ARTICLE 1 — Purgatory Series — Part I: “Purgatory and the Month of the Holy Souls: Doctrine, History, and the Saint Who Freed 1.4 Million Souls”
In ancient Rome, victorious generals rode through the city in triumphal procession, crowned with laurels and praised as heroes. Yet behind them stood a single slave whispering into their ear the sobering words memento mori — “Remember that you must die.” Ancient writers preserved this tradition to remind leaders that glory is fleeting and judgment inevitable. We, too, are engaged in a battle — the spiritual combat of this life — and so I say to you: memento mori. Death is certain. Yet in the face of death, God’s answer is not fear, but mercy — the merciful purification we call purgatory.
The Mercy of Purgatory
Every one of us has been touched by the passing of someone we love. And while we hope they entered heaven swiftly through God’s infinite mercy, the truth remains: no human soul is perfectly pure enough to behold the Beatific Vision without first being cleansed. Let’s be honest — most of us are not holy enough to bypass purgatory. The vast majority of souls will experience its purifying fire, a fire of love rather than punishment.
The Catechism teaches that “all who die in God’s grace and friendship, but still imperfectly purified… undergo purification” (CCC 1030–1031). St. John Paul II explained in 1999 that “purgatory does not indicate a place, but a condition of existence,” a state where God’s mercy completes what is lacking in us. In this merciful purification, the soul is made ready for the glory it is about to receive.
Souls in purgatory are assured of heaven, yet they have not completed the transformation necessary to behold God face to face. Their purification reminds us that the Church extends beyond the limits of earthly life. Catholic tradition speaks of the Church Militant on earth, the Church Suffering in purgatory, and the Church Triumphant in heaven. Though distinct in condition, all remain united in Christ. The faithful on earth can assist the Holy Souls through prayer and sacrifice, while the saints in heaven intercede for both. Purgatory, therefore, is not an isolated reality but part of the living communion of love that binds the entire Mystical Body together.
Within that communion, purgatory serves as the final stage of sanctification, where God completes the work of holiness begun in this life. The soul encounters the purifying love of God, which removes every lingering attachment to sin and prepares it for the Beatific Vision. This understanding reaches back to the earliest centuries of Christianity. St. Augustine taught that some souls "suffer temporal fire only, to be saved from eternal fire," emphasizing that purification after death is both real and ordered toward salvation. Purgatory is neither a second chance nor a place of despair, but the final work of divine mercy, healing and perfecting the soul so that it may enter God's presence without stain or imperfection.
This article will briefly explore the Church’s doctrine on purgatory, its biblical foundations, and its historical development from the early Christian communities to the Councils of Florence and Trent. It will explain why November is dedicated to the Holy Souls, why our prayers are a profound act of charity, and how a powerful friend of the Holy Souls, St. John Macías, released countless souls through his intercession. It will also offer practical ways Catholics today can assist the Church Suffering. The goal is simple: to understand purgatory as God’s mercy, to rekindle devotion to the Holy Souls, and to inspire deeper love for those who await the joy of heaven.
Biblical Foundations of Purification
Scripture presents a consistent pattern of purification that forms the foundation of the Church’s teaching on purgatory. Jesus speaks of paying “the last penny” before release (Matthew 5:25–26), and St. Paul describes souls being “saved, but only as through fire” (1 Corinthians 3:15). St. Peter compares the testing of faith to gold refined in fire (1 Peter 1:7). The Old Testament also contains imagery of purification, such as God refining His people like silver (Malachi 3:3) and leading them through “fire and water” (Psalm 66:12). The early Church Fathers recognized this biblical pattern; Origen taught that the soul “must pass through fire so that the stains of sin may be burned away,” showing that purification is part of God’s saving work. These passages reveal that God purifies His people, even beyond death, so they may enter His presence.
Historical Development of the Doctrine
From the earliest centuries, Christians prayed for the dead, confident that their intercession could aid souls undergoing purification. Inscriptions in the catacombs and writings of the Church Fathers — including Origen, Ambrose, Augustine, and Jerome — testify to this ancient practice. St. Ambrose wrote, “We have loved them in life; let us not forget them in death,” affirming the Church’s duty to pray for the departed. St. Jerome likewise taught that “the faithful departed are aided by the prayers of the living,” grounding this devotion in the Communion of Saints.
