“Our Lady Of A Good Death”.
By: Fr. Stephen Morrison O.Præm.
“A Day With Mary”.
Available on YouTube
02 November, 2026
“Tædet Animam Meam”. Requiem Aeternam. Officium Defunctorum. Tomás Luis De Victoria (1548 - 1611). Composed For The Funeral Of The Mother Of Two Emperors.
unless otherwise stated.
“Tædet Animam Meam” are the opening words in Chapter 10 of The Book of Job. Job laments his afflictions and begs God to be delivered from them.
“Tædet Animam Meam”
and ”Requiem Aeternam”.
Tomás Luis De Victoria
(1548 - 1611).
Available on YouTube
“Officium Defunctorum” is a musical setting of the Office Of The Dead, composed by the Spanish Renaissance Composer, Tomás Luis de Victoria, in 1603. It includes settings of the movements of The Requiem Mass, accounting for about twenty-six minutes of the forty-two minute Composition, and the Work is sometimes referred to as “Victoria’s Requiem”.
“Officium Defunctorum” was composed for the funeral of the Dowager Empress Maria, sister of Philip II of Spain, daughter of Charles V, wife of Maximilian II, and mother of two Emperors; it was dedicated to Princess Margaret for “the obsequies of your most revered mother”.
The Empress Maria died on 26 February 1603, and the great obsequies were performed on 22 April 1603 and 23 April 1603. Victoria was employed as Personal Chaplain to the Empress Maria from 1586 to the time of her death.
The date of publication, 1605, is often included with the title to differentiate the “Officium Defunctorum” from Victoria’s other setting of The Requiem Mass (in 1583, Victoria Composed and Published a Book of Masses (Reprinted in 1592), including a “Missa Pro Defunctis” for Four-Part Choir).
“Requiem Officium Defunctorum”.
Sung by: The Tallis Scholars.
Musical Director: Peter Phillips.
Composer: Tomás Luis De Victoria (1548-1611).
Available on YouTube
“Officium Defunctorum” is scored for Six-Part SSATTB Chorus. It includes an entire Office of The Dead: In addition to a Requiem Mass, Victoria sets an Extra-Liturgical Funeral Motet, a Lesson that belongs to Matins (scored for only SATB and not always included in concert performances), and the Ceremony of Absolution, which follows The Mass.
Polyphonic sections are separated by unaccompanied “Chant Incipits”, that Victoria printed himself. The Soprano II usually carries the “Cantus Firmus”, though “it very often disappears into the surrounding part-writing, since the Chant does not move as slowly as most “Cantus Firmus” parts and the polyphony does not generally move very fast.”
The sections of the Work are as follows:
“Tædet Animam Meam”.
Second Lesson of Matins (Job 10:1-7);
Missa Pro Defunctis (Mass for The Dead).
With the Council of Trent, the Liturgy of The Requiem Mass was Standardised. Victoria sets all of The Requiem Mass sections, except the Dies Irae (Sequence).
“Versa Est In Luctum Cithara Mea”
(Funeral Motet);
The Absolution;
Responsory;
“Libera Me”;
Kyrie.
“Versa Est In Luctum Cithara Mea”
(Funeral Motet).
Alonso Lobo
(1555 - 1617).
Available on YouTube
Hereford Cathedral (Cathedral Of Saint Mary The Virgin And Saint Ethelbert The King). (Part Five).
View of the Ruins of the West Tower of Hereford Cathedral.
Aquatint, by I. Wathen, 1788. View showing the ruins after
the West Tower, originally built by the de Braose Family, collapsed on Easter Monday, 1786. Image courtesy of
The British Library, London.
Date: 8 May 2011.
Source: British Library [1]
Author: I. Wathen
(Wikimedia Commons)
Text from Wikipedia - the free encyclopædia,
unless stated otherwise.
The Tower, which, unlike the West Tower of Ely, was in the West Bay of the Nave, had a general resemblance to the Central Tower; both were profusely covered with Ball-Flower Ornaments, and both terminated in Leaden Spires. James Wyatt was called in to repair the damage. As he did at Durham, instead of just repairing, he made alterations which were (and are) not universally popular.
