November 11, 2025 // Bishop
On All Souls’ Day, ‘We Pray with Hope’ for the Dead
Within the liturgical week, Sundays allow the Catholic faithful to experience anew the joy of Christ’s resurrection and His triumph over sin and death.
However, this year, as November 2 fell on a Sunday, the Church’s usual focus on the glories of Easter shifted to recall instead the ongoing journey of purification experienced by the souls in purgatory. Catholic teaching affirms that these souls will indeed be saved and come to enter into eternal life through the merits of Christ’s saving death and resurrection, but at present they remain in need of prayers to assist them in their journey. The prayers and offerings of the Church on earth – made on behalf of the souls in purgatory – help atone for a soul’s disordered attachments in life and purify them to enter into eternal union with God, who is all love.
On the Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed, usually called All Souls’ Day, Bishop Rhoades visited Immaculate Conception Parish in Auburn to celebrate Mass and share in fellowship with parishioners.
Photos by Christopher Lushis
Bishop Rhoades visits with worshippers at Immaculate Conception Parish in Auburn on Sunday, November 2.
Remarking that 2025 is the Jubilee Year of Hope, Bishop Rhoades stated: “Our deepest hope as human beings is eternal life, that our lives and the lives of our loved ones are not doomed to a dead end or a dark abyss but directed to an encounter with the Lord of glory. The basis of our hope is the death and resurrection of Jesus, recounted by St. Luke in today’s Gospel, by which Jesus broke down the walls of death and made it a passage to eternity.”
The liturgy of All Souls’ Day uniquely offers numerous options for the readings and prayers of the Mass, similar to how a family is able to choose from a selection of texts for a funeral Mass. For this reason, those who attend Mass on All Souls’ Day may hear different readings depending on the preferences of the pastor. When celebrated on a Sunday, the rubrics also indicate that the Gloria should not be sung, because the Church on earth remembers that those in purgatory do not yet have access to the angelic glory of the beatific vision.
Bishop Rhoades continued: “On this All Souls’ Day, we pray with hope for all the faithful departed, including our loved ones who have gone before us. And every Mass, in the Eucharistic prayer, we pray for our departed brothers and sisters. We never celebrate the Eucharist without praying for them, that the Lord will welcome them into the light of His face and give them kind admittance to His kingdom. It makes perfect sense that we always pray for the dead at Mass, because the Eucharist is the memorial of the death and resurrection of Jesus: the basis of our hope and eternal life. It was by His cross and resurrection that Jesus, our savior, set us free from sin and death.”
As the prayers of the Church on earth aid those who are suffering, Bishop Rhoades said, “The best prayer that we can offer for our departed loved ones is to have a Mass offered for them, since the Eucharist is the sacrifice of Jesus and His Church, the holy sacrifice which proclaims the victory of life over death, of grace over sin, and of heaven over hell.”
Bishop Rhoades also commented upon the readings chosen for Mass, saying: “When someone we love dies, we still experience pain and grief, but we do not grieve like those who have no hope, St. Paul wrote. When we mourn their death, we hope and pray that they enter into the glory of heaven, eternal joy in the love of the most holy Trinity, with the Blessed Virgin Mary and all the saints.”
He further explained the theological meaning behind this liturgical feast, saying: “Of course, it’s important to remember that to pass into this state of definitive happiness, human beings need to be purified of any effects of sin or attachments to sin, so as to achieve the holiness necessary to enter the joy of heaven. On All Souls’ Day, and throughout the month of November, we pray in a special way for the souls in purgatory, our brothers and sisters who have died in God’s grace and friendship yet still need this purification.”
From November 1 through November 8, a plenary indulgence was available to be obtained on behalf of a soul in purgatory by visiting a cemetery and praying for those buried there.
With this annual indulgence in mind, Bishop Rhoades said, “Today is a good day to visit the cemetery. In some countries, especially more Catholic countries, everyone goes to the cemetery today and visits the graves of their loved ones.” He remarked that he wished he could visit the graves of his parents in Pennsylvania on this day, but the distance is too far. However, he tries to visit their burial site and pray there every time he returns to his hometown.
