Calvary Cemetery to host All Souls Mass

Published: October 25, 2017

Msgr. Francis Malone, JCL, PA, will celebrate the annual All Souls Day Mass at Calvary Cemetery at 9:30 a.m. on Nov. 2. After the Mass, he will lead a procession through the cemetery praying the rosary and blessing graves. If it rains, the Mass will be celebrated at the Cathedral of St. Andrew in Little Rock at 10 a.m. All are invited to participate.

Calvary Cemetery, the official cemetery for the Diocese of Little Rock, is located at the corner of Wright Avenue and South Woodrow Street in Little Rock. The main entrance is off of Charles Bussey Avenue. Get driving directions from your location. For more information, contact Dennis Lee, diocesan chancellor for administrative affairs, at (501) 664-0340, ext. 308. To find out how All Souls Day will be celebrated in your area, contact a parish near you.

All Souls Day, known as the Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed on the liturgical calendar, is celebrated each year on Nov. 2, the day after the Solemnity of All Saints (All Saints Day) on Nov. 1. On All Souls Day, we remember and pray for all those who have died that are now in purgatory. Souls in purgatory "have not yet been purified" in order to enter heaven.

The Catechism of the Catholic Church ensures us however, that those in purgatory will enter heaven. "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." (no. 1030)

The Catholic Church teaches that our prayers for the faithful departed can help them "atone for their sins and enter into heaven." That is why many Catholic parishes celebrate All Souls Day Masses, hold special prayer services and adoration times, bless graves, have rosary processions at cemeteries and place the photos of deceased loved ones near the altar in church. To learn more about this feast day, read "Why we pray for all souls today" or "20 ways to pray for the holy souls in purgatory."