In 1841, the restoration work was begun, instigated by Dean Merewether, and was carried out by Lewis Nockalls Cottingham and his son, Nockalls. Bisse’s masonry, which by this time had been found to be useless, was swept away from the Central Tower, the Lantern was strengthened and exposed to view, and much work was done in the Nave and to the Exterior of The Lady Chapel.
Ceiling Bosses, Hereford Cathedral.
Photo: 3 January 2008.
Source: Own work.
Author: Mattana
(Wikimedia Commons)
When Nockalls Cottingham drowned on a voyage to New York in September 1854, George Gilbert Scott was called in, and, from that time, the work of restoring the Choir was performed continuously until 1863, when (on 30 June) the Cathedral was re-opened with Solemn Services.
Renn Hampden, Bishop of Hereford, Preached in the morning and Samuel Wilberforce Preached in the evening. In his diary, Wilberforce characterises his Right Reverend brother’s Sermon as “dull, but thoroughly orthodox’; but, of his own Sermon, he remarks (not without complacency): “I Preached evening; great congregation and much interested.”
The West Front was restored by John Oldrid Scott over the period 1902 and 1908.[5]
The Lady Chapel, Hereford Cathedral.
Photo: 9 July 2014.
Source: Own work.
Attribution: Photo by DAVID ILIFF.
Licence: CC BY-SA 3.0.
Author: Diliff
(Wikimedia Commons)
Between them, these restorations cost some £45,000, (equivalent to £5 million in 2021[6]). Since then, much else has been done. “Wyatt’s Folly”, as James Wyatt’s West Front was often called, has been replaced by a highly ornate façade in commemoration of the Diamond Jubilee of Queen Victoria, whose figure is to be seen in the beautiful Stained-Glass which fills the Seven-Light Window (i.e. with seven main vertical “Lights”, or sections of glass) subscribed “by the women of Hereford Diocese”.
A new Library was constructed in the Early-1990s and opened by Queen Elizabeth II in 1996.[7] In 1967, with the new Liturgical fashion, George Gilbert Scott’s Iron Choir Screen was removed in pieces and discarded. It has since been restored and is now in the Victoria and Albert Museum.
PART SIX FOLLOWS.
Allhallowtide.
The Church Triumphant.
The Church Militant.
The Church Suffering.
Illustration from UNA VOCE OF ORANGE COUNTY
who reproduce Text and Illustrations from
The Saint Andrew Daily Missal,
1952 Edition, with the kind permission of
Artist: René de Cramer.
“Copyright Brunelmar/Ghent/Belgium”.
Used with Permission.
“Allhallowtide”.
Available on YouTube
JMJHFPRODUCTIONS +J.M.J.+
All Hallows’ Eve (31 October), All Saints’ Day (also known as All Hallow’s Day) (1 November), and All Souls’ Day
(2 November) are referred to as Allhallowtide and are a time of honouring The Saints and Praying for all departed Souls.
The term “Hallow” means “Holy”. It is recited in
The Lord’s Prayer: “Our Father, Who art in Heaven,
hallowed be Thy Name” (Mt 6:9).
All Hallows' Eve http://www.fisheaters.com/customstime...
Indulgences for The Holy Souls In Purgatory: The month of November is dedicated to The Holy Souls in Purgatory and is a privileged time to Pray for them. The Church Commemorates all her Faithful children, who have departed from this life, but have not yet attained the joys of Heaven.
Saint Paul warns us that we must not be ignorant concerning the dead, nor sorrowful, “even as others who have no hope . . . The Lord, Himself, shall come down from Heaven . . .
and The Dead, who are in Christ, shall rise.”
The Church has always taught us to Pray for those who have gone into Eternity. Even in The Old Testament, Prayers and Alms were offered for The Souls of The Dead by those who thought "well and Religiously concerning The Resurrection." It was believed that "they, who had fallen asleep with Godliness, had great Grace laid up for them", and that "it is, therefore, a Holy and wholesome thought to Pray for The Dead, that they may be loosed from sins."
