“I am the Mother of all the Poor Souls, for my prayers serve to mitigate their sufferings every single hour that they remain there (purgatory).”
-Our Blessed Lady to Saint Bridget
I had another very bizarre dream last night. It was about my same friend that committed suicide when we were 17, that I have dreamed about before.
In this dream his was grown. It was strange to see what he looked like as a man, to see what could have been. He was handsome, but also sad. We talked about our lives. I told him about my husband and 3 children. That’s when his face got really sad. He told me he had 4 children but he was divorced and never saw them. I asked him what happened. He told me that they divorced after the election because he voted for Al Gore and she voted for George Bush and it just really made them fight. He also mentioned having an alcohol problem, stating that he didn’t drink everyday, but when he did drink he couldn’t seem to stop without getting drunk. He told me they had tried weekend couples counseling, but in the end it didn’t work. He showed me pictures of his 4 beautiful children and his ex-wife.
During this whole conversation we were sitting on the side of a grassy hill. It was weird because a groundhog kept showing up. He seemed to be friends with the groundhog, like it was his pet. I was afraid of it because of it’s two protruding teeth, I was afraid of being bitten.
Upon awakening I pondered my dream. I found it sad to see this boy who had committed suicide at 17 as a man who had children. It was a stark reminder for me how purposeful death, whether it be by suicide, or abortion, can lead to generations being lost. I also found it odd that he listed an election as one of the reasons for divorce, and in particular, that election. That is where I really remember the hatred and vitriol we see so commonly now start to come out in people, as our country was shown to be so divided. His other reason for his divorce was addiction, another thing so common in our day and age. I honestly have no idea what the groundhog was about.
My mother used to tell me when we were growing up that if you dreamt about a dead loved one, it meant they were in purgatory and needed prayer. I believe that’s true. I have dreamt about this young boy several times over the years and I have always prayed for him afterwards. But it had occurred to me that the greatest prayer offered for those in purgatory is the Mass. Because of this, my cousin had introduced me to Gregorian Masses. This is a series of 30 Masses that is said for a soul in purgatory. Tradition tells us that Pope St. Gregory the Great offered these Masses for the soul of one of his monks that visited him from purgatory. When Pope Gregory had finished the Masses the monk appeared to thank him for releasing him. The Masses are offered for one deceased soul (not multiple people) for 30 consecutive days. Now, please understand, we offer a stipend for a Mass. These stipends are to take care of the Priest who says the Mass, and in poorer countries in particular this mean a lot. Plus the stipend is also a sacrificial offering made by us. Canon 946 tells us how the stipend is for the good of the Church. Typically in today’s day and age, a Mass stipend is about $10. This would mean that for a series of 30 Gregorian Masses a stipend could be $300. Though I have found them for $5 a Mass. When I had this discussion with Mr. Finance Pants (my husband) he jokingly told me I could take care of those priests and spend $20,000 if it gets him out of purgatory! I laughed out loud.
All that said, I think I need to have Masses said for my friend. Particularly when it comes to suicide, I think these are needed. We have much to pray for these days, let us remember the power of the Mass. If a Gregorian Mass is out of the question for you for your loved one, just have one Mass said. The Mass is heaven on earth.
Veil of Veronica 
Right, the Gregorian Mass is not necessary; any ordinary Mass will do. I have had similar situations of loved ones appearing in my mind. There is one in particular who appears often, and I offer my intercessory prayers for her at Mass. She died in an automobile accident – went off the road into a creek – very unexpected.
I like to have Gregorian Masses said in cases of suicide. But yes, regular Masses and just praying for the person can free the suffering soul in Purgatory.
There are special privileges associated with Gregorian which seem to obtain a speedy release from purgatory upon completion.
I know someone who had them offered for her father, and on the last day he appeared in a striking dream to both her and her mother.
It was only afterward that she realized it was the last day of the set of Gregorian masses.
That’s awesome.
I have had similar experiences based upon prayer. Some have received miracles simply by requesting the intercession of a saint. There is more to it for Han the form.
I meant, there is more to it than the particular form used for liturgy.
The Mass offers the infinite merits of Christ to satisfy our debts. Some will remain in Purgatory a very long time without an extraordinary intercession on their behalf, due to the weightiness of their guilt before God.
For instance, Our Lady told the 3 seers at Fatima that one young girl they prayed for would “be in Purgatory until the end of time”.
Given that the Church’s Tradition encourages the Gregorian Masses as an especially efficacious propitiation for the dead – the Mass being the offering of Christ Himself on the Cross – it takes “pride of place” among all the ways in which we can intercede for the dead with the greatest possible hope of satisfying their debt before God.
Perhaps the individual who keeps appearing to you repeatedly is in need of the Gregorian Masses so she will finally be at rest in the vision of God.
Yes, pride.
Yes, it is pride to think our own prayers are more efficacious than the prayer and merits of Christ in the Mass.
The doctrines of the Church make it very clear that the Mass is the greatest intercessory prayer of the Church.
