Triduum of Death

All Hallows Eve

All Saints Day

All Souls Day

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“Triduum of Death” is a term we don’t hear too much anymore, perhaps because people think it sounds too negative. However, we must realize that this triple feast is one of great joy! Satan and his minions have taken over “Halloween” and made it an occasion for occult rituals, darkness and gruesome decor. True to form, Satan takes something good and holy and perverts it. Let us teach our children the true meaning of these great Catholic feasts. We honor those who have succeeded in winning the Heavenly reward, just as we hope to. The Holy Souls have also won it, though they remain in Purgatory, in need of our prayers. Surely, on All Souls Day, due to the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, in addition to prayers all over the world, many souls pass through that glorious Gate to behold the Triune God! What a truly wonderful day! What a wonderful triduum we now celebrate!

Let us pray for those involved in the occult.

Following are some quick excerpts of prayer, from the book, A Prayerbook of Favorite Litanies, compiled by Fr. Albert J. Hebert. Its my favorite prayerbook. You can get it HERE.

“All ye holy angels and archangels, all ye holy orders of blessed spirits, all ye holy patriarchs and prophets, all ye holy Apostles and Evangelists, all ye holy disciples of Our Lord, all ye Holy Innocents, all ye holy martyrs, all ye holy Bishops and confessors, all ye holy Doctors, all ye holy priests and levites, all ye holy monks and hermits, all ye holy virgins and widows, all ye holy men and women, saints of God, pray for us!”

“O God, Creator and Redeemer of all the faithful, grant to the souls of Thy departed servants the remission of all their sins, that through our pious supplications they may obtain the pardon which they have always desired. Through Jesus Christ Our Lord.”

“Be mindful, O Lord, of Thy servants and handmaids, (name your loved ones), who are gone before us with the sign of faith and repose in the sleep of grace. To these, O Lord, and to all who rest in Christ, grant, we beseech Thee, a place of refreshment, light and peace, through the same Christ Our Lord.”

“O Lord, grant eternal rest to all the souls of the faithful departed, and let perpetual light shine upon them. May they rest in peace.”

Marian Triad of the Months / Triduum of Death

The last 3 months of the Church’s dedications have been reserved for Our Lady. We can see this as a type of “triad,” a group of 3. From August to October, we honor the Immaculate Heart, Our Lady of Sorrows and Our Lady of the Rosary. This triad is interesting to note and study. I have never heard it mentioned before, and have decided to give it the title of “Marian Triad of the Months.”

How are these associations with the Mother of God linked? First, we contemplate her most pure heart, immaculate because it was conceived without Original Sin. Our Lady’s love, emanating from this heart, has existed since her creation, in perfect love for God and humanity. We are called into this abyss of perfection, a privilege we are unworthy of, yet Christ gave us His Mother from the Holy Cross. Next, we are called to reflect on a particular aspect of this heart, her many sorrows. Like Lent, this can be a difficult undertaking, but many graces and joys result. Finally, the Holy Rosary, a devotion uniting all the Body of Christ, is a meditation upon the many aspects of her Immaculate Heart…her joys, her pride in her Son, her sorrows and glories. We become immersed in the Gospels, the events in the life of Our Lord. Next time your Protestant friend argues with you about the Rosary, say that 90% of it comes directly from the Gospels. It is a Bible study!

The Immaculate Heart is a consolation, a privilege, a joy, in the midst of life’s difficulties. Holy Church in her love and wisdom, guided by the Holy Ghost, gives us this heart towards the end of the Liturgical Year, ushering us into another group of 3, the 3 days of the Triduum of Death….

All Hallows Eve

All Saints Day

All Souls Day

“Triduum of Death” is a term we don’t hear too much anymore, perhaps because people think it sounds negative. However, we must realize that this triple feast is one of great joy! All Hallows Eve anticipates the feast of All Saints, when we honor those who have succeeded in winning the Heavenly reward, just as we hope to. The Holy Souls have also won it, though they remain in Purgatory, in need of our prayers. Surely, on All Souls Day, due to the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, in addition to prayers all over the world, many souls pass through that glorious Gate to behold the Triune God! What a truly wonderful day! What a wonderful Triduum we now celebrate!

