November/December Newsletter
Dear Prayer Warriors,
We received the following thoughts from our Spiritual Director, and we thank him for his input:
November, the month of All Souls, bespeaks of the somber thought of death and dying. How often do we hear people say, “Oh, don’t talk about that to me.” That poor soul may be just the one at this moment pleading for prayerful remembrance in the light of limited time to be suffered in the state of Purgatory.
In this short catechesis, it would be good for us to recall the Catholic Catechism of the Church teaching us that Christians, dead and living, are all one body. Therefore, our love and work on earth, can be a blessing to those who have died, just as their love is a blessing for the living.
I’m sure you may have noticed that in preparation for “All Souls’ Day”, graves are weeded and planted with flowers and in some cemeteries, there may be burning candles as bright remembrances of the deceased.
As in the past, requests for Masses (e.g. Gregorian Masses) have been accepted and appreciated by the Central Office. We have good priests who have and will honor your intentions. This is another wholesome form of corporal/spiritual acts of mercy on behalf of our loved ones still in need of expiation in Purgatory.
If you will, you may even remember the dead each year by giving alms to the poor or by planting a tree or by donating to a hospital. Without enumerating various ethnic customs by which to remember the dead, it suffices to say, that Christian people all over the world enjoy a wonderful tradition by their particular remembrances. (Try going to the internet to discover interesting ways to remember the dead).
The Church continues the remembrance of the dead throughout the month of November and into Advent. We have noticed that days are short and growing shorter. The growing darkness can remind us of the end of days when time will be no more. At this season, we ask God to speed up the coming of the Kingdom where justice will flower, and life will be lived in all its fullness, where death itself will die. We might exclaim with the Scriptures “Oh death, where is thy sting?”
**************
There are many Prayer Warriors who have joined Friends of the Poor Souls who are priests and nuns. One Prayer Warrior is a priest who is studying in Rome. Fr. Placido will be traveling at the end of this month to Jerusalem to study scripture for four months. During the summer he went to a convent in Germany and would like to share some thoughts about the nuns in this convent:
“I had the unique opportunity of staying with the Good Shepherd Sisters for a month in Munich, Germany. The community of nuns is special because most of them are old and do not have young recruits in Germany. The oldest is 103 years. The one who played the organ for the liturgy was 90. What impressed me most bout this community of nuns was their spirit of prayer. Many of them spend hours in prayer before the Blessed Sacrament. The community is filled with joy and peace. It is the conviction that death or dying is not an unhappy end to life but a passage to eternal glory and happiness that makes the older nuns content, serene and hope filled. They pray for all the nuns who have passed from this life already and for the souls in Purgatory. There is a special book in the convent that commemorates the memory of the deceased. (Similar to our Golden Book) There is also the custom of visiting the graveyard in order to remind one self of one’s own death and to pray for the souls in general and specifically for those in Purgatory and to ask the intercession of the souls in Heaven. I was truly impressed with the holiness and grace that accompanied the nuns who were on their way to the Father…
Yours in Christ Jesus, Fr. Rebelo”
News from the Central Office
November is a month when we think of death. We think of the leaves turning brilliant colors, dying, falling to the ground and the cold weather. As nature dies and winter gets closer, let us remember to pray for the dying. Offer your prayers and sacrifices for the dying in a spiritual union with Our Lady of Sorrows. How the Blessed Mother sorrowed on earth over sinners; how she, now in Heaven, longs for us to cooperate with her in saving them! See from her apparition at Lourdes how she longs to save sinners! She told Bernadette, 'Pray for sinners.'"
November 2nd is the Feast of all Souls, a day dedicated to the Holy Souls. It is a time to remember our deceased loved ones and friends who have died. We believe that they are the "Faithful Departed" who will share eternity with God, the Father, and all the saints, whose intercession we pray. It is a time to pray for all those who may be in Purgatory. It is also an opportunity to think about those we loved and feel their presence. We need to care for the dead, perhaps pay a visit to the cemetery , or have a mass said. We also need to look at our own salvation, and what we hope to accomplish while still on this earth. Please remember all the Souls in Purgatory in your prayers on November 2nd.
Pray for the dying, suffer for the dying, work for the dying! They need your prayers! Sharing in this work is taking part in a work of charity that "there can be none greater, none more salutary for the saving of souls and peopling Heaven, none more dear to the Blessed Mother’s heart, none more desired by the suffering, agonizing Heart of Jesus.
November is not the only month to remember our deceased friends and relatives. There are eleven other months in the year that we should pray for them. Why not have a mass said every month for the deceased? If your church cannot accommodate a mass for you, let us know and we will send you the names of priests who are available to offer the masses for you. Remember to also say the St. Gertrude prayer and release 1,000 souls each time you say this powerful prayer. They need us and we can help them!