Perhaps this is what your friend who died in a car accident needs so she can be at rest.
I have a friend who moved into house that had an attic upstairs converted to an office. Her pets would follow her everywhere in the house except they would never go to the Attic. They always stopped dead at the bottom of the stairs.
Then one day my friend dreamt of a woman committing suicide in the Attic. She called the realtor and ask her if anything strange had happened in that home. The realtor confessed that yes a wife of the previous owner had committed suicide in that attic.
My friend called the priest and he came and offered mass in this very same attic for the Repose of the soul of that woman .
From that day onwards my friend’s pets always followed her up to the Attic!
2477 Respect for the reputation of persons forbids every attitude and word likely to cause them unjust injury.278 He becomes guilty:
– of rash judgment who, even tacitly, assumes as true, without sufficient foundation, the moral fault of a neighbor;
– of detraction who, without objectively valid reason, discloses another’s faults and failings to persons who did not know them;279
– of calumny who, by remarks contrary to the truth, harms the reputation of others and gives occasion for false judgments concerning them.
2478 To avoid rash judgment, everyone should be careful to interpret insofar as possible his neighbor’s thoughts, words, and deeds in a favorable way:
Every good Christian ought to be more ready to give a favorable interpretation to another’s statement than to condemn it. But if he cannot do so, let him ask how the other understands it. And if the latter understands it badly, let the former correct him with love. If that does not suffice, let the Christian try all suitable ways to bring the other to a correct interpretation so that he may be saved.280
Francis, I am not sure why you have quoted at length the Catechism on detraction?
I used a very common term “pride of place” which refers to the penultimate choice that one makes among various means, and you replied “Yes, pride”.
I simply agreed that objectively speaking it is pride to think that our prayers are more efficacious than the Mass.
This is not by any stretch a form of detraction. It is an objective discussion about practices according to the Tradition of the Church and what tradition counsels us to do in choosing among the means offered us to intercede for the dead, the Mass – and specifically the Gregorian Masses – being far more efficacious than our prayers…. a doctrinal truth we should all be eager to affirm and recognize.
Those are my objective points in this discussion.
I will simply leave it at that and will not pursue this discussion any further.
Spiritual works of mercy and humility are good.
P.S. the moral of the story simply being that the Mass is more efficacious than our prayers, and if we want to ensure the speedy delivery of a soul from Purgatory, the Gregorian Masses offer the privilege of doing so.
2481 Boasting or bragging is an offense against truth. So is irony aimed at disparaging someone by maliciously caricaturing some aspect of his behavior.
It is quite a bizarre dream, Susan. I wonder if your late friend appearing this way is a composite & a representation of other suicides – due to, as you mentioned, addictions, (political) disagreements etc. I think showing you photos of the loved ones he left behind could also be another call for prayer – for those who have to deal with a suicide in the family.
One suicide, but many upheavals. Kind of like an earthquake. Nothing is ever the same again.
I have thought that before Caitlynnegrace– especially in the dream I had about him last time. That our society is dealing with suicide a lot and there are others I need to pray for.
I’m not sure the option for $100 for 30 Masses is with a “Uniate” Eastern Rite Church in union with Rome.
It appears they are a self-governing church (“autonomous”, “autocephalous”) within the schismatic Orthodox communities.
If such be the case, it would not be permissible for Roman Catholics to have recourse to their priests to have Masses offered for the dead.
This should be clarified before pursuing as an option.
thanks. Will do.
I removed it until I can clarify for sure.
P.S. the moral of the story simply being that the Mass is more efficacious than our prayers, and if we want to ensure the speedy delivery of a soul from Purgatory, the Gregorian Masses offer the privilege of doing so.
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Greetings from Ireland. Your writing is inspiring. Several years ago I had dreams about a friend of mine who committed suicide in his 20s. They were some of the most vivid dreams I have ever had and can still remember some of the details although not as clearly anymore. The long and the short of it was that I would be chatting to my friend, while knowing in my mind that he was dead, but itching to ask him what it was like where he is now. It was at that point that the conversation would end. I remember one time seeing this absolutely huge moon in the sky and I felt like I was going to fall over the edge of something, but not something scary. Another dream was of their family grieving for him. I relayed these dreams to a friend and she told me he needed prayer. I think I had a few masses said for him. The dreams ended then. I pray he was released from purgatory or if not that he was already in heaven and my prayers can aid other souls in purgatory.
I hope to make it over to Ireland someday. And yes keep our souls in Purgatory in prayer, especially if we dream of them! God Bless you.
I wouldn’t mind visiting that church in Alabama myself. It looks rather beautiful. We are blessed to have an abundance of American religious here in Limerick including the Franciscan Friars, the Nashville Dominicans and one or two American priests in the Institute of Christ the King church. And what a blessing they all are and so if feels like a little bit of America in this part of the world 🙂 God bless America.
I love the Nashville Dominicans!!! And the Friars! Thank you! And yes the church in Alabama is beautiful. It’s where Mother Angelica is.
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