Over time, this lived belief matured into formal doctrine. By the 12th century, theologians began using the term purgatorium to describe the soul’s post‑mortem purification. The Council of Florence (1439) provided the first universal definition of purgatory, teaching that souls are purified after death and assisted by the prayers of the faithful. The Council of Trent (1547) reaffirmed this teaching with precision, defending both the reality of purgatory and the efficacy of Masses, indulgences, and sacrifices offered for the dead. Together, these councils represent the Church’s authoritative consolidation of a belief held since the earliest Christian communities.
From Doctrine to Devotion
The doctrine, biblical foundations, and historical development of purgatory form a vast and beautiful part of the Church’s teaching, far richer than what a brief summary can contain. Entire councils, centuries of theology, and countless saints have reflected on this mystery. But even a basic outline is enough to show the heart of the Church’s belief: that God purifies the soul, that the faithful can assist one another, and that the living and the dead remain united in the Communion of Saints. With this groundwork in place, we can now turn from the foundations to the lived devotion — why the Church dedicates November to the Holy Souls, why praying for the dead is considered one of the greatest acts of charity, and how saints like St. John Macías became powerful intercessors who helped countless souls reach heaven.
Why November Is Dedicated to the Holy Souls
The Church dedicates November to the Holy Souls because the liturgical year turns our attention toward the Last Things — death, judgment, heaven, and hell. It begins with the Solemnity of All Saints on November 1, celebrating the Church Triumphant, and immediately moves to All Souls’ Day on November 2, when the Church prays for all the faithful departed.
This pairing is ancient, but its widespread observance owes much to Benedictine Abbot Odilo of Cluny, who in 998 AD instituted a day of prayer and penance for the souls in purgatory after a hermit reported visions of suffering souls pleading for help. The Cluniac monasteries embraced this devotion, and it soon spread throughout Europe, shaping the Church’s instinct to remember the dead with special intensity as autumn fades and the year draws to a close.
In time, this practice became universal. Pope Benedict XV formally placed All Souls’ Day on the Church’s universal liturgical calendar in 1915, affirming the long‑standing tradition of praying for the departed and encouraging the faithful to offer Masses, indulgences, and acts of remembrance throughout the month of November. The Church invites us to see this month as a sacred space of charity — a time when love reaches beyond the veil, when the living assist the dead, and when the whole Communion of Saints draws closer together in hope of the resurrection and the joy of heaven.
Why Praying for the Holy Souls Is a Profound Act of Charity
Praying for the Holy Souls is one of the greatest acts of charity because they cannot help themselves. Their purification is entirely in God’s hands, and they rely on the prayers, sacrifices, and Masses offered by the living. The saints and Fathers of the Church understood this deeply. St. Thomas Aquinas taught that charity is incomplete unless it includes the dead, because love must extend to every member of Christ’s Mystical Body. St. Ephrem urged the faithful to “remember me in your prayers,” and St. Ambrose insisted that our love for others must not end at death. When we pray for the Holy Souls, we practice the Golden Rule at its highest level — doing for others what we would hope they would do for us if we were undergoing purification and longing for heaven.
This charity is not only theological; it is profoundly relational. The Holy Souls are our brothers and sisters, united to us in Christ, grateful for every prayer offered on their behalf. Venerable Fulton Sheen captured this beautifully when he said, “As we enter Heaven we will see them… a poor soul you prayed for in Purgatory.” Our prayers shorten their suffering, hasten their joy, and deepen our bond with them. In helping the Holy Souls, we participate in God’s mercy, offering love to those who cannot repay us — yet who will remember us forever with gratitude when they reach the glory of heaven.
St. John Macías (1585–1645): A Powerful Friend of the Holy Souls
The life of St. John Macías (feast day September 18) is one of the most tender and luminous stories in the Church’s tradition of charity toward the Holy Souls. Born in the quiet countryside of southwest Spain in 1585, he grew up as a poor orphaned shepherd boy, tending sheep on lonely hillsides. It was there, in the stillness of childhood, that heaven first touched his life. As he watched over his flock, St. John the Evangelist appeared to him. The beloved disciple, known for purity and divine love, told the young boy that God had a special mission for him and that he himself would guide John throughout his life on earth. That mission was astonishing: John was chosen to help release the Holy Souls in purgatory.
