
• An old Roman epic poem called “The Aenid” talks about souls that have “the taint of wickedness burned away with fire” before they are called to the happy fields of Elysium.
• Both St. Catherine of Genoa and St. Thomas of Aquinas say that souls choose to go to Purgatory when they see what awaits them in Heaven. This does not mean that souls have no other choice; it means that souls knowingly choose to go to Purgatory.
• Also, St. Catherine wrote that souls in purgatory are happy because the things that keep them from going to heaven are slowly burned away. She said, “Sin’s rust is the hindrance, and the fire burns the rust away so that more and more the soul opens itself up to the divine inflowing.”

ALL SOULS DAY: WHY IT’S IMPORTANT

Care is at stake.

As the day ends, All Souls’ Day is really about remembering and care for those who have died. There are a lot of different ways to do this. It can be very broad, like saying a prayer for people who have died in war, or very specific and personal, like telling stories about a late grandparent.

It shows respect for the weak.

It’s common knowledge that some people feel “Christian guilt.” For many, the guilt comes from the thought that they may have “let” a loved one die without doing more to make sure they were ready for Heaven. All Souls’ Day can be a safe place to be because it’s a day when the dead are remembered and respected.

People who are Christian value it a lot.

Learning new things is always a good thing, and we’ve seen people become interested in and moved by Christian holy days like All Souls’ Day just by reading about their history and beliefs. You’ll be shocked by what you find if you look around.

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ALL SOULS DAY DATES

Year	Date	Day
2023	November 2	Thursday
2024	November 2	Saturday
2025	November 2	Sunday
2026	November 2	Monday
2027	November 2	Tuesday