Exorcist Diary #360: A Priest in Purgatory

["The Virgin Mary intercedes for Purgatory's souls," Sebastiano Ricci, 1687-1688]

Last week I spoke about the fact that there are no "stuck souls," that is, there are no deceased souls who remain attached to this world and cannot pass on to the next life without help. The Church firmly teaches that upon death we are immediately subject to our own particular judgment and are consigned to heaven, hell, or purgatory.

But there are souls in purgatory who, at times by God's providence, contact us needing our prayers. There are even cases of priests in purgatory asking for our prayers. The following is a case in point...

One of our exorcists shared with me the following experience:

I was an associate pastor. The pastor told me that, before I arrived, a parish in the diocese was experiencing a strange phenomenon. Every morning when the sacristan came to prepare for Mass, he found the altar set up for Mass with the candles burning. He asked if anyone had prepared the altar for Mass, and no one admitted to it. The parish priest denied the accusation, and the sacristan was the only one with access to the Church in the morning, aside from the pastor. Eventually, the bishop was notified because it was happening daily without any possible explanation. It was discovered that the previous parish priest, who had died, had a stash of Mass intentions for the dead that were never celebrated. The bishop asked the priests in his diocese to celebrate Masses for the dead for (I think one month) all the missing Masses. Once the month had passed, the altar was found normal again.

I find this especially interesting since, some years ago, a priest-friend told me a similar story. Years ago, after a priest-pastor died, the new pastor said there were a number of unexplained, apparently preternatural, phenomena in the rectory. After some discernment and searching, they found a drawerful of unsaid Mass intentions. Again, the pastor said all the Mass intentions and the preternatural phenomenon ceased.

We all have a call to pray for deceased souls, especially passed loved ones. For example, Padre Pio said that the majority of souls that visited him during his life were souls in purgatory needing his intercession. This is a startling statement given the countless living people that made their way to San Giovanni Rotondo seeking the saint's intercession during his lifetime.

These experiences show the importance of our prayers for the dead, and offering Masses for them. I think we priests have a special ministry to pray for our deceased brother priests. Morever, priests must diligently fulfill their duties including ensuring Mass intentions received are fulfilled.

Ps. Do have your own personal experience of a soul in purgatory that needed prayers? Email us with your story at: stmichaelcenter77@gmail.com.

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