This heavenly promise followed him across the ocean. As a young man, John traveled to Lima, Peru, where he entered the Dominican Order as a humble lay brother. He was assigned the simplest of roles, the doorkeeper at the Dominican Priory of St. Mary Magdalene. Yet heaven often hides its greatest saints behind the smallest doors. In the quiet rhythm of daily service, the Blessed Virgin Mary appeared to him and began teaching him how to pray the Rosary in a way that would bring immense relief to the Holy Souls. Under her gentle instruction, John learned to offer each bead, each Hail Mary, each mystery as a key that unlocked the gates of purgatory.
The other Dominicans soon noticed the extraordinary grace surrounding him. They affectionately called him the Helper of the Holy Souls. His life became a living sacrifice for them. John prayed three Rosaries every day, offered his Communions for their release, and sprinkled holy water on the ground as a sign of mercy for the souls who longed for heaven. His devotion to the Blessed Sacrament was so intense that he made up to twenty visits a day to the tabernacle. Eventually, the friars built a small window near the chapel so that, as John passed by, he could peek in and whisper, “Hello, Jesus.” It was the greeting of a childlike heart overflowing with love.
The Holy Souls responded. They appeared to him daily—men, women, and children— thanking him for his prayers and begging for more. During Mass, John often saw hundreds of souls gathered around the altar, waiting for the moment when the priest would elevate the Host or the chalice, knowing that the sacrifice of Christ would open the way for them to ascend into heaven. John prayed with tears, with joy, with urgency. He loved them as family.
As the years passed, his mission grew. His prayers, sacrifices, and mortifications became a river of mercy flowing into purgatory. And heaven kept its promise. When John lay dying at the age of sixty, on September 16, 1645, St. John the Evangelist appeared to him one final time. The apostle revealed the astonishing fruit of his hidden life: through his Rosaries, Communions, penances, and visits to the Blessed Sacrament, St. John Macías had released 1.4 million souls from purgatory. It was a number beyond imagination, a testament to what God can do through a humble heart completely surrendered to love.
As he breathed his last, the Dominican friars gathered around his bed. Suddenly, the room filled with thousands of lights, shimmering like stars, surrounding his body. The friars stood in awe. It was as though heaven had opened its doors inside that small cell. Many believed—and who could doubt it?—that the lights were the Holy Souls he had freed, come to escort their friend home. It was like a celestial birthday celebration, a joyful procession of gratitude and love.
St. John Macías entered heaven accompanied by the very souls he had helped. His life remains one of the most tender and powerful testimonies to the Communion of Saints, a reminder that our prayers for the Holy Souls are not small gestures but acts of love that echo in eternity.
The life of St. John Macías shows that helping the Holy Souls is not reserved for mystics or religious; it is the work of ordinary Catholics whose daily acts of love become channels of God’s mercy. His simple, faithful practices—Rosaries, visits to the Blessed Sacrament, sprinkling holy water, offering Communions—form a beautiful pattern for us today. By imitating his devotion in small but intentional ways, we can bring comfort to the Holy Souls and help hasten their entrance into heaven.
Practical Ways to Help the Holy Souls (Inspired by St. John Macías)
Pray the Rosary for the Holy Souls Offer one decade, one mystery, or a full Rosary specifically for their release.
Offer your Holy Communion for them Unite your reception of the Eucharist to their purification.
Make short visits to the Blessed Sacrament Even a brief “Hello, Jesus” in the chapel or before the tabernacle can be offered for the Holy Souls.
Sprinkle holy water with intention A simple sign of the cross with holy water can be offered for their relief.
Pray the Eternal Rest prayer throughout the day “Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord…” This prayer carries a partial indulgence.
Offer small sacrifices or acts of charity Daily inconveniences, frustrations, or voluntary penances can be offered for their purification.
Gain indulgences during November Visiting a cemetery and praying for the dead from November 1–8 can obtain a plenary indulgence, under the usual conditions. (Visiting a cemetery and praying for the dead at other times during the year carries a partial indulgence applicable to the Holy Souls.)
Pray for forgotten souls Ask God to assist those who have no one to pray for them.
Invoke St. John Macías as an intercessor Ask him to join your prayers with his powerful love for the Holy Souls.
