Memory of the Dead and Holy Masses
Note on the Gregorian Masses, entrusted for the suffrage of the deceased to the Pious Union of the Transit of St. Joseph which transmits them to the seminaries and missions. It also collects Masses post obitum, for those who want prayers after their passing
by B. Capparoni, director
OEvery day in the offices of the Pious Union of the Transit of Saint Joseph we receive requests to remember the deceased, especially through the celebration of Holy Masses of suffrage. There are those who send us offerings to celebrate Holy Masses for a single deceased, for those of an entire family or even for all the holy souls in Purgatory. Thus we discover how much even today a large part of the Christian people preserves in their devotion what the Church writes in Catechism: «From the earliest times, the Church has honored the memory of the deceased and has offered suffrages for them, in particular the Eucharistic Sacrifice, so that, purified, they may reach the beatific vision of God. The Church also recommends alms, indulgences and works of penance on behalf of the deceased» (Catechism of the Catholic Church.
Four works to honor Saint Joseph and ask for his intercession
THE LAMPS OF SAINT JOSEPH
Lighting a lamp is a simple and common gesture among the faithful that expresses the devotion to Saint Joseph. A lit lamp means that we want to remain present and luminous before the holy Patriarch and entrust our prayer to the flame. In the atrium of the Pia Unione in Rome, in front of the ancient effigy of the Transit, by Saint Luigi Guanella, first displayed in the Basilica and then transported here, numerous flames burn day and night to express trust in the goodness of the Lord and reliance on the intercession of Saint Joseph. The faithful light these votive lamps for their sick loved ones, for the dying, to ask for material and spiritual graces. For a one-day lamp the offer is €3; €9 is offered for a triduum; for every Wednesday of a year the offer is €75; the lamp that burns perpetually has a bid of €650.
THE WORKS OF CHARITY IN HONOR OF SAINT JOSEPH
It is very good to add offerings to the prayer to maintain the charitable works of the Pious Union. These donations have the following names. There Bread day (offer €60) contributes to the support of those assisted in the Guanellian Works, who will offer prayers for the indicated living or deceased person. The header of the sunbeds (offer €150) is a way of guaranteeing housing for our poor and a gesture to remember a loved one, living or deceased. The reported names of the benefactors will be remembered in the prayers of those assisted. The Scholarships (offer €350) support young Guanellians aspiring to the Priesthood, especially in mission lands. You indicate the name of the person to be remembered or the intention for which you wish to register the scholarship and it is a gesture that facilitates the path to the priesthood for aspiring Guanellians.
THE HOLY MASSES FOR THE DEAD
Lat Pia Unione accepts commitments for the celebration of Holy Masses for the living and deceased (offer €10 each Mass), which are entrusted especially to missionary priests to have an important means of support. Helping priests and providing them with the necessary has always been a concern of the faithful and a very valid way of praying for the souls of the deceased. A suffrage that has a very ancient tradition in the Church is constituted by the so-called Gregorian masses, a cycle of thirty masses to be celebrated without interruption for thirty days and to be offered only for the deceased. The name of the person you want to remember is communicated and as soon as possible the Pious Union transmits the task to the priest who is committed to this celebration. It is a heavy burden that requires a bid of €450.
HOLY MASSES FOR ONE'S SUPFRAGE
When a person is called by the Lord, it would be good for the children or heirs to have holy Masses celebrated for their suffrage. Sometimes it happens that there are no heirs or that they are not very attentive to this duty and people fear not to be remembered at the altar of the Lord. For this reason, many entrust us with offerings for the celebration of Holy Masses post obitum, that is, after the transition to eternal life. These offers are guaranteed by a document that the person receives from us and entrusts in turn to a relative or friend, who will inform the Pious Union to celebrate the Masses established by the person at the appropriate time.
Under your protection, oh Saint Joseph
Within of the Pious Union, i children entrusted to Saint Joseph form the group of Friends (Heralds) of Saint Joseph An invitation to parents and grandparents to entrust their children to our patron saint
by Don Bruno Capparoni
A page of La Santa Crociata bears the title In the family of Saint Joseph, with i names di those who do they rely on our Patron or thank him for the help received. Right at the beginning there is the list of the "Friends of Saint Joseph"; they are children and teenagers, but unfortunately there are not many names noted. I would therefore like to pay some attention to the value of this list.