November is the Month of the Holy Souls in Purgatory-Part II

“Réquiem ætérnam dona eis, Dómine, et lux perpétua lúceat eis. Requiéscant in pace. Amen.”

When combining Holy Church’s old and new calendars, we see the following features for the month of November…

The month has begun in the midst of the Triduum of Death, reminding us of the brevity of this life and the glory which awaits the Children of God. I recall hearing the following lyrics in early childhood-I think it made some impression on me:

“O when the saints go marching in, When the saints go marching in

O Lord I want to be in that number, When the saints go marching in”

What a wonderful month that begins contemplating the Church Triumphant and ends in expectation of the Birth of Our Savior!

The Triduum concludes with All Souls Day, reminding us that for most, there will be a cleansing of suffering. Therefore, this month is dedicated to the souls still undergoing this suffering, the Church Penitent, with special indulgences given. We celebrate 3 Doctors of the Church, 2 of whom are called “great.” We have another saint honored with this title, Saint Gertrude the Great. She was given this title by Pope Benedict XIV to distinguish her from her abbess superior, another Saint Gertrude. We can presume this pope found her mystical writings to be worthy of this title. Gertrude the Great is also invoked for the holy souls, whom she was dedicated to-it is fitting that her feast is in November. On the 21st in the new calendar, we honor Christ, King of the Universe. We celebrated Christ the King on October 31st in the old. Let us be the Church Militant, showing our acknowledgment of Christ’s rule over us, won by His Blood, at this critical moment in history. On the same day, we have Our Lady’s Presentation as an infant, not to be confused with her Purification (or Our Lord’s Presentation).

Here are some notable feasts for the remainder of this month and below is a follow-up from the previous post on Holy Souls devotions…

10-Pope St. Leo the Great, Doctor of the Church, Author The Tome

13-St. Frances “Mother” Cabrini, Founder Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, 20th Century Saint

15-St. Albert the Great, Doctor of the Church, Patron of scientists, Author On Cleaving to God

16-St. Gertrude the Great

18-Dedication of Basilicas of Sts. Peter & Paul

21-CHRIST, KING OF THE UNIVERSE / PRESENTATION OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY

22-St. Cecilia, Patroness of music

23-St. Felicitas, Martyr, invoked in Canon of Mass

24-St. John of the Cross, Doctor of the Church, Author Dark Night of the Soul

28-First Sunday of Advent

30-St. Andrew, Apostle

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Vatican Extends Traditional…Indulgences

From the above article…

“Cardinal Mauro Piacenza, head of the Apostolic Penitentiary, a Vatican tribunal dealing with matters of conscience, said the indulgences traditionally obtained [for departed souls] during the first week of November [11/1-8] can be gained throughout the entire month of November…Indulgences are granted when a Catholic visits a cemetery to pray for the dead, goes to confession, attends Mass and receives the Eucharist and prays for the intentions of the Pope.”

What the article left out about the obtaining of a plenary indulgence: one must be in a state of grace when the indulgenced act is performed, must be detached from sin and must perform all criteria within 20 days before or after.

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Amen.

The above Holy Hour was taken from the most recent edition of…

benedictus: the traditional catholic companion

This monthly booklet is published by Sophia Institute Press and is a wonderful Catholic guide and missal for the Tridentine Mass. The page above contains glowing comments by the likes of Cardinal Burke, Archbishop Vigano, Bishop Schneider and Bishop Strickland. (So you know its good.) My only beef with it, as a sustainability proponent, is that it uses too much paper, as the entire mass (quite conveniently) is repeated for each Sunday. This was my husband’s idea to subscribe, after hearing about it online. In spite of all the tree destruction, I am starting to really like my Benedictus and rely on it. Each one comes with a beautiful prayer card which can be used as a bookmark, and the price is only $5.00 a month! Please see the above link for further details.

