According to the Roman Catholic denomination, purgatory is believed to be a place where sinful souls are expiated for their sins as they wait to shift to Heaven. The Prayer of St. Gertrude is the most powerful one for souls in purgatory.
Traditionally, it’s believed that God promised Gertrude the Great that 1000 souls would be freed from purgatory every time her prayer was said with devotion. She was a Benedictine mystic, writer, and nun who lived righteously in the 13th century.
Whether that’s the actual case or not, prayers are a great way of remembering and requesting the release of our loved one’s souls in purgatory.
Below are five excellent samples to keep your faith untouched and growing.
1) Short Prayer to Release 10,000 Souls from Purgatory
“Eternal God,
I offer this prayer for the sake of 10,000 poor souls in purgatory today, humbly requesting that You may release them to eternal and peaceful rest.
Lord, the most merciful, look down upon those suffering souls in purgatory and forgive their negligence, offenses, and sins.
Please fulfill their desires to be made worthy before Your holy face and glory. May they soon connect with You and rest at the beautiful place You’ve prepared for them as home.
In the name of Jesus, I pray. Amen.”
Original StAgnes.net prayer. Copying prohibited, except with source.
Many people have never heard about prayers for souls in purgatory, and the place itself, which makes them miss out on great opportunities to help the suffering.
Above is an understandable definition of purgatory and a relevant prayer to release 10,000.
The first step in praying for souls in purgatory is understanding how it works.
For instance, people who haven’t been baptized or committed other sins might require spiritual cleansing in purgatory before entering the eternal gate.
However, the writings do not specify how many souls are released from a single prayer.
You can say any number in your prayers, hoping that God will increase it out of His mercies. You can use the rosary to pray for souls in purgatory or say the St. Michael prayer every time after your usual prayers.
Save these prayers for a death in the family.
2) Miracle Prayer to Release 1,000 Souls from Purgatory
“Everlasting Father,
I offer this prayer for every soul in purgatory, asking that You may release 1,000 of them from their torments and suffering.
I have faith that You will do this according to Your will and accept that You’re firmly in control of who to release.
Please show them mercy and compassion during these difficult times because they need peace and salvation before facing Your kingdom.
Thank You, God. Amen.”
Original StAgnes.net prayer. Copying prohibited, except with source.
As part of our daily prayer cycle, we may wish to consider incorporating a prayer for the souls trapped in purgatory.
The good thing is that Gertrude the Great offered us seven prayers for souls in purgatory every day of the week. By adhering to them, we will have prayed for the release of more than 1,000 souls in purgatory by the end of the year.
Even better, the Church dedicates November as the holy month of praying for souls in purgatory. Besides praying, believers can offer indulgences or sacrifices to these poor souls that cannot save themselves.
While the Bible doesn’t clearly state about souls in purgatory, there are some Biblical passages directly associated with the belief.
For instance, Matthew 12:32 says, “Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but anyone who speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come.”
Save these graveside prayers for burial of ashes.
3) Prayer of St. Gertrude to Release Souls from Purgatory
“Eternal Father,
I offer Thee the Most Precious Blood of Thy Divine Son, Jesus, in union with the masses said throughout the world today, for all the holy souls in purgatory, for sinners everywhere, for sinners in the universal church, those in my own home and within my family. Amen.”
Although relatively short, the prayer of St. Gertrude to release souls from purgatory is very powerful and can free millions of souls. When St. Gertrude said the prayer herself, she was surprised at the impressive number of souls rescued from purgatory.
In the revelation of the prayer, Jesus did not specify any conditions associated with the recitation of the prayer nor add any requirements when making the prayer.
He only assured that through making the above prayer, He would show mercy to souls in purgatory in response to the intercessory prayer, which is a gift from the Creator.
It’s the responsibility of the Church to fulfill Jesus’ promises in Matthew 18:18 because “whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.”
Church leaders should teach the followers of Christ to live righteous as required by Jesus so they may not stay long in purgatory or rather go straight to Heaven after their death.
Even so, they can be assured of positive results because the above prayer evokes God’s mercy and compassion directly for souls in purgatory and doesn’t require fulfilling any conditions.
4) Prayer to Release 50,000 Souls from Purgatory
“Almighty Father,
I come before You, praying for all the souls in purgatory and requesting that You could release 50,000 of them because they aren’t capable of praying or helping themselves.
Instead, they depend on Your mercies evoked by the supplication and intercessory prayer of the living to shorten their stay in purgatory.
This hour, I ask You to forgive their sins and cleanse their hearts and minds to prepare them fully for their transition to the Holy grounds- Heaven.
I pray and believe in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen.”
Original StAgnes.net prayer. Copying prohibited, except with source.
In reality, many believers must encounter purgatory before being received into God’s warm and loving hands in Heaven.
The period one can stay in purgatory after death isn’t specified in any of the writings but mainly depends on their sins and God’s mercy.
However, the above prayer can significantly reduce one’s stay in purgatory because it increases God’s willingness to forgive and embrace the sinners in Heaven.
Even so, we should all try our best to lead righteous lives while on earth by following His will rather than relying on intercessory prayers of the living to be released from purgatory.
“Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” — Matthew 5:10.
“The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life, and the one who is wise saves lives.” — Proverbs 11:30.
These Bible verses emphasize the importance of living righteously to benefit from God’s love and the kingdom of Heaven.
5) Catholic Prayer to Release 10,000 Souls from Purgatory
“Dear Father in Heaven,
By the sorrows that Jesus suffered in agony in the Garden of Gethsemane and when His head was crowning and scourging with thorns, in His journey to Calvary, and His crucifixion and death, I pray for mercy on the souls in purgatory.
May you deliver at least 10,000 of them, especially those mostly forgotten and forsaken. Please free them from the torments that they have suffered, call them, and embrace them in paradise where you and our Father live.
Thank You for praying for us. Amen.”
Original StAgnes.net prayer. Copying prohibited, except with source.
While we don’t know what form of purification is undertaken for souls in purgatory or how long it takes, we can be sure that it’s a painful and overwhelming process that none of us would wish to encounter.
Therefore, believers should never tire of praying for the deliverance of such souls with the trust that God will release them from purgatory.
One of the many benefits of praying for helpless souls is that one day when we die, we will also need someone to pray for us.
Additionally, when the souls in the purgatory shift to Heaven due to your prayers, they will pray for you while on earth and after you die.
Also save these prayers for dead grandmother in heaven.
Are These Prayers Really Miraculous?
Well, if there’s a thing that prayers can do is turn things around miraculously, more so if made with faith.
Therefore, yes! The above prayers are miraculous when it comes to releasing souls from purgatory.
Can I Light to Increase the Strength of My Order?
Sure! You can light a candle to boost the strength of your prayer for souls in purgatory. In fact, lighting candles is a widespread practice among Roman Catholics when praying for the departed souls.
Can I Start Saying the Prayers Right Now?
Of course! You can say the above prayers for souls in purgatory as soon as right now to evoke God’s mercies and compassion on at least 1,000 of them.
The prayers can also be said every day after your usual ones or in the morning when you wake up.
Trust in the powers of God!
Now that you’ve understood what purgatory is and how it works, you can confidently say the above prayers in faith and trust that God will release them from the unfortunate place.
Most importantly, it would help if you lived righteously while on earth as you encourage other believers to do so to reduce the number of souls in purgatory.
Praying for souls in purgatory should be preached across all the Churches, especially the Catholic ones because they’re the primary origin of the practice.
