The Promise Of St. Gertrude's Prayer For Souls In Purgatory: True Or False?

What if you could free 1,000 souls from purgatory in less than 20 seconds?

Would you do it?

Could you do it?

At the risk of sounding flip – the answer to that last question depends on whom you ask.

The reference here is to the “Prayer of St. Gertrude for the Souls in Purgatory":

“Eternal Father, I offer Thee the most precious blood of thy Divine Son, Jesus, in union with the Masses said throughout the world today, for all the Holy Souls in Purgatory; for sinners everywhere, for sinners in the universal church, those in my own home and within my family, amen.”

The last portion is in italics because it’s not part of St. Gertrude’s original prayer. Someone extended the prayer to include living sinners on earth after St. Gertrude provided the original text, which ended with the word purgatory.

I say that prayer in about 16 seconds, which explains the 20-second time limit. It’s the other part of that first question that requires a history lesson.

If you search the web for “St. Gertrude’s Prayer for the Souls in Purgatory,” virtually every result includes language identical – or very close to – this:

“Our Lord told St. Gertrude that the prayer would release 1,000 souls from purgatory each time it is said with sincerity.”

Some sites include the note that the prayer and its indulgence received “approval and recommendation by Cardinal Pahiarca, Lisbon, Portugal, March 4, 1936.”

Um … no.

You see, the prayer is included in a little book (less than 30 pages) all about purgatory, written by Father Paul O’Sullivan, called “Read Me or Rue It.” The book opens with a paragraph explaining that it – the book – received the approval of His Eminence the Cardinal Patriarch of Lisbon on March 4, 1936. From here, then, it seems that His Eminence may not have intended approval and recommendation of the specific prayer of St. Gertrude and its specific free-1,000-souls indulgence.

Oh, and for the record, research here revealed that D. Manuel Gonçalves served from 1929 to 1971 as Cardinal Patriarch of Lisbon.

We