As for the Holy Hour above, it is not indicated what the source is. It seems to be an opening prayer for an hour before the Most Blessed Sacrament. I suppose the rest of the hour could be performed in silent meditation or organized prayer. I am not aware of an indulgence attached to it, though there may be. It is quite beautiful. I was not able to find it elsewhere on the internet. If you would like a good copy or the source, please contact Sophia Institute Press.

In addition to Benedictus, this company publishes all sorts of other things, including a very interesting series of catechetical documents from antiquity…

tradivox: catholic catechism index

From the website…

“From as early as the 9th century, scores of faithful priests, bishops, popes, saints, and Church councils have published succinct, reliable summaries of Catholic doctrine: catechisms…Now, for the first time ever, dozens of historic catechisms are being unearthed and painstakingly restored. They are being reformatted for publication and presented to you in this gorgeous 20-volume, cross-indexed collection. The catechisms of several Popes and Church Councils are included; such as the world-renowned Catechism of the Council of Trent, those of the Synods of Maynooth and Baltimore, and the catechism of Pope St. Pius X. Here also are those classical handbooks of Catholic doctrine authored by the great Saints and Doctors of the Church, St. Thomas Aquinas, St. Peter Canisius, and St. Robert Bellarmine. The many historical catechisms of Catholic doctrine featured in this series include both titles that are well known, as well as some that have not been printed or read in centuries. Originating from regions as diverse as Italy, France, Germany, Spain, England, Ireland, Scotland, Canada, and North America, the many catechisms contained in this series demonstrate the remarkable universality of the Catholic Faith as never before.”

Well, they’ve got me sold. That’s why I just bought the first 4 volumes and subscribed to the series, at $25.00 every 3 months. I always say as a prepper, you can never have enough good, hardcover Catholic books. Who knows how long these will be available in the current climate?

Wishing you blessings in this month of November and the coming Season of Advent.

Triduum of Death.....or of.....Heaven!

All Hallows Eve

All Saints Day

All Souls Day

+ + +

“Triduum of Death” is a term we don’t hear too much anymore, perhaps because people think it sounds too negative. However, we must realize that this triple feast is one of great joy! Satan and his minions have taken over “Halloween” and made it an occasion for occult rituals, darkness and gruesome decor. True to form, Satan takes something good and holy and perverts it. Let us teach our children the true meaning of these great Catholic feasts. We honor those who have succeeded in winning the Heavenly reward, just as we hope to. The Holy Souls have also won it, though they remain in Purgatory, in need of our prayers. Surely, on All Souls Day, due to the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, in addition to prayers all over the world, many souls pass through that glorious Gate to behold the Triune God! What a truly wonderful day! What a wonderful triduum we now celebrate!

Let us pray for those involved in the occult. Let us also pray for the fires in California at this time and all those suffering.

Following are some quick excerpts of prayer, from the book, A Prayerbook of Favorite Litanies, compiled by Fr. Albert J. Hebert. Its my favorite prayerbook. You can get it HERE.

“All ye holy angels and archangels, all ye holy orders of blessed spirits, all ye holy patriarchs and prophets, all ye holy Apostles and Evangelists, all ye holy disciples of Our Lord, all ye Holy Innocents, all ye holy martyrs, all ye holy Bishops and confessors, all ye holy Doctors, all ye holy priests and levites, all ye holy monks and hermits, all ye holy virgins and widows, all ye holy men and women, saints of God, pray for us!”

“O God, Creator and Redeemer of all the faithful, grant to the souls of Thy departed servants the remission of all their sins, that through our pious supplications they may obtain the pardon which they have always desired. Through Jesus Christ Our Lord.”

“Be mindful, O Lord, of Thy servants and handmaids, (name your loved ones), who are gone before us with the sign of faith and repose in the sleep of grace. To these, O Lord, and to all who rest in Christ, grant, we beseech Thee, a place of refreshment, light and peace, through the same Christ Our Lord.”

“O Lord, grant eternal rest to all the souls of the faithful departed, and let perpetual light shine upon them. May they rest in peace.”