We know that a defiled Soul cannot enter into Heaven. God, Lord of Mercies, grant to the Souls of Your servants and handmaids, the place of refreshment, the bliss of Eternal Rest, and the splendour of Your Light.
Amen.
Amen.
From 1 November through to 8 November,
if we visit a Cemetery in a spirit of piety and devotion, and Pray, even just mentally, for The Dead, we may gain a Plenary Indulgence for one Holy Soul on each Day of The Octave (on the usual conditions). This special Indulgence is only applicable to The Dead.
We can Pray any of The Raccolta Prayers: Numbered 582-600, [Editor: From Wikipedia: The Raccolta (literally, "collection" in Italian) is a book, published from 1807 to 1950, that listed Roman Catholic Prayers and other Acts of Piety, such as Novenas, for which specific Indulgences were granted by Popes. In 1968, it was replaced by the Enchiridion Indulgentiarum, listing fewer specific Prayers, but including new general grants that apply to a wide range of
Prayerful actions. The Text was in Italian, with the Prayers given in Latin.] to accomplish this end, and especially
The Dies Iræ Sequence
(Raccolta: Number 587).
Using a Traditional Missal, one can Pray a number of the Prayers from the 2 November Mass or a Requiem Mass.
In The Catholic Bible (Douay Rheims), it is ideal to Pray
Psalm 129 “The De Profundis”. Also, on 2 November, we can gain a Plenary Indulgence for The Holy Souls by visiting a Church and piously Praying for The Dead, (One “Our Father” and “Creed” suffice), and fulfilling all the usual conditions
for a Plenary Indulgence.
The usual conditions for a Plenary Indulgence are:
1) Pray for the Pope
(usually 1 x Our Father and 1 x Hail Mary);
2) Worthily receive Holy Communion
on the day of the Indulgence;
3) Make a Sacramental Confession
within a week (before or after);
4) Be free from all attachment to Sin, even Venial Sin. A sincere and devout act of the Will to this end suffices. * If we fail in the usual conditions, there is still merit in our good Pious Act, but usually only amounts to a Partial Indulgence.
It should be noted that, according to Traditional Church Discipline and Practice, Fasting and Partial Abstinence are OBLIGATORY on The Vigil of Pentecost and ALL SAINTS DAY. To read more about what The Catholic Church Traditionally teaches on Fasting and Abstinence, visit this
It should be noted that, according to Traditional Church Discipline and Practice, Fasting and Partial Abstinence are OBLIGATORY on The Vigil of Pentecost and ALL SAINTS DAY. To read more about what The Catholic Church Traditionally teaches on Fasting and Abstinence, visit this
Web-Site: http://www.fisheaters.com/fasting.html
NOVEMBER: DEVOTION TO THE HOLY SOULS.
NOVEMBER: DEVOTION TO THE HOLY SOULS.
From Fr. Schouppe’s book, entitled “Purgatory”: “There is in Purgatory, as in Hell, a double pain - the pain of loss and the pain of sense. The pain of loss consists in being deprived from a time of the sight of God. It is a moral thirst which torments our Soul. The pain of sense, of sensible suffering, is the same as that which we experience in our flesh.” (p.32).
"Speaking in general, The Doctors [of The Church] agree
"Speaking in general, The Doctors [of The Church] agree
in saying that the pains are most excruciating. The same fire, says Saint Gregory, torments The Damned and purifies The Elect. “Almost all Theologians”, says Saint Robert Bellarmine, “teach that The Reprobate and The Souls in Purgatory suffer the action of the same fire.” It must be held as certain, writes the same Bellarmine, that there is no proportion between the sufferings of this life and those of Purgatory.
Saint Augustine declares precisely the same. They will be saved, no doubt, after The Trial of Fire, but that Trial will be terrible, that torment will be more intolerable than all the most excruciating sufferings in this World. Behold what Saint Augustine says, and what Saint Gregory, Venerable Bede, Saint Anselm, and Saint Bernard, have said, after him. Saint Thomas Aquinas goes even further; he maintains that the least pain of Purgatory surpasses all the sufferings of this life, whatsoever they may be.” (pp 33-34).
