The Catechism teaches us that:

“All who die in God’s grace and friendship, but still imperfectly purified, are indeed assured of their eternal salvation; but after death they undergo purification, so as to achieve the holiness necessary to enter the joy of heaven.” (1030)

The holy souls in purgatory are no longer able to help themselves but rely on the mercy of God and on our prayers.

It is a great act of charity to remember the holy souls, something that we do all year round, but especially in the month of November. Our familial piety requires us to pray for our family members who have died, but it is a part of our Christian love to remember also the forgotten souls, those who have nobody to pray for them.

When Our Lord gave the keys of the kingdom of heaven to St Peter, He entrusted him with the care of the treasury of merits of the Church which are dispensed by means of indulgences. These may be applied by way of suffrage to the holy souls in purgatory, and we have many opportunities at this time of year to gain indulgences by carrying out those good works which are chosen by the Church for this purpose.