There was a lady who was a member of one of the Parishes where one of our Priests was the Pastor.  She called Father to ask him if he could go to the local hospital to visit her Father and to say some prayers for him.  After getting the necessary details, Father went to the hospital.  During this visit, the Grace of God touched the heart and soul of the Father of this lady and he asked to go to Confession and to receive the Last Rites of the Catholic Church from which he had been away for over 50 years!  Of course, Father was more than happy to comply with the wishes of this very sick man.

A few days later, the Mother of the Pastor called him to tell him she had just become very ill and, with no one else to take care of her, she was hoping he could get permission from his Bishop to leave the Parish and to take care of her.  She lived about a thousand miles away.  The necessary arrangements were made, Father left, and was replaced by another Priest.

A few days after arriving at his Mother's home, our Priest received an emergency call from the lady whose Father he had given the Last Rites only about a week earlier.

She explained to Father that her Father had just died a few hours before that and that he was in desperate need of having our Priest offer a Requiem Mass for him as soon as possible.

Why was she in such a great hurry?

In her great sorrow and deep grief, she explained to our Priest, her former Pastor, that her Father had just appeared to her! She and her young Daughter were kneeling on the floor of their living room, saying the Rosary for the happy repose of his immortal soul, when the floor beneath them opened up, as it were, and she could see her Father in a sea of huge flames! She could also hear him screaming from the horrible pain of the agony of the never-consuming fires of Purgatory!

Yes, her Father told her, he was in Purgatory, although he had been destined to go to Hell.

Her Father explained to his Daughter that because of the Last Rites which he had received from her Pastor, that he was able to escape going to Hell for all eternity!

He also told his grieving Daughter that although God had spared his soul from going to Hell, there was no way he could go to Heaven without first going to Purgatory.

Now her Father begged his Daughter to have a Requiem Mass offered for his continually tormented, always-burning soul, but there was only one condition!

He explained that our Priest, who had reconciled him to the Catholic Church (her Father had been a fallen-away Catholic for over 50 years!), and who had administered the Last Rites to him, HAD to be the very same Priest to offer this Requiem Mass, which he wanted for his tormented soul in its agony of unimaginable pain!

Her Father explained to her that it HAD to be ONLY this Priest to offer this Requiem Mass for his soul, because this Priest ALWAYS offers Mass ONLY according to the Pre-Vatican 2 Ancient Roman Rite of the Catholic Church.  IF this Priest would offer this Mass for his soul, he would soon be released from Purgatory and go to Heaven!

Her Father insisted that it must NOT be the New Mass with all of its many, many changes.  On the contrary, this Requiem Mass could ONLY be the Ancient Roman Rite of Mass.  Her Father knew that ALL of Our Priests ALWAYS use ONLY the Pre-Vatican 2 Missale Romanum which contains the Ancient Roman Rite of the Catholic Church.

Of course, the same Priest who had, now about a week before that, administered the Last Rites to this elderly man, using the Pre-Vatican 2 Rituale Romanum, immedidatley after the telephone call from his agonizing Daughter, now offered the Requiem Mass for this man using the Ancient Roman Rite of the Catholic Church which is found in the Pre-Vatican 2 Missale Romanum!

By the way, for those people who think it doesn't really matter which Liturgical Rite is used for offering Mass, whether it be the Vatican 2 church NOR (Novus Ordo Rite), a.k.a. the New Mass, or the Pre-Vatican 2 Ancient Roman Rite of the Catholic Church, should find it instructive, and perhaps a shock even?, to learn that the Mass this suffering soul in Purgatory wanted was the Pre-Vatican 2 Ancient Roman Rite of the Catholic Church!  This suffering soul specifically told his Daughter NOT to have the Vatican 2 church NOR (Novus Ordo Rite) - New Mass - used!

This soul obviously wanted to get out of Purgatory as fast as possible and he knew what he needed to do so to get to Heaven fast!

He also knew exactly which Priest he needed to offer this Mass!!!!

In so doing, he also acknowledged that our Priest is in fact a validly Ordained Priest, contrary to some deliberate mis-information the Vatican 2 church likes to spread around about him and all of our other Priests who are all validly and lawfully Ordained Catholic Priests !!!

Ironically, those who would condemn all of the Priests and Prelates of the Catholic Church who ONLY use this Traditional Catholic Rite of Mass of the Catholic Church today, the Ancient Roman Rite, in OBEDIENCE to the Council of Trent (Session 22, Monday, September 17, 1562, and in OBEDIENCE to the QUO PRIMUM TEMPORE found in the Missale Romanum of Tuesday, July 14, 1570 of Pope Saint Pius V, Antonio-Michele Ghislieri [Friday, January 7, 1566 - Monday, May 1, 1572], both of which forbid any changes to the Ancient Roman Rite found in the Missale Romanum of Tuesday, July 14, 1570, also automatically condemn all of the Priests, Bishops, Cardinals and Popes who have used it, since Pope Gregory I (the Great) [Friday, September 3, 590 - Monday, March 12, 604] used it! Some liturgical historians and researchers even claim to have traced its origins all the way back to Saint Peter!