Let us, therefore, offer fervent Prayers for The Holy Souls in Purgatory. Monthly Tridentine Masses are offered for all our Benefactors, who are also remembered in our Daily Prayers.
Deo grátias ! / Thank you !
Please visit our GoFundMe page; http://www.gofundme.com/bpq7mo
Saint Augustine declares precisely the same. They will be saved, no doubt, after The Trial of Fire, but that Trial will be terrible, that torment will be more intolerable than all the most excruciating sufferings in this World. Behold what Saint Augustine says, and what Saint Gregory, Venerable Bede, Saint Anselm, and Saint Bernard, have said, after him. Saint Thomas Aquinas goes even further; he maintains that the least pain of Purgatory surpasses all the sufferings of this life, whatsoever they may be.” (pp 33-34).
Let us, therefore, offer fervent Prayers for The Holy Souls in Purgatory. Monthly Tridentine Masses are offered for all our Benefactors, who are also remembered in our Daily Prayers.
Deo grátias ! / Thank you !
Please visit our GoFundMe page; http://www.gofundme.com/bpq7mo
All Souls’ Day. 2 November. “The Liturgical Year”. By: Abbot Guéranger, O.S.B. Black Vestments.
“The Day Of The Dead”
Artist: William-Adolphe Bouguereau (1825–1905).
Date: 1859.
Collection: Musée des Beaux-Arts de Bordeaux.
(Wikimedia Commons)
Text from “The Liturgical Year”.
By: Abbot Guéranger, O.S.B.
Volume 15.
Time After Pentecost.
Book VI.
“We will not have you ignorant, brethren, concerning them that are asleep, that you be not sorrowful, even as others who have no hope.” [I Thess. iv. 13]
The Church today has the same desire as the Apostle thus expressed to the first Christians. The truth concerning the dead not only proves admirably the union between God’s justice and His goodness; it also inspires a charitable pity which the hardest heart cannot resist, and, at the same time, offers to the mourners the sweetest consolation.
If faith teaches us the existence of a Purgatory, where our loved ones may be detained by unexpiated sin, it is also of faith that we are able to assist them; and Theology assures us that their more or less speedy deliverance lies in our power.
Let us call to mind a few principles which throw light on this doctrine. Every sin causes a two-fold injury to the sinner: It stains his Soul, and renders him liable to punishment.
Venial sin, which displeases God, requires a temporal expiation. Mortal sin deforms the Soul, and makes the guilty man an abomination to God: Its punishment cannot be anything less than eternal banishment, unless the sinner, in this life, prevent the final and irrevocable sentence.
But, even then, the remission of guilt, even though it revokes the sentence of damnation, does not cancel the whole debt.
Although an extraordinary overflow of Grace upon the prodigal may sometimes, as is always the case with regard to Baptism and Martyrdom, bury every remnant and vestige of sin in the abyss of Divine oblivion; yet it is the ordinary rule that, for every fault, satisfaction must be made to God’s justice, either in this World or in the next.
On the other hand, every supernatural act of virtue brings a double profit to the Just Man: It merits for his Soul a fresh degree of Grace; and it makes satisfaction for past faults, in exact proportion to the value, in God’s sight, of that labour, privation, or trial accepted, or that voluntary suffering endured, by one of the members of His Beloved Son.
Now, whereas merit is a personal acquisition and cannot be transferred to others, satisfaction may be vicarious; God is willing to accept it in payment of another’s debt, whether the recipient of the boon be in this World or in the next, provided only that he be united by Grace to the Mystical Body of Our Lord, which is one in Charity.
This is a consequence of the mystery of The Communion of Saints, as Suarez explains in his treatise on suffrages.
Appealing to the authority of the greatest and most ancient princes of science, and discussing the objections and restrictions since proposed by others, the illustrious theologian does not hesitate to formulate this conclusion, with regard to the suffering Souls in particular: “I believe that this satisfaction of the living for the dead is a matter of simple justice, and that it is infallibly accepted with its full value, and according to the intention of him who applies it.
“Thus, for instance, if the satisfaction I make would, if kept for myself, avail me in strict justice for the remission of four degrees of Purgatory, it will remit exactly the same amount to the Soul for whom I choose to offer it.”
