A prayer basket for the month of All Souls

When you grow up Catholic, you hear about praying for souls from your earliest days. But I find that as I get older myself, praying for those who have died seems even more a part of my daily life. It seems so beautiful in the way it keeps us connected.

We have so many loved ones who have passed away. Maybe they need our prayers for this last stretch to the pearly gates. Maybe they’re already in heaven, and we need theirs. Wherever they are on their journey to heaven, we are so blessed to be able to pray for and with them.

At this time of the year, as the trees light up in bursts of vibrant color and the leaves start to fall, the Church invites us to remember all those who have died. It’s a longer list every year—and I imagine it is in your household, too. And I’m grateful for the month of November, which falls long after the warmth and fullness of summer have faded and before the celebrations of the holidays begin.

Somehow November—this time to remember all the souls who have died—is just what we need.

Every year, as we start November, I fill our prayer basket with slips of paper. Each one has the name of someone we know who has died. Every morning during the month, we will draw one slip of paper out of the basket, and that day we will pray for that person.

There’s nothing fancy about it. These are just pieces of paper with names scrawled on them. But there is something special about choosing an intention for the day. When I can, I reach out to friends to let them know we prayed for their loved one that day. And when I can’t, we simply pray and remember. Sometimes we tell stories about them. Sometimes I get to Mass that day. Sometimes I just carry that person in my thoughts throughout the day.

My day is different because they are on my mind. And I like to think my prayers make a difference for them too.

As St. Pio of Pietrelcina (Padre Pio) once said, “We must empty Purgatory with our prayers.”

Life is so precious and fleeting. What a gift it is to be able to pray for people we love who have passed away—and how wonderful to know we are connected to them even now.

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