In the process of doing this, they also condemn their own Parents, Grandparents, even their own Great-Grandparents, and other relatives, etc. who assisted at this Liturgical Rite for the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass - a Mass Rite which has produced countless Holy Saints and Martyrs of the Catholic Church!
 

For example, ask yourself when was the last time YOU had a Holy Requiem Mass [in which the Mass Celebrant uses the Ancient Roman Rite of Mass, i.e., the so-called "old Mass" in Latin - found in the Pre-Vatican 2 Missale Romanum] offered for the soul of a deceased Parent or Grandparent or relative or friend?

But don't limit yourself in the practice of the theological virtue of charity! Perhaps the Priest who Baptized you, or maybe the Bishop who Confirmed you, or perhaps some of the Priests at whose Masses you assisted years ago are deceased? Such Bishops and Priests need Masses, too! So, if you would like to request us to offer a Holy Requiem Mass, offered according to the Ancient Roman Rite of Mass of the Catholic Church, for such a soul, just click on this link: My Mass Intentions and follow the directions.

The word Purgatory comes from the Latin word, purgare, which means: to cleanse. Purgatory is the state or place of temporary punishment for each soul which died in the state of grace but which, at the time of death, was not totally free from venial sins or which had not yet fully paid for the temporal punishment due to sin, sometimes called satisfaction due for sin.

Purgatory is not a state of positive growth in goodness and in merit. It is the state of purification effected by suffering. The Council of Florence and the Council of Trent teach: (1) that there is a Purgatory; (2) that the souls suffering there can be helped by the prayers of the faithful, especially by the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass.

"Whereas the Catholic Church, instructed by the Holy Ghost, has, from the sacred writings and the ancient tradition of the Fathers [of the Catholic Church], taught, in sacred councils, and very recently in this OEcumenical Synod, that there is a Purgatory, and that the souls there detained are helped by the suffrages of the Faithful, but principally by the acceptable Sacrifice of the Altar [i.e., the Mass]..." (Trent, Decree Concerning Purgatory, Session 25, Wednesday, December 4, 1563).

Here is an evident and undeniable proof of the practice of praying for the dead under the old law, which was then strictly observed by the Jews, and consequently could not be introduced at that time by Judas, their chief and high priest, if it had not been always their custom.

"Amen I say to thee, thou shalt not go out from thence till thou repay the last farthing" (Matthew 5:26).

Here, under the form of a parable, Christ warns everyone who does not fulfill the commandment of Christian brotherly love (in reality the 4th to the 10th Commandments) that they shall receive a just punishment from the Judge Judge. Tertullian understands the "last farthing" to be those petty transgressions which must be expiated in the prison of the underworld in the next world by the postponement of the resurrection to the millennial kingdom (Tertullian, De Anima 58; Saint Cyprian, Epistle 55, 20).

"And whosoever shall speak a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him: but he that shall speak against the Holy Ghost, it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this world, nor in the world to come" (Matthew 12:32).

This leaves open the possibility that sins are forgiven not only in this world, but also in the world to come. "In this sentence it is given to understand that many sins can be remitted in this world, but also many in the world to come" (St. Gregory the Great, Dialogue IV, 39; also, Saint Augustine, City of God, XXI, 24, 2).

" If any man's work burn, he shall suffer loss; but he himself shall be saved, yet so as by fire" (I Corinthians 3:15).

The Latin Fathers of the Church understand this passage to mean a transient purification punishment in the next world (Cf. Saint Augustine, Enarr. in Psalm 37:3 and Caesarius of Arles, Sermon 179).
 

The chief punishment of Purgatory consists in being deprived of the Beatific Vision, which is the Vision of God in Heaven. This punishment is called poena damni [pain of the damned] by theologians. Besides this, there is an additional punishment, called poena sensus [pain of the senses], which, according to the common belief of the Western Church, consists in a real fire.

The souls in Purgatory are certain of their salvation, and are also confirmed in good. This means that they can not commit any sin. Because of their perfect love of God, whatever their sufferings are, they bear them with patient resignation. According to many theologians, their love of God and their patient resignation to His Holy Will, help to lessen and mitigate the severest sufferings of Purgatory. But, except for gaining and applying a plenary indulgence for a particular soul in Purgatory, the most powerful way in which you can help a Poor, Suffering Soul in Purgatory is by having a Holy Requiem Mass offered for the happy repose of his or her immortal soul!

How many Holy Masses does it take to release a soul from Purgatory? This varies with the particular circumstances of each soul. However, it has been suggested that it is better to have one Holy Mass offered for yourself in this life while you are still able to help yourself than to wait until you get to Purgatory and to then totally rely upon the charity of others.

Although the answer to the question of exactly how many Holy Masses it would actually take to release a particular soul from Purgatory is normally not disclosed, except in very rare cases of private revelation, it has been claimed that one Holy Mass offered for you BEFORE your death is worth at least 1,000 Holy Requiem Masses offered for you AFTER your death!
 

