Udupi/M’Belle: Foundation Stone laid for the renovation of Cemetery on All Souls Day

By Eugene DSouza
Bellevision Media Network

Udupi, 02 Nov 2015: As an important developmental project of St. Lawrence Parish, Moodubelle foundation stone was laid for the renovation and expansion of the cemetery on All Souls Day, 2 November 2015 soon after the mass. Rev. Fr. Clement Mascarenhas, Parish Priest of Moodubelle  along with Rev. Fr. Reginald Pinto conducted the prayer service and blessed the stones which were laid in a specially dug pit.

 

Prior to the solemn requiem mass on All Souls Day, people were seen going to the cemetery, cleaning the graves of their loved ones and decorating them with flowers and candles.

 

The requiem mass that began at 5pm was concelebrated by Rev. Fr. Clement Mascarenhas and Rev. Fr. Reginald Pinto.

 

 

 

Soon after the mass, people went to the cemetery in procession and stood near the graves of their near and dear ones.

 

Following the laying of the foundation stone for the renovation and expansion of the cemetery, Rev. Fr. Reginald Pinto conducted prayer service for the departed souls of the parishioners. Thereafter, both Rev. Fr. Clement Mascarenhas and Rev. Fr. Reginald Pinto blessed each and every grave in the cemetery.

 

 

About All Souls Day:

While All Saints’ Day is a day that Catholics remember those who have already entered heaven, All Souls’ Day is a day to pray for all loved ones who have died. In particular, Catholics remember the souls of those who are caught in purgatory, undergoing a process of purification before entering heaven.

 

The Catholic Church teaches that "all who die in God’s grace, 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."

 

The purification that happens in purgatory is entirely different from the punishment that takes place in hell. According to the church’s catechism -- a document containing essential church teachings -- purgatory is like a "cleansing" or "purifying" fire for people who are already assured of God’s grace. Catholics believe that souls in purgatory can be helped along the path towards heaven by the prayers of those who are still living.

 

All Souls’ Day is not a holy day of obligation, so Catholics aren’t expected to attend church. However, if it falls on a Sunday, Catholics mark the day by attending a special Mass. Catholics also visit the graves of their loved ones, where they light candles, leave flowers and sprinkle holy water.

 

One of the most famous prayers for those in purgatory is the prayer of St. Gertrude the Great, a 13th century German Benedictine nun. According to tradition, God revealed to the nun that the following prayer would release 1,000 souls from purgatory every time it is said: “Eternal Father, I offer Thee the Most Precious Blood of Thy Divine Son, Jesus, in union with the Masses said throughout the world today, for all the Holy Souls in Purgatory, for sinners everywhere, for sinners in the universal church, those in my own home and within my family.” Amen.

 

Although All Souls’ Day is primarily a Catholic holy day, it is also observed by the Eastern Orthodox Church, the Anglican church and a few other Protestant denominations.