Mortuary List

WE PRAY FOR AND REMEMBER THE DECEASED

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Praying for the dead is an ancient teaching and practice of the Catholic Church. It is also grounded in our vision of Church as a family. We pray for our deceased brothers and sisters because they are still and will always be our family and we pray that we will one day all be reunited again.

"He then took up a collection among all his soldiers, amounting to two thousand silver drachmas, which he sent to Jerusalem to provide for an expiatory sacrifice. In doing this he acted in a very excellent and noble way, inasmuch as he had the resurrection in mind; for if he were not expecting the fallen to rise again, it would have been superfluous and foolish to pray for the dead. But if he did this with a view to the splendid reward that awaits those who had gone to rest in godliness, it was a holy and pious thought. Thus he made atonement for the dead that they might be absolved from their sin."
2 Maccabees 12: 43-46:

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MORTUARY LIST 2023

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In November, the month of Holy Souls, we are preparing our new parish Mortuary List for 2023. Each week during the year a Mass is offered for the names of those on our Mortuary List.

HOW TO SUBMIT NAMES OF YOUR LOVED ONES

There are two ways in which to add the names of your loved ones to the list:

1. ONLINE FORM: Click on the link below and complete the online form
2. FORM IN BACK OF CHURCH: Complete the form at the back of the church (if you are attending Mass) or visit the Parish Office. Envelopes are provided for your donation.

DEADLINE: Please submit your names by the end of November (30 November) so that we have time to compile the new list.

Click here to add your loved ones to the 2023 Mortuary List

DONATIONS

The money donated to the Mortuary List is collected by the Archdiocese and then it is distributed to all priests in the Archdiocese. We would prefer it if you could please send your appropriate donation electronically. You can EFT your amount to the parish bank account (details below).

Banking details are:
Account: Constantia Catholic Church
Bank: Standard Bank
Branch: 025 309
Current Account No: 07 169 8965
Reference: MORTUARY LIST + your last name

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WHY WE PRAY FOR THE DEAD

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Why do we pray for the dead?
We always start the month of November with the titles ‘All Saints’ Day’ and ‘All Souls’ Day’; the latter has an alternative title: ‘The Commemoration of the Faithful Departed’. Along with the former title, it is inclusive of all who have died, the worthy, like the Blesseds, Saints and Martyrs (of the previous day), and other such like whose recognition is still in progress.
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Why Pray for the Dead?
All Soul’s Day (and the first week of November), is the Church’s most earnest and concentrated time to pray for the dead. In fact, St. John Paul II was ordained on All Saints Day, November 1; and accordingly, he celebrated three “first Masses” the next day—on All Soul’s Day, the day on which a priest is permitted to offer up to three Masses on behalf of the dead. On November 2, 1946, John Paul II offered Masses for his deceased father, brother, and mother, all of whom he lost before he turned twenty-one.
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Why We Pray for the Dead?
The Church encourages us to hope and pray for all those we’ve lost. She asks us not to presume that anyone has gone straight to heaven or hell, but rather to petition God with loving confidence on their behalf.
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Why Do We Pray for the Dead?
Today’s readings bring up a subject we would rather avoid: death. Still, we in the Catholic Church we are realists. We grieve over the death of a loved one, but we also recognize that death is a transition from this life to the next life.We pray for the dead at funerals and special Masses and particularly on All Souls Day and throughout the month of November.
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WAYS TO PRAY FOR THE DEPARTED SOULS

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• Pray the Novena for the departed souls.
• Offer up your Holy Communions for the souls.
• Have Masses said for your departed loved ones, especially on the anniversary of his or her death.
• Pray The Way Of The Cross for departed souls.
• Pray the special Holy Souls Rosary. After the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, the Holy Rosary is the most powerful prayer.
• Obtain indulgences: Indulgences reduce or cancel the temporal punishment that we incur through sin. There are many ways to obtain indulgences through pious actions, and we can apply their merits to the dead. You can find a partial list of indulgences here.
  If you visit a church or oratory on All Souls Day and there recite the Lord’s Prayer and the Apostle's Creed, you can earn a plenary (full) indulgence applicable only to the souls in purgatory (under the usual conditions).
• Give alms: The giving of material assistance to the poor has always been considered a penance that can be offered for the Holy Souls. "For almsgiving saves from death and purges away every sin" (Tobit 12:9).
• Pray the Divine Mercy Chaplet for the intention of the Holy Souls.
• Prayer of St. Gertrude for the Holy Souls: this prayer is attributed to St. Gertrude the Great and was the prayer by which she obtained the release of many souls from purgatory.
• Sprinkle holy water on the ground: St. John Macias, a great friend of those in purgatory, would often sprinkle holy water on the ground for the spiritual benefit of the suffering souls.
• When passing by a cemetery, pray the short Eternal Rest prayer. This prayer carries a partial indulgence applicable to the poor souls:
  "Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord. And let the perpetual light shine upon them. And may the souls of all the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen."
• Practice the tradition of praying the Eternal Rest prayer (above) before and after your meals as an easy way to remember to pray for the holy souls every day. You can also pray the prayer between the decades of your daily rosary.
• Visit a cemetery: Pray over the graves of your departed loved ones, or visit a random graveyard and pray for those who may have no one to pray for them. Simply doing this gains a partial indulgence for those in purgatory. While you're there, sprinkle holy water on the graves. If you make this visit during the first eight days of the month dedicated to the Holy Souls (November 1-8) you can gain a plenary indulgence applicable to the souls in purgatory.
• Eucharistic Adoration: visit the Blessed Sacrament to make acts of reparation to the Sacred Heart of Jesus on behalf of those in purgatory.
• Sacrifices: practice small acts of self-denial throughout your day and offer these penances up for the departed souls.
• Pray the Office of the Dead. You can find this in your volume of the Liturgy of the Hours or online here.
• Ask for the intercession of saints who were known to be great friends of the Holy Souls during their lifetime to join you in prayer for the faithful departed: St. Nicholas of Tolentino, St. Gertrude the Great, St. Catherine of Genoa, St. Padre Pio, St. Philip Neri, St. John Macías, St. Faustina Kowalska, St. Joseph, Our Lady, and others.
• Special prayers: Throughout your day, offer up short and spontaneous prayers for the holy souls. Consider buying purgatory books with more prayers and special devotions for the Holy Souls.
• Repent of your offenses against God and go to confession: Confessing your own sins makes your prayers for souls of others more effective.
• Spread devotion to the Holy Souls: Make others aware of the great need these suffering souls have for our prayers.