The November Devotions and All Souls

The month of November is dedicated by the Church to prayer for the faithful departed. This devotion, though practised informally for centuries, was given formal liturgical expression through the feasts of All Saints (November 1) and All Souls (November 2), and through the customs and indulgences attached to the entire month.

All Saints' Day (November 1)

The Solemnity of All Saints, a holy day of obligation, honours all the blessed in Heaven — both the canonised saints and the innumerable unknown faithful who have attained the Beatific Vision. It is a feast of the Church Triumphant, a celebration of the final goal to which all Christians are called.

All Souls' Day (November 2) — The Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed

The very next day, the Church turns her attention from the blessed in Heaven to the suffering souls in Purgatory. All Souls' Day, instituted by St. Odilo, Abbot of Cluny, in 998 and gradually adopted throughout the Western Church, is devoted entirely to prayer for the dead. Every priest is permitted to celebrate three Masses on this day (a privilege otherwise reserved for Christmas), and the faithful are urged to offer prayers, Communion, and indulgences for the departed.

The juxtaposition of the two feasts — All Saints and All Souls — is a beautiful expression of the Church's faith in the Communion of Saints. On November 1, we celebrate those who have reached the goal; on November 2, we pray for those who are still on the way.

The November Indulgence for Visiting a Cemetery

From November 1 through November 8, a plenary indulgence, applicable only to the souls in Purgatory, may be gained once per day by visiting a cemetery and praying, even if only mentally, for the departed. The usual conditions apply: sacramental confession (within about twenty days), Holy Communion, prayer for the intentions of the Holy Father, and detachment from all sin. A devout cemetery visit with at least mental prayer for the dead carries a partial indulgence throughout the year.

Customs and Practices

Throughout November, many parishes offer special devotions for the dead: the Office of the Dead, the Rosary for the faithful departed, the "Month's Mind" Mass on the thirtieth day after a death, and the practice of writing the names of the deceased in a "Book of the Dead" placed near the altar. Many families visit the graves of their loved ones, adorn them with flowers and candles, and pray the De Profundis (Psalm 129 / 130): "Out of the depths I have cried to thee, O Lord; Lord, hear my voice."

These customs, both liturgical and popular, testify to the Church's maternal solicitude for her children beyond the grave. The November devotions are not a morbid preoccupation with death but an act of faith in the resurrection, an exercise of charity toward the suffering, and an expression of hope that one day we shall be reunited with those we have loved in the eternal life of God.

A devout cemetery visit with at least mental prayer for the dead carries a partial indulgence throughout the year. From 1 to 8 November, the grant is plenary under the usual conditions. On All Souls’ Day, a devout visit to a church or oratory with an Our Father and the Creed also carries a plenary indulgence for the departed under the usual conditions. See the conditions and Grant 29.