Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord,
and let perpetual light shine upon them.
May they rest in peace. Amen.
An All Souls Day indulgence helps souls in purgatory through the Church’s prescribed prayers and conditions. Begin with this traditional prayer for the dead.
The Trinity with Souls in Purgatory, Corrado Giaquinto, early 1740s. Minneapolis Institute of Art. Public-domain image via S.D. Cason.
Pray the Eternal Rest at a grave, in church, or at home whenever you remember someone who has died. On November 1–8, it can accompany a cemetery visit; silent prayer for the departed also fulfills the prayer required for that visit. The separate All Souls Day church visit on November 2 requires the Our Father and the Creed. Saying this short prayer by itself does not fulfill all the requirements for a plenary indulgence.
Visit a church or oratory devoutly on November 2, pray the Our Father and the Creed there, and fulfill the conditions for a plenary indulgence. This grant can be applied only to souls in purgatory.
You may offer it for a deceased loved one, entrusting that person to God’s mercy. You do not need to know that person’s state before God. An indulgence concerns the purification still needed after sins have been forgiven; it does not replace repentance or the forgiveness of sins in Confession (CCC 1471–1472).
Along with the prescribed visit and prayers, you need the intention to gain the indulgence, the state of grace, complete detachment from every sin, sacramental Confession, Holy Communion, and prayer for the Pope’s intentions.
The Vatican’s explanation of the general conditions allows Confession, Communion and prayer for the Pope’s intentions within about twenty days before or after the work. Communion and these prayers are fittingly offered on the day itself.
Yes. A devout cemetery visit with prayer for the dead, even silent prayer, carries a plenary indulgence on each day from November 1 through November 8, provided the other conditions are met. It is applicable only to souls in purgatory.
This cemetery visit is a different work from the November 2 church visit. You need not do both. These ordinary grants are given in the Enchiridion of Indulgences, grant 29. The cemetery grant is partial during the rest of the year.
Ordinarily, only one plenary indulgence may be obtained each day. Visiting several graves or doing both the church and cemetery visits does not increase that daily limit.
The plenary grant also requires complete detachment from sin. If that disposition or the required conditions are lacking, the indulgence is partial rather than plenary. Keep praying with trust; prayer for those who have died remains a work of love.
Speak with your priest if illness or another serious obstacle prevents the visit. A confessor can explain the provisions for someone who is legitimately impeded and, where permitted, substitute the prescribed work or conditions.
You can still pray for the departed from home. Devout recitation of the Eternal Rest prayer is itself included in the Church’s partial indulgence grants. The exceptional extensions made during the pandemic should not be assumed to apply every November.
Lord, receive our prayers for those who have died. Purify them in Your mercy and bring them into the joy of Your presence. Amen.
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