The following are answers to a few questions that I have received lately…

(The post of Mom’s death is here.)

You mentioned in your post of your mother’s death that she died one hour away from First Saturday? What is the significance of that and what is the Sabbatine Privilege?

Wearing the Scapular even extends to Purgatory.

The Sabbatine Privilege is based on the Papal Bull issued on March 3, 1322 by Pope John XXII. This Privilege was approved and confirmed by many popes including St. Pius V. It essentially says that those who wear the Scapular and fulfill two other conditions can obtain early liberation from Purgatory, through the special intercession of the Virgin Mary, on the day consecrated to her, Saturday.

The other two conditions are: 1) Observe chastity according to one’s state in life and 2) Recite the Little Office of Our Blessed Mother (the Rosary, with permission from a priest, can be substituted for the office).

Our Lady revealed to Venerable Dominic of Jesus and Mary: “Although many wear my Scapular, only a few fulfill conditions for the Sabbatine Privilege.” We maintain the majority don’t know them. It is an act of charity to make the Sabbatine Privilege known to all.

A soul from Purgatory was asked by a Sister: “What is the average stay of the souls in Purgatory?” The Poor Soul answered: “From thirty to forty years!” Can you see the importance of making Our Lady’s Privilege known – if you consider that the flames are the same as the fires of Hell!

In your post on your mom’s death, you laid your rings on her after she had passed. What was the reason for this?

We laid our rings on her so we could have something that touched her after her death.

Knowing my mom and who she was, what she stood for and the prayers she said, along with the Sabbatine Privilege, we were hopeful that she flew into the arms of Jesus and Mary. Therefore, we wanted something we wore all the time to be touched to her. If she is a saint in heaven, venerating that article brings blessings.

Keep in mind, we are not saying that we believe she is a saint…but we are hopeful. That being said, we will continue to pray for her and are having the Gregorian Masses said for her. (Don’t ever take it for granted that your loved one is in heaven, that’s a mistake you DON’T want to make. Continue to pray for them.)

What are the Gregorian Masses?

Gregorian Masses are a series of Holy Masses traditionally offered on 30 consecutive days as soon as possible after a person’s death. They are offered for an individual soul.

The custom of offering Gregorian Masses for a particular soul recognizes that few people are immediately ready for heaven after death, and that, through the infinite intercessory power of Christ’s sacrifice, made present in Holy Mass, a soul can be continually perfected in grace and enabled to enter finally into the union with the Most Holy Trinity – our God, Who is Love Itself.

History of Gregorian Masses

Gregorian Masses take their name from Saint Gregory the Great, who was sovereign Pontiff from 590 to 604. St. Gregory the Great contributed to the spread of the pious practice of having these Masses celebrated for the deliverance of the souls from purgatory. In his Dialogues, he tells us that he had Masses on thirty consecutive days offered for the repose of the soul of Justus, a monk who had died in the convent of St. Andrew in Rome. At the end of the thirtieth Mass, the deceased appeared to one of his fellow monks and announced that he had been delivered from the flames of Purgatory.

Where do you get them from…the Gregorian Masses?

We get ours from The Universal Living Rosary.

I have a question for you.  My Dad used to say of my Grandpa that he always “saw” him at a certain age no matter how old he got.  Do you have a special picture of your mom that she always looked that way to you?  Does she smile just right?  Do her eyes twinkle a little?  What color were her eyes?   Does she look like she can see exactly what you are thinking?  If you do, would you share it?  Those are the best pictures to show how someone was. 🙂
Here are some pictures of Mom as I remember her. She always struggled to lose weight and made the comment that she would finally lose weight when she was 90 years old and in her coffin. We loved her just the way she was, of course.
And she DID lose a lot of weight this past year…. (Her eyes were blue.)
Was your mom always Catholic? How did she survive the years when the Church became so liberal?
My mom was Catholic and was taught by the nuns. Her mom was a convert, her dad a staunch Catholic, though he did not talk about the Faith much, from what I gathered.
Dad and Mom fell away from the church for close to twenty-five years. When Mom made it back…through searching, because of her suffering…the Church had changed so much it was not recognizable from when her and dad left.
Mom persevered going to church and was ridiculed for receiving on the tongue, kneeling when receiving Communion, fully genuflecting, being reverent, etc.
She finally searched out a Traditional Mass…which was few and far between back then. She traveled far to go there….her family (all of us) thought she was nuts.
Through Mom’s reading of old Catholic books (discarded and bought from garage sales, etc.), spending two hours in prayer each morning (rising at 5am), wearing her scapular, etc., Mom became a solid Pillar of Faith. (Before she came back to the Church, she suffered much from depression, was on medication, and even went through”shock treatments” to try and help her ailments.)
The transformation was real and my brothers and I watched in awe (though not always supportive).
Mom’s faith and perseverance paid off. My dad died a holy death. There were signs and consolations after my two brothers’ deaths that we can have reasonable hope they made it.
My two other brothers in Canada are solid in the Faith. I love the faith and  pray to persevere always. My sister needs prayers but she is a prayerful person and, I believe, her journey will end well.
What greater gift can children have from their mother than the Faith that will lead them through life and past the threshold into Eternity?
Thanks, Mom.
“It follows that in helping your child to satisfy his basic emotional needs to love and be loved, you give something as necessary as food for his full development. So do not be beguiled by aspirations for a worldly career or by the desire to prove yourself as intelligent as men or as capable in affairs of the world as they. You can make your greatest contribution to your family as the heart of your home.” – Rev. George A. Kelly
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