Conclusion
The mystery of purgatory reveals the tenderness of God’s mercy and the depth of our communion with one another. The Holy Souls are our brothers and sisters, waiting with hope for the joy of heaven, and our prayers can help carry them there. Inspired by the Church’s teaching, the witness of the saints, and the example of St. John Macías, may we renew our love for the Holy Souls and assist them with confidence, generosity, and faith. With that spirit, we turn to St. John Macías, a powerful friend of the Holy Souls, and ask for his intercession.
Prayer to St. John Macías for the Holy Souls
St. John Macías, faithful friend of the Holy Souls, you who spent your life in prayer, sacrifice, and love for those who longed for heaven, intercede for them now. Carry our prayers to the throne of God, and obtain mercy for the souls in purgatory. Teach us to love them as you did, with patience, tenderness, and unwavering faith. May our prayers, united with yours, bring comfort to the suffering and joy to the waiting. St. John Macías, Helper of the Holy Souls, pray for them, and pray for us. Amen.
Patricia Altier, CPO Board Member
References and Additional Reading:
· Ambrose. On the Death of His Brother Satyrus. Fathers of the Church, vol. 22, Catholic University of America Press, 1951.
· Angelus Press. “During This Month of November, Let Us Pray for the Poor Souls in Purgatory.” Angelus Press, https://angeluspress.org/blogs/tradition/during-this-month-of-november-let-us-pray-for-the-poor-souls-in-purgatory?srsltid=AU7gw4UX3Z0t1s5c3Zgop6esYGhwesIEyBkMQZHQqrMmbQukHLhoXVbg.
· Augustine. The City of God. Translated by Henry Bettenson, Penguin Classics, 2003.
· Catechism of the Catholic Church. Libreria Editrice Vaticana, 1993.
· de Salisbury, John. Policraticus: Of the Frivolities of Courtiers and the Footprints of Philosophers. Edited and translated by Cary J. Nederman, Cambridge University Press, 1990.
· Goncalves, Joseph, Br. “St. Juan Macias, a Humble and Profound Brother.” Dominican Friars, Sept. 2024, https://opsouth.org/news/st-juan-macias-a-humble-and-profound-brother.
· Hardon, John, S.J. “The Doctrine of Purgatory.” Catholic Culture, 2026, https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/library/view.cfm?id=4677.
· Hippolytus of Rome. Apostolic Tradition. Translated by Burton Scott Easton, Cambridge University Press, 1934.
· Jerome. Letters. Translated by Charles Christopher Mierow, Fathers of the Church, Catholic University of America Press, 1963.
· Laramie, Joe, S.J. “What Do Catholics Really Believe about Purgatory?” America Magazine, 26 Nov. 2024, https://www.americamagazine.org/faith/2024/11/26/what-catholics-believe-purgatory-249365/.
· McCloskey, Pat, OFM. “What Happened to Purgatory?” St. Anthony Messenger, https://www.franciscanmedia.org/st-anthony-messenger/what-happened-to-purgatory/.
· Mirus, Jeff. “Purgatory in Scripture: New Developments.” Catholic Culture, Nov. 2011, https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/purgatory-in-scripture-new-developments/.
· Origen. On First Principles. Translated by G.W. Butterworth, Harper & Row, 1966.
· Pliny the Elder. Natural History. Translated by H. Rackham, Harvard University Press, 1938.
· Pope John Paul II. “General Audience: Purgatory — Purification in Preparation for Full Beatitude.” Vatican.va, 4 Aug. 1999, https://www.vatican.va/content/john-paul-ii/en/audiences/1999/documents/hf_jp-ii_aud_04081999.html.
· Sheen, Fulton J. A Brief Life of Christ. Angelico Press, 2011.
· Sheen, Fulton J. The Eternal Galilean. Cluny Media, 2021.
· Sheen, Fulton J. The World’s First Love: Mary, Mother of God. Ignatius Press, 1996.
· Tassone, Susan. Praying with the Saints for the Holy Souls in Purgatory. Our Sunday Visitor, 2005.
· Tassone, Susan. The Rosary for the Holy Souls in Purgatory. Our Sunday Visitor, 2013.
· Tertullian. Apologeticus. Translated by T.R. Glover, Harvard University Press, 1931.
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