All Souls' Day

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All Souls' Day

Liturgical Feast
Feast Day	November 02
Rank
Type	Fixed
Season	Ordinary Time
Primary Shrine
Countries	Universal
Dioceses

The Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed, commonly known as All Souls' Day, is the annual feast in the Roman Rite dedicated to praying for all the faithful who have died and may be in Purgatory. Observed on November 2 according to the General Roman Calendar, it immediately follows the Solemnity of All Saints on November 1. While not a Holy Day of Obligation, the day emphasizes the Church's duty to intercede for the departed through Mass and supplication.

The *General Roman Calendar* (2002 edition) permits up to three Masses on All Souls' Day in parishes, a privilege rooted in historical indults. The liturgical texts focus on hope in the resurrection and the purification of souls, with black or violet vestments traditionally worn, though white is allowed in some contexts since the 1990s. The commemoration forms part of the concluding phase of the liturgical year in Ordinary Time.

Though not ranked as a solemnity, feast, or memorial, All Souls holds a unique status as a universal commemoration with proper Mass formularies in the Missale Romanum. It reflects the Church's belief in the communion of saints and the efficacy of prayer for the dead, as taught in Scripture and tradition.

Liturgical observance

The liturgical color is black or violet, though the *Missale Romanum* (editio typica tertia, 2002) permits white when the theme of resurrection predominates. The Gloria is omitted, and there is no Creed. The Lectionary offers multiple options for readings, including Job 19:1, 23–27a ("I know that my Redeemer lives"), Romans 5:5–11, or 1 Corinthians 15:51–57 (first reading); and John 6:37–40 or John 11:17–27 (Gospel). Missale Romanum (editio typica tertia ed.). Libreria Editrice Vaticana. 2002.  Lectionary for Mass. III. United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. 2002. 

Priests may celebrate or concelebrate three Masses on this day, applying the second and third for the intentions of the faithful departed or the Pope's intentions, per a privilege first granted by Pope Benedict XV in 1915."Decree on Three Masses on All Souls' Day". Apostolic Penitentiary. 1915-08-10. https://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/tribunals/apost_penit/index.htm.  The Preface for the Dead and the Sequence Dies irae (optional since 1969) may be used. No Vigil is prescribed, but the Office for the Dead is recommended in the Liturgy of the Hours.

History

Commemoration of the dead has roots in early Christianity; evidence suggests monastic communities prayed for deceased members by the 7th century. St. Odilo of Cluny established a formal commemoration for all the faithful departed on November 2 in 998 at Cluny Abbey, a practice that spread through the Cluniac reform. The Catholic Encyclopedia. 1. Robert Appleton Company. 1913. https://www.newadvent.org/cathen/01315b.htm. 

By the 13th century, the custom was widespread in the Latin Church, and Rome adopted November 2 under Pope John XIX. The 1915 decree of Benedict XV allowing three Masses responded to World War I casualties. The 1969 calendar reform retained November 2 but moved the date to November 3 if November 2 is a Sunday, ensuring precedence of the Sunday in Ordinary Time."Norms for the Liturgical Year". Consilium. 1969. https://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/congregations/ccdds/documents/rc_con_ccdds_doc_19690314_normae-annum-liturgicum_en.html.  This reflects universal Roman Rite observance; local dioceses may adjust for pastoral reasons.

Theological significance

The Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed expresses the Church's belief in Purgatory and the spiritual bond uniting the Church Militant, Suffering, and Triumphant. The Catechism of the Catholic Church states: "All who die in God's grace and friendship, but still imperfectly purified... undergo purification, so as to achieve the holiness necessary to enter the joy of heaven" (CCC 1030). Catechism of the Catholic Church (2nd ed.). Libreria Editrice Vaticana. 1997. 

Scripture supports prayer for the dead in 2 Maccabees 12:46: "It is therefore a holy and wholesome thought to pray for the dead, that they may be loosed from sins." The Gospel reading of John 6:40 affirms Christ's promise: "Everyone who sees the Son and believes in him may have eternal life, and I shall raise him on the last day." Pope Benedict XVI taught in *Spe Salvi* (2007) that All Souls reminds the living of their own mortality and the hope of resurrection."Spe Salvi". Vatican. 2007-11-30. https://www.vatican.va/content/benedict-xvi/en/encyclicals/documents/hf_ben-xvi_enc_20071130_spe-salvi.html. 

Veneration and traditions

Liturgical tradition holds that the primary act of veneration is offering Mass for the deceased. According to popular devotion, customs include visiting cemeteries, lighting candles, and cleaning graves—practices widespread in Latin America, Europe, and the Philippines, but not mandated by the *Missale Romanum*. In Mexico, the *Día de los Muertos* blends pre-Christian and Catholic elements, though the Church distinguishes it from strictly liturgical observance.

Indulgences may be gained for the souls in Purgatory by visiting a church or oratory and praying the Our Father and Creed on All Souls' Day, per the *Enchiridion Indulgentiarum* (4th ed., 1999). Specific foods, music, or processions cannot be confirmed as universal; "soul cakes" or "pan de muerto" are regional traditions. The Requiem Mass and hymns like "In Paradisum" are used devotionally.

Dynamic content

Shrines

List of shrines

This cannot be confirmed as no shrines are canonically dedicated exclusively to the Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed under Canon 1230. Cemeteries and chapels often host All Souls observances, but none hold official shrine status for this commemoration.

External links

• Lumen Gentium §51 – Vatican (on prayer for the dead)
• All Souls Day – USCCB
• Enchiridion Indulgentiarum – Apostolic Penitentiary