Commemoration Of The Faithful Departed. The Feast Of All Souls’ Day Is On 2 November. Black Vestments. Elisabeth Schwarzkopf Sings “Litanei Auf Das Fest Allerseelen”. “Ruh’ In Frieden”. Franz Schubert.
“All Souls’ Day”.
Illustration: UNA VOCE OF ORANGE COUNTY
who reproduce Text and Illustrations from
The Saint Andrew’s Daily Missal, 1952 Edition,
with the kind permission of
Artist: René de Cramer.
“Copyright Brunelmar/Ghent/Belgium”.
Used with Permission.
“Réquiem op. 48”.
Gabriel Fauré.
Available on YouTube
Text from The Saint Andrew Daily Missal,
unless otherwise stated.
Commemoration: All the Faithful departed.
All Souls’ Day.
Feast Day 2 November.
[Celebrated on 3 November, if 2 November is a Sunday.]
Double.
Black Vestments.
unless otherwise stated.
Commemoration: All the Faithful departed.
All Souls’ Day.
Feast Day 2 November.
[Celebrated on 3 November, if 2 November is a Sunday.]
Double.
Black Vestments.
The Feast of All Saints is intimately connected with the remembrance of the Holy Souls, who, detained in Purgatory to expiate their Venial Sins, or to pay the Temporal pains due to sin, are nonetheless confirmed in Grace and will, one day, enter Heaven.
The Litany for All Souls’ Day
(starts at 03.48).
Violin and Piano by Schubert.
Available on YouTube
Therefore, after having joyfully Celebrated the Glory of the Saints, who are The Church Triumphant in Heaven, The Church on Earth extends her maternal solicitude to the place of unspeakable torments, the abode of Souls who equally belong to her.
“Réquiem Aetérnam”.
The Gradual
from the Mass for the Dead.
Gregorian Chant notation from
the Liber Usualis (1961), pp. 1808-1809.
Latin lyrics: The Alfred Deller Consort.
Available on YouTube
Nowhere in the Liturgy is more vividly affirmed the mysterious unity which exists between The Church Triumphant, The Church Militant, and The Church Suffering, and never is better fulfilled the double duty of Charity and Justice, incumbent on every Christian by virtue of his membership of the Mystical Body of Christ.
It is through the very consoling Dogma of the Communion of Saints that the merits and suffrages of the Saints may benefit others. Whereby, without infringing the indefeasible rights of Divine Justice, which are exercised in their full vigour after this life, The Church can join her Prayers, here on Earth, to those of The Church in Heaven, and supply what is wanting in the Souls in Purgatory, by offering to God for them, by the Holy Mass, by Indulgences, by the Alms and Sacrifices of her children, the superabundant Merits of Christ’s Passion and of His Mystical Members.
“Réquiem Aetérnam”.
The Introit
from the Mass for the Dead.
Gregorian Chant notation from
the Liber Usualis (1961), p. 1807.
Latin lyrics:
Schola of the Vienna Hofburgkapelle.
Available on YouTube
The Liturgy of the Dead is, perhaps, the most beautiful and consoling of all. Every day, at the end of each Hour of the Divine Office, we recommend, to the Divine Mercy, the Souls of the Faithful Departed.
In The Mass, at the “Suscipe”, the Priest offers the Sacrifice for the living and the dead and, in a special “Memento”, he implores the Lord to remember His servants, who have fallen asleep in Christ and to grant them to dwell in Consolation, Light and Peace.
Masses for the Dead are already recorded in the 5th-Century A.D. But, to Saint Odilo, the fourth Abbot of the famous Benedictine Monastery of Cluny, is due the Commemoration of all the Departed. He instituted it in 998 A.D., and prescribed that it should be Celebrated the day following All Saints’ Day.
Masses for the Dead are already recorded in the 5th-Century A.D. But, to Saint Odilo, the fourth Abbot of the famous Benedictine Monastery of Cluny, is due the Commemoration of all the Departed. He instituted it in 998 A.D., and prescribed that it should be Celebrated the day following All Saints’ Day.
“Domine Jesu Christe”.
The Offertory
from the Mass for the Dead.
