All Souls’ Day Mass

All Souls’ Day is a Roman Catholic day commemorating the faithful departed or those baptized Christians believed to be in purgatory. It is celebrated on November 2 unless this date falls on a Sunday. When this happens, All Souls’ Day is celebrated on November 3. St. Odilo, abbot of Cluny, established All Souls’ Day in the eleventh century. The day purposely follows All Saints’ Day in order to shift the focus from those in heaven to those in purgatory. The theological basis for the feast is the doctrine that the souls who, on departing the body, are not perfectly cleansed from venial sins or have not fully atoned for past transgressions are debarred from the Beatific Vision, and that the faithful on earth can help them by prayers, alms deeds and especially by the sacrifice of the Mass.