Bishop also reminded the faithful of the vital importance of these spiritual offerings.
“I will say to my family or some of the priests, ‘When I die, I don’t want some kind of celebration of my life, I want prayers!’ The funeral Mass is about praying for our beloved deceased. And it’s an act of love for us to pray for the deceased and to obtain indulgences for them so that the temporal punishments due for their sins may be remitted.”
Plenary indulgences can be obtained throughout the year, either for oneself or offered to a soul in purgatory by receiving holy Communion that day, going to the Sacrament of Reconciliation (within 20 days before or after), praying for the intentions of the pope, and being detached from all sin. One must also either spending 30 minutes in Eucharistic adoration, reading Sacred Scripture for 30 minutes, praying a Rosary before the Blessed Sacrament or with another person, or praying the Stations of the Cross.
Bishop also spoke of the Jubilee indulgence available during this Holy Year of Hope, which, in addition to being accessible to those who visit certain holy sites during this Jubilee Year, also offers the faithful an opportunity to obtain a second plenary indulgence in one day, provided they make a second reception of holy Communion that day. While a plenary indulgence can always be used for oneself, this second indulgence may only be obtained for a soul in purgatory. Bishop said this “is intended in a particular way for those who have gone before us, so that they may obtain full mercy.”
He concluded by remarking on the reality of death, saying: “It is something that people don’t like to talk about, especially in our culture, but death touches each of us. There is a natural fear of death, the fear of the unknown, but as Christians, we walk toward death with trust in the Lord’s love and His promise of eternal life. In times of suffering and pain, we’re never alone: Jesus promised the disciples, ‘I am risen and am with you always.’ As we pray in Psalm 23, we fear no evil because the Lord is at our side; He is our shepherd. And Jesus gave us His mother to be with us and watch over us with her maternal love on our earthly pilgrimage. Let us entrust [to Mary] the souls of our deceased loved ones, that they may be led by her to the eternal Kingdom of the Father.”
“On All Souls’ Day, and throughout the month of November, we pray in a special way for the souls in purgatory, our brothers and sisters who have died in God’s grace and friendship yet still need this purification.”
Bishop Rhoades
At the conclusion of Mass, Father Drew Curry, pastor of Immaculate Conception Parish in Auburn, expressed his gratitude to Bishop Rhoades for his willingness to visit the parish and partake in fellowship with the parishioners. Afterwards, parishioners were able to socialize with Bishop Rhoades, and some shared their thoughts on his visit.
Chelsi Bennett told Today’s Catholic: “It’s always wonderful to hear Bishop’s message and what he has to say. He’s really insightful, and we enjoy hearing him speak. I appreciated the message that death is not the end, it’s not the abyss. It’s normal to be fearful, but we have hope in our faith, and that gives us the promise of the future.”
Sonia Vasquez, who served as cantor and musician for the Mass, shared her excitement and gratitude, saying that it was “absolutely an honor” for Bishop Rhoades to visit the parish. She commented that Bishop’s encouragement to offer up one’s Mass for your deceased loved ones was not something she had previously considered, but now she plans to do so in the future. She also stated that his words about visiting a cemetery were inspiring.
“We lost our grandmother about four years ago, and she is buried at Catholic Cemetery,” Vasquez said. “His reminder of the importance of visiting our loved ones really stuck out to me. I am going to go visit her today!”
Shane Teegarden, who serves on the OCIA team at Immaculate Conception, shared his appreciation for Bishop Rhoades’ visit, saying that “it helps to keep us connected with the rest of the Church as a whole,” which is evidenced especially on All Souls’ Day, remembering that “we all come together during Mass”: the members of the Church on earth, in heaven, and in purgatory.
The best news. Delivered to your inbox.
Subscribe to our mailing list today.