3 ways to honour loved ones on All Souls’ Day

Maria Montemayor

Tuesday, November 1, 2022

Photo by Mehmet Turgut Kirkgoz on Pexels

Over the past few years, many of us have lost loved ones due to the pandemic. My grandfather passed away last year. He was a social person and would have wanted a big funeral with many people in attendance like the funeral my grandmother had. Instead, he had a private viewing with a few family members in attendance before he was cremated.

All Souls’ Day, which falls on November 2, is a day to remember and pray for our dearly departed loved ones. On this day, there are several ways you can honour your loved ones, especially if you weren’t able to have a proper funeral service for them due to pandemic restrictions.

1. Attend Mass.

Your parish should have a Book of Remembrance, where you can write down the names of deceased loved ones. After you write down the names of your loved ones, you can attend Mass on All Souls’ Day or on the day your parish holds a Mass of Remembrance.

Alternatively, if you can’t make it to Mass in person, you can watch Mass on Salt + Light TV at 8:30 am ET or 11 am ET or Holy Mass presided over by Pope Francis on November 2 at 11:30 am ET. You can also tune in to a live Choral Concert for the Commemoration of All Souls on Salt + Light TV on November 2 at 7 pm ET.

2. Light a candle.

Another way to honour your departed family members and friends is by lighting a candle for them. Votive candles are small candles found in churches or kept in home altars. “Votive” comes from the Latin word votum which means promise, vow, or dedication. Lighting a candle symbolizes a prayer offering to God and, when you light a candle, you can pray for the repose of the souls of your departed loved ones.

3. Start a novena.

On November 2, you can start a novena for your beloved family members and friends who passed away. A novena is an ancient devotion that entails praying the Rosary for nine days for the same intention. You can gain a plenary indulgence (remission of punishment for sins) when you pray the Rosary in a Catholic church or when you recite the Rosary with your family.

In addition to praying the Rosary, three other conditions must be fulfilled in order to gain a plenary indulgence for your loved one: a sacramental confession, Eucharistic Communion, and prayers for the Pope’s intentions. A plenary indulgence can only be gained once a day.

If you have trouble reciting the Rosary by yourself, you can follow along with the Rosary program on Salt + Light TV every morning at 9 am ET.

There are many other ways that you can remember and honour your loved ones. For example, you can visit their burial sites, make donations to charities and parishes on behalf of your loved ones, and even look up old videos or photos of loved ones to reminisce about them. The most important thing is to keep your loved ones in your thoughts and prayers on All Souls’ Day.