Questions / Prayer and the Church year
Do Catholics also pray for the dead?
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In short: Yes. Since the earliest days, because “it is a holy and a wholesome thought to pray for the dead.” CCC 958
The answer, in writing
From the earliest days, the Church has honored the memory of the dead and prayed for them, “because it is a holy and a wholesome thought to pray for the dead that they may be loosed from their sins.” CCC 958
Our prayer for them can help them, and can make their prayer for us effective. CCC 958
Love doesn’t stop at the grave, so prayer doesn’t either. Every Mass prays for those who have died.
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Sources on this page
How we know · 1 Catechism paragraph
- Catechism of the Catholic Church, paragraphs 958 (official text on vatican.va).
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