What a beautiful ministry it is to pray for the Holy Souls in Purgatory (the “Church Suffering”), and how much they need our prayers!

One of the popular prayers that circulates among the faithful, especially with the advent of social media, is the St. Gertrude prayer to release 1,000 souls from purgatory every time the prayer is recited devoutly. Even priests have shared this prayer online.

Here’s the thing: the Church has actually condemned the idea that multiple souls can be released from purgatory by the recitation of a short prayer. It hurts me to tell this to some of you who have been faithfully devoted to this practice for years, because your hearts are all in the right place. (I’ll share a link to those Church documents at the end of this post).

It is so beautiful that you want to pray for the dead, and the prayer itself is beautiful. But there are people reciting this prayer multiple times a day, thinking that this prayer will do more than spending one’s time fulfilling the ordinary requirements for a plenary indulgence (which can only be applied to one soul a day and requires much more time and prayer).

Please don’t feel foolish if you have been doing this yourself—your heart is good and noble and motivated by love! But let us put on the true mind of the Church on this and do our part to liberate others from this and other dubious devotions. The most effective thing we can do for them? Have Masses offered for them and pray the rosary! Sending you all a big hug, Kitty 💝🙏🏻💝

https://fatherhorton.wordpress.com/2017/11/16/st-gertrude-and-purgatory/