Why We Should Visit Cemeteries in November

I'm not sure exactly when it was that I started to find cemeteries to be peaceful places.

They are filled with so much hope! My feelings were only reinforced after reading Hungry Souls: Supernatural Visits, Messages, and Warnings from Purgatory by Gerard J.M. Van Den Aardweg. I finished reading it at the end of October this year, just before the All Soul's Day.

This book is a fascinating read of the supernatural with one remarkable difference - the stories in this book are verified by the Catholic Church.  It talks about the differences between demons and "poor souls" - souls in Purgatory permitted by God to visit people on Earth.

The book reveals that many, many well-known saints were often visited by poor souls. The modern-day Saint Padre Pio (who died in 1968) once said that "there were more souls of the dead who came up that road [the road leading to the monastery] then souls of the living (Hungry Souls, pg. 109)." The book details the items on exhibit in the Little Museum of Purgatory in the Sacred Heart of Suffrage Church in Rome, a collection of "objects bearing visible, physical traces left by the souls in Purgatory (Hungry Souls, pg. 45)".

This year was the second year I was able to complete the Octave of All Saints - eight days of visiting area cemeteries and praying for the souls in Purgatory.  Beginning on November 1st, I visited eight area cemeteries and prayed:

Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon them. May the souls of the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen.

There are prayers for the faithful departed for each day of the week.  I prayed the appropriate prayer for the day, an Our Father, a Hail Mary, and the following concluding prayer:

O Lord, who art ever merciful and bounteous with Thy gifts, look down upon the suffering souls in purgatory. Remember not their offenses and negligence, but be mindful of Thy loving mercy, which is from all eternity. Cleanse them of their sins and fulfill their ardent desires that they may be made worthy to behold Thee face to face in Thy glory. May they soon be united with Thee and hear those blessed words which will call them to their heavenly home: ‘Come, blessed of My Father, take possession of the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.’

On the eighth and last day, I visited my Dad's grave. I spent some time at the cemetery searching for my paternal grandparent's grave which I found, and my maternal grandparent's grave, which I did not find.  Interestingly enough, my father's parents grave was marked with a monument making it easier to find. My mother's parent's grave was not marked by a monument but by only a veteran's marker. Even with information about the grave site, searching for it was really difficult in November with the ground covered in leaves.

My mother does not know where her parents are buried in this cemetery. This saddens me. Perhaps several years ago it would not have saddened me.  But by the grace of God, who has blessed me with knowledge of Heaven, Hell, Death, and Judgment, I vow to find their grave as well as forever remember where it is.