Mortuary List
November is the month in which we remember the dead.
This is also when we redraft our Mortuary List.
WHY DO WE PRAY FOR THE DEAD?
Praying for our deceased loved ones is an ancient practice among Catholic and Orthodox Christians. We believe in a time of purification after death when the soul is purged in readiness for entry into the presence of God. Catholics call this purgatory.
We intercede to God on behalf of those who have gone before us. In this way, we ensure that their names are remembered. We trust that others will pray for us in turn, one day, until we are all reunited in heaven.
In the Second Book of Maccabees, we read how Judas Maccabeus took up a collection among his men so that that sacrifices might be offered in the Temple for the forgiveness of the sins of his dead soldiers. The writer then comments:
In doing this, he acted in a very excellent and noble way… for if he were not expecting the fallen to rise again, it would have been superfluous and foolish to pray for the dead. But if he did this with a view to the splendid reward that awaits those who had gone to rest in godliness, it was a holy and pious thought. Thus, he made atonement for the dead that they might be absolved from their sin.
2 Maccabees 12: 43-45.
WHAT IS THE MORTUARY LIST?
The Mortuary List is like a rollcall of our deceased relatives and neighbours. Unlike the Maccabees, we don’t sacrifice animals. The supreme sacrifice of the Cross is made present to us at Holy Mass. Every week the Mass is offered for those on the Mortuary List.
Every November, you are invited to submit names for a new Mortuary List. It is customary to make a cash offering. These contributions go to the archdiocese which then shares the money among those clergy who will offer these Masses. There is no stipulated amount, but please be mindful that this annual stipend is a great help to priests stationed in very poor neighbourhoods.
HOW DO I SUBMIT THE NAMES OF MY LOVED ONES?
You have a choice of two methods:
ONLINE FORM: Click the button below to fill out the list online. You can make an optional donation online or can EFT your amount to the parish bank account. The details are:
Account: Saint Michael’s Catholic Church
Bank: Standard Bank
Current Account No: 071 494 847
Reference: MORTUARY LIST & your last name
WRITTEN FORM: Complete the form distributed at church, then place it and your donation into the envelope provided. You can drop these into the collection basket.
DEADLINE: Please submit your names by the end of November.
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