Gregorian Chant notation from
the Liber Usualis (1961), pp. 1813-1814.
Latin lyrics: The Alfred Deller Consort.
Available on YouTube
Through the influence of this illustrious Congregation (Cluny Abbey), the custom was soon adopted by the whole Christian World and it even sometimes became a Day of Obligation.
In Spain, Portugal, and the formerly Spanish parts of South America, Priests, in virtue of a Privilege granted by Pope Benedict XIV, Celebrated three Masses on 2 November.
A Decree of Pope Benedict XV, dated 10 August 1915, authorises the Priests of the whole World to do the same. [By this same institution, the Holy See granted a Plenary Indulgence “Toties Quoties”, on the same conditions as on 2 August, applicable to the Souls of the Departed on All Souls’ Day, to all those who visited a Church between Noon, on All Saints’ Day, and Midnight on the following day and Prayed for the Intention of the Sovereign Pontiff.]
The Church reminds us in an Epistle, taken from Saint Paul, that the Dead will rise again, and tells us to hope, for, on that day, we shall all see one another in the Lord.
“Dies Iræ”.
The Sequence
from the Mass for the Dead.
Gregorian Chant notation from
the Liber Usualis (1961), p. 1810.
Latin lyrics: The Alfred Deller Consort.
Available on YouTube
The Church reminds us in an Epistle, taken from Saint Paul, that the Dead will rise again, and tells us to hope, for, on that day, we shall all see one another in the Lord.
The Sequence strikingly describes the Last Judgement, when the Good will be for ever separated from the Wicked.
The Offertory reminds us that it is Saint Michæl who introduces Souls into Heaven, for, as the Prayers for the recommendation of the Soul say, it is he who is “the Chief of the Heavenly Host” in whose ranks men are called to fill the places of the Fallen Angels.
“The Souls in Purgatory,” declares the Council of Trent, “are helped by the suffrages of the Faithful, especially by the Sacrifice of the Altar.”
The Offertory reminds us that it is Saint Michæl who introduces Souls into Heaven, for, as the Prayers for the recommendation of the Soul say, it is he who is “the Chief of the Heavenly Host” in whose ranks men are called to fill the places of the Fallen Angels.
“Libera Me”.
A Responsory from the Mass for the Dead.
Gregorian Chant notation from
the Liber Usualis (1961), p. 1767.
Latin lyrics:
Schola of the Hofburgkapelle, Vienna.
Available on YouTube
“The Souls in Purgatory,” declares the Council of Trent, “are helped by the suffrages of the Faithful, especially by the Sacrifice of the Altar.”
The reason is that, in Holy Mass, the Priest offers officially to God the ransom for Souls, that is, the Blood of the Saviour. And Jesus, Himself, under the elements of Bread and Wine, which recall to the Father the Sacrifice of Golgotha, Prays God to apply to these Souls its atoning virtue.
Let us, on this day, be present at the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, when The Church implores God to grant to the Faithful Departed, who can now do nothing for themselves, the remission of all their sins (Collect) and Eternal Rest (Introit, Gradual, Communion), and let us visit the Cemeteries where their bodies repose [the word “Cemetery” comes from a Greek word meaning “a place where one rests in peace”], until the day when, in the twinkling of an eye, at the sound of the Last Trumpet, they will rise again to be clothed in immortality and to gain, through Jesus Christ, the Victory over Death (Epistle).
First Mass: Réquiem Aetérnam.
Second Mass: Deus, Indulgentiárum.
Third Mass: Réquiem Aetérnam.
Sequence: Dies Iræ.
Preface: Of the Dead.
Absolution: Libera me.
On this day, all Priests may Celebrate three Masses. If a Priest only says one Mass, the Proper of the Mass is that of the First Mass; the same if one of the Masses is sung (Missa Cantata), and the Priest may say the two others before or after the First Mass.
The following Text is taken from “The Liturgical Year”, by Abbot Gueranger, O.S.B., for All Souls’ Day, 2 November.
“We will not have you ignorant, brethren, concerning them that are asleep, that you be not sorrowful, even as others who have no hope.” [Saint Paul, I Thess. iv. 13.] The Church today has the same desire as the Apostle thus expressed to the first Christians.