There may be no time to send for a priest, but an act of perfect contrition will save that soul and restore it to God's grace.
To all our FRIENDS OF THE POOR SOULS a great big, prayerful and heart-felt THANKS, with blessings “to go” for the continued participation and encouragement received by all of us connected with FRIENDS OF THE POOR SOULS.
We celebrated our 2nd anniversary of the FRIENDS OF THE POOR SOULS on September 15, 2006, Feast of Our Lady of Sorrows. It is our sincere hope to continue this ministry for the Poor Souls with your faithful connection. Our Golden Book awaits your name(s) and we see an increase of numerous names who now are on line with the Central Office. Some “conne ctions” come from out of state and country. The Poor Souls have a way of interceding for us. God listens to their prayers. May we ask you to keep us in yours.
We are very grateful for the wonderful people we have met. we hope to continue this for a long time to come. We have received abundant graces in the last year that we are very grateful for as well. We hope to meet many more beautiful people through our website and by word of mouth.
For many of you who are new to Friends of the Poor Souls we would like to explain that we are an apostolate formed to assist the souls in Purgatory by arranging for Masses to be offered each and every day of the year for their benefit. It has grown from an apostolate in the United States to one with a worldwide interest, having members from various parts of the world. We welcome you and hope that these explanations will help to show the great need t here is to pray for the Holy Souls.
This apostolate aims to explain the Catholic Teachings on the Holy Souls, the meaning of Purgatory and how to gain indulgences for the Holy Souls, offering Scriptural support and the Teachings of the Church down through the ages. Through our newsletters you will find prayers for the Holy Souls and special devotions dedicated to them. Our website at http://friendsofthepoorsouls.blogspot.com has many interesting teachings to help the souls in Purgatory as well as how to avoid Purgatory for ourselves and loved ones. If you do not have the internet please feel free to contact us with any questions you may have regarding Purgatory.
Friends of the Poor Souls
Established September 15, 2004
Feast of Our Lady of Sorrows
Robert & Mary Ann Luetkemeyer, Coordinators
For more information, please write or email us at:
436 Vasey Oak Dr.
Keller, TX 76248
OR holysouls@att.net
http://friendsofthepoorsouls.blogspot.com
We received the following thoughts from our Spiritual Director, and we thank him for his input:
November, the month of All Souls, bespeaks of the somber thought of death and dying. How often do we hear people say, “Oh, don’t talk about that to me.” That poor soul may be just the one at this moment pleading for prayerful remembrance in the light of limited time to be suffered in the state of Purgatory.
In this short catechesis, it would be good for us to recall the Catholic Catechism of the Church teaching us that Christians, dead and living, are all one body. Therefore, our love and work on earth, can be a blessing to those who have died, just as their love is a blessing for the living.
I’m sure you may have noticed that in preparation for “All Souls’ Day”, graves are weeded and planted with flowers and in some cemeteries, there may be burning candles as bright remembrances of the deceased.
As in the past, requests for Masses (e.g. Gregorian Masses) have been accepted and appreciated by the Central Office. We have good priests who have and will honor your intentions. This is another wholesome form of corporal/spiritual acts of mercy on behalf of our loved ones still in need of expiation in Purgatory.
If you will, you may even remember the dead each year by giving alms to the poor or by planting a tree or by donating to a hospital. Without enumerating various ethnic customs by which to remember the dead, it suffices to say, that Christian people all over the world enjoy a wonderful tradition by their particular remembrances. (Try going to the internet to discover interesting ways to remember the dead).
The Church continues the remembrance of the dead throughout the month of November and into Advent. We have noticed that days are short and growing shorter. The growing darkness can remind us of the end of days when time will be no more. At this season, we ask God to speed up the coming of the Kingdom where justice will flower, and life will be lived in all its fullness, where death itself will die. We might exclaim with the Scriptures “Oh death, where is thy sting?”