The Eastern-Rite Orthodox, e.g., the Greek Orthodox, seem to have a vague and indefinite notion of Purgatory [cf. Confessio Orthodoxa of Petrus Mogilas, P.I., q. 64-66-revised by Meletios Syrigos, and the Confessio of Dositheos, Decr. 18]. In the aftermath of Synod Vatican 2, held in the early to middle 1960's, the new humanistic church which Synod Vatican 2 put together with the help of six very active Protestants, which has been called the Vatican 2 Church, by praxis-in actual practice, despite what they say and write-accepts and believes this Protestant heresy of predestination.

But for members of the Catholic Church, belief in Purgatory fosters piety among the Faithful and deters one from venial sins of commission and omission. It also begets a true spirit of penance, and gives the Faithful a solid reason of why they need to practice charity for the Poor, Suffering Souls in Purgatory, especially for the souls of their own relatives and friends in particular and everyone else in general.

It likewise awakens within each person, especially those who are devoted to helping the Poor, Suffering Souls in Purgatory, salutary thoughts of the life to come. Such charitable persons also realize that if they help the Poor, Suffering Souls in Purgatory now, that after they die, if they have the misfortune to end up in Purgatory, for whatever time, God, in His Infinite Mercy and Justice, will inspire those still in this life to have Holy Masses offered for those souls who had the most compassion on the Poor, Suffering Souls in Purgatory when they were yet still in this life.

It is therefore wise and prudent to try to outdo each other in the charity you extend to the Poor, Suffering Souls in Purgatory by having as many Holy Requiem Masses [Masses in which black vestments are used along with the Propers for the Daily Mass for the Dead] as you can afford, to be offered for the Poor, Suffering Souls in Purgatory by a Priest or Prelate whom you know has been validly ordained by a valid Bishop.

For your convenience, if you would like to request us to offer a Holy Requiem Mass Holy Requiem Mass for one or more deceased souls, whether it be the souls of your parents, grandparents, relatives, friends, etc., just click on this link: My Mass Intentions and follow the instructions.

God will reward you for your charity in this life and in the next! Who knows, you may, by your charity in having Requiem Masses offered for the Poor, Suffering Souls in Purgatory NOW, either greatly lessen the time you might have otherwise spent in Purgatory, or, perhaps, not be required to go to Purgatory at all AFTER you die?!

Just remember, if you do end up in Purgatory, just as all other souls there, you can not help yourself nor can you help other souls there!
 

But the point here today: this Saint was vibrant with the most tender love for the poor suffering souls in purgatory.

He prayed constantly for them, and bestowed on them the merits of his good works. He was particularly anxious to help those souls who during life had been under his spiritual care. He considered he owed more to them because, as a priest, he had labored for the salvation of their souls. He was often made aware of their release.

Many dead appeared to Father Philip in the hope that they would be delivered through his intercession from purgatory -- and indeed he never failed to pray for them. The saint was all the more anxious to pray for the dead, as they often obtained great graces for him.

One member of St. Neri's order (the Congregation of the Oratorians) pleaded unceasingly for the dead and like St. Philip Neri was often made aware of their entry into Heaven -- to the point where he kept an alms-box that he called "box of the souls."

The souls of the faithful departed were not ungrateful to him. He received numerous graces that he attributed to their intercession. He had the gift of discovering hidden sins, knowing the future, and escaping the snares of the enemy. We can do this also!

The purgatory practice of the "box of souls" was very common among  religious orders. Take Padre Pio, a Franciscan. At the friary of San Giovanni Rotondo, this saint often made use of the "Purgatory Box" located on a landing in the cloister. It contained a list of one hundred sins from which souls in purgatory were being cleansed and was titled:  "A Short and Easy Way to Pray for the Souls in Purgatory."

When passing by, St. Pio would select a disk and recite an "Eternal Rest" for those souls being purged of the indicated sin. How important it is to always keep them in mind!

As families, we, too, could have a place in our homes for a "Purgatory Box" to remember to pray for the souls and teach our children and grandchildren to remember the souls every day.  A shoe box, perhaps, or a bowl?

Thus, parents will form kind and merciful hearts.

You will have planted seeds of reverence and in due time this will manifest itself and will assure you of their suffrages.

What joy we should feel when we think that the souls delivered by our prayers are interceding for us at the foot of God’s throne, giving Him thanks for us, praising Him, and loving Him. Their intercession is most powerful! And this is the month, especially, to do so.

If we succeed in bringing a soul into Heaven we have procured more glory to God than we could give Him ourselves.

For the love of God, for the sake of Jesus, Mary, and the good St. Joseph, let us be generous to these suffering souls and remember that when we obtain their deliverance it is no ordinary alms we give them, but God Himself! Not a God hidden or seen from a distance, but God seen face to face and possessed forever.

Besides the help we procure for the souls of the departed, Jesus tells us, "as long as you did it to one of the least of these, you did it to Me." He has promised that for every sacrifice we make He will reward us a hundred-fold in eternity. The promise of Heaven is ours.