The truth concerning the dead not only proves admirably the union between God’s Justice and His Goodness; it also inspires a Charitable Pity, which the hardest heart cannot resist, and, at the same time, offers to the mourners the sweetest consolation.
If Faith teaches us the existence of a Purgatory, where our loved ones may be detained by unexpiated sin, it is also of Faith that we are able to assist them; and Theology assures us that their, more or less, speedy deliverance lies in our power.
Let us call to mind a few principles which throw light on this Doctrine. Every sin causes a twofold injury to the sinner: It stains his Soul, and renders him liable to punishment. Venial sin, which displeases God, requires a Temporal expiation. Mortal sin deforms the Soul, and makes the guilty man an abomination to God: Its punishment cannot be anything less than eternal banishment, unless the sinner, in this life, prevents the final and irrevocable sentence.
But, even then, the remission of the guilt, though it revokes the sentence of damnation, does not cancel the whole debt.
Let us, on this day, be present at the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, when The Church implores God to grant to the Faithful Departed, who can now do nothing for themselves, the remission of all their sins (Collect) and Eternal Rest (Introit, Gradual, Communion), and let us visit the Cemeteries where their bodies repose [the word “Cemetery” comes from a Greek word meaning “a place where one rests in peace”], until the day when, in the twinkling of an eye, at the sound of the Last Trumpet, they will rise again to be clothed in immortality and to gain, through Jesus Christ, the Victory over Death (Epistle).
First Mass: Réquiem Aetérnam.
Second Mass: Deus, Indulgentiárum.
Third Mass: Réquiem Aetérnam.
Sequence: Dies Iræ.
Preface: Of the Dead.
Absolution: Libera me.
On this day, all Priests may Celebrate three Masses. If a Priest only says one Mass, the Proper of the Mass is that of the First Mass; the same if one of the Masses is sung (Missa Cantata), and the Priest may say the two others before or after the First Mass.
Elisabeth Schwarzkopf.
“Litanei auf das Fest Allerseelen”
(Litany for the Feast of All Souls).
(Joh. Georg Jacobi)
“Ruh’ in Frieden”.
(Rest in Peace).
Komponist: Franz Schubert.
Klavier: Gerald Moore.
1954.
Available on YouTube
The following Text is taken from “The Liturgical Year”, by Abbot Gueranger, O.S.B., for All Souls’ Day, 2 November.
“We will not have you ignorant, brethren, concerning them that are asleep, that you be not sorrowful, even as others who have no hope.” [Saint Paul, I Thess. iv. 13.] The Church today has the same desire as the Apostle thus expressed to the first Christians.
The truth concerning the dead not only proves admirably the union between God’s Justice and His Goodness; it also inspires a Charitable Pity, which the hardest heart cannot resist, and, at the same time, offers to the mourners the sweetest consolation.
“Absolve, Domine”.
The Tract
from the Mass for the Dead.
Gregorian Chant notation from
the Liber Usualis (1961), p. 1809.
Latin lyrics: The Alfred Deller Consort.
Available on YouTube
If Faith teaches us the existence of a Purgatory, where our loved ones may be detained by unexpiated sin, it is also of Faith that we are able to assist them; and Theology assures us that their, more or less, speedy deliverance lies in our power.
Let us call to mind a few principles which throw light on this Doctrine. Every sin causes a twofold injury to the sinner: It stains his Soul, and renders him liable to punishment. Venial sin, which displeases God, requires a Temporal expiation. Mortal sin deforms the Soul, and makes the guilty man an abomination to God: Its punishment cannot be anything less than eternal banishment, unless the sinner, in this life, prevents the final and irrevocable sentence.
But, even then, the remission of the guilt, though it revokes the sentence of damnation, does not cancel the whole debt.
Although an extraordinary overflow of Grace upon the prodigal may, sometimes, as is always the case with regard to Baptism and Martyrdom, bury every remnant and vestige of sin in the abyss of Divine Oblivion; yet, it is the ordinary rule that, for every fault, satisfaction must be made to God’s Justice, either in this World or in the next.
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