**************
There are many Prayer Warriors who have joined Friends of the Poor Souls who are priests and nuns. One Prayer Warrior is a priest who is studying in Rome. Fr. Placido will be traveling at the end of this month to Jerusalem to study scripture for four months. During the summer he went to a convent in Germany and would like to share some thoughts about the nuns in this convent:
“I had the unique opportunity of staying with the Good Shepherd Sisters for a month in Munich, Germany. The community of nuns is special because most of them are old and do not have young recruits in Germany. The oldest is 103 years. The one who played the organ for the liturgy was 90. What impressed me most bout this community of nuns was their spirit of prayer. Many of them spend hours in prayer before the Blessed Sacrament. The community is filled with joy and peace. It is the conviction that death or dying is not an unhappy end to life but a passage to eternal glory and happiness that makes the older nuns content, serene and hope filled. They pray for all the nuns who have passed from this life already and for the souls in Purgatory. There is a special book in the convent that commemorates the memory of the deceased. (Similar to our Golden Book) There is also the custom of visiting the graveyard in order to remind one self of one’s own death and to pray for the souls in general and specifically for those in Purgatory and to ask the intercession of the souls in Heaven. I was truly impressed with the holiness and grace that accompanied the nuns who were on their way to the Father…
Yours in Christ Jesus, Fr. Rebelo”
News from the Central Office
November is a month when we think of death. We think of the leaves turning brilliant colors, dying, falling to the ground and the cold weather. As nature dies and winter gets closer, let us remember to pray for the dying. Offer your prayers and sacrifices for the dying in a spiritual union with Our Lady of Sorrows. How the Blessed Mother sorrowed on earth over sinners; how she, now in Heaven, longs for us to cooperate with her in saving them! See from her apparition at Lourdes how she longs to save sinners! She told Bernadette, 'Pray for sinners.'"
November 2nd is the Feast of all Souls, a day dedicated to the Holy Souls. It is a time to remember our deceased loved ones and friends who have died. We believe that they are the "Faithful Departed" who will share eternity with God, the Father, and all the saints, whose intercession we pray. It is a time to pray for all those who may be in Purgatory. It is also an opportunity to think about those we loved and feel their presence. We need to care for the dead, perhaps pay a visit to the cemetery , or have a mass said. We also need to look at our own salvation, and what we hope to accomplish while still on this earth. Please remember all the Souls in Purgatory in your prayers on November 2nd.
Pray for the dying, suffer for the dying, work for the dying! They need your prayers! Sharing in this work is taking part in a work of charity that "there can be none greater, none more salutary for the saving of souls and peopling Heaven, none more dear to the Blessed Mother’s heart, none more desired by the suffering, agonizing Heart of Jesus.
November is not the only month to remember our deceased friends and relatives. There are eleven other months in the year that we should pray for them. Why not have a mass said every month for the deceased? If your church cannot accommodate a mass for you, let us know and we will send you the names of priests who are available to offer the masses for you. Remember to also say the St. Gertrude prayer and release 1,000 souls each time you say this powerful prayer. They need us and we can help them!
There may be no time to send for a priest, but an act of perfect contrition will save that soul and restore it to God's grace.
To all our FRIENDS OF THE POOR SOULS a great big, prayerful and heart-felt THANKS, with blessings “to go” for the continued participation and encouragement received by all of us connected with FRIENDS OF THE POOR SOULS.
We celebrated our 2nd anniversary of the FRIENDS OF THE POOR SOULS on September 15, 2006, Feast of Our Lady of Sorrows. It is our sincere hope to continue this ministry for the Poor Souls with your faithful connection. Our Golden Book awaits your name(s) and we see an increase of numerous names who now are on line with the Central Office. Some “conne ctions” come from out of state and country. The Poor Souls have a way of interceding for us. God listens to their prayers. May we ask you to keep us in yours.
We are very grateful for the wonderful people we have met. we hope to continue this for a long time to come. We have received abundant graces in the last year that we are very grateful for as well. We hope to meet many more beautiful people through our website and by word of mouth.
For many of you who are new to Friends of the Poor Souls we would like to explain that we are an apostolate formed to assist the souls in Purgatory by arranging for Masses to be offered each and every day of the year for their benefit. It has grown from an apostolate in the United States to one with a worldwide interest, having members from various parts of the world. We welcome you and hope that these explanations will help to show the great need t here is to pray for the Holy Souls.
This apostolate aims to explain the Catholic Teachings on the Holy Souls, the meaning of Purgatory and how to gain indulgences for the Holy Souls, offering Scriptural support and the Teachings of the Church down through the ages. Through our newsletters you will find prayers for the Holy Souls and special devotions dedicated to them. Our website at http://friendsofthepoorsouls.blogspot.com has many interesting teachings to help the souls in Purgatory as well as how to avoid Purgatory for ourselves and loved ones. If you do not have the internet please feel free to contact us with any questions you may have regarding Purgatory.
Friends of the Poor Souls
Established September 15, 2004
Feast of Our Lady of Sorrows
Robert & Mary Ann Luetkemeyer, Coordinators
For more information, please write or email us at:
436 Vasey Oak Dr.
Keller, TX 76248
OR holysouls@att.net
http://friendsofthepoorsouls.blogspot.com
posted by Friends of the Poor Souls at 5:53 PM
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