November is the month of the Souls in Purgatory where the Church teaches that Catholics must pray for those who have departed this life but have not yet entered Eternal Life, according to Catholic Culture.

“This All Souls’ Day, as we remember the faithful departed, let us renew our commitment to loving God and loving one another,” Los Angeles Archbishop and President of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) Jose Gomez tweeted. “And let us, once again, set the goal of our life on going to heaven.”

Alms and prayers were offered for the dead, as referenced in the Old Testament, Catholic Culture says. "They who had fallen asleep with godliness had great grace laid up for them" and "it is therefore a holy and wholesome thought to pray for the dead, that they may be loosed from sins,” the Liturgical Meditations from the Sisters of St. Dominic says.

Through his death and resurrection, Jesus opened the gates of Heaven to all believers, the Catechism of the Catholic Church says. “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,” Paragraph 1030 reads. The place of purification the Church calls “Purgatory.” The teachings on Purgatory are based on Scripture. “The Church also commends almsgiving, indulgences and works of penance on behalf of the dead,” paragraph 1032 of the Catechism says.

All Souls Day basically kicks off the commemoration of the dead on Nov. 2. National Catholic Reporter (NCR) says it calls for Catholics to commemorate and pray for the faithful dead. The practice began with St. Odilo of Cluny in the 10th century and is still practiced today. Burying the dead is one of the Corporal Works of Mercy.

“The bodies of the dead are not discarded vessels, but integral parts of a human being that will be reunited on the last day,” Clare Coffey, an NCR writer, says. “The separation is temporary, and they are still worthy of our respect and our love.”

The Archdiocese of Miami marked All Souls Day on Twitter posting a quote from paragraph 1032 in the Catechism: “#AllSoulsDay2022 ‘From the beginning the Church has honored the memory of the dead and offered prayers in suffrage for them, above all the Eucharistic sacrifice, so that, thus purified, they may attain the beatific vision of God.’ - CCC 1032.” 

Catholics usually offer a special prayer for those loved ones who have died. My Catholic Prayers cites a common one as: “Eternal rest grant unto him/her, O Lord, and let Your perpetual light shine upon him/her. May his/her soul and the souls of all the faithful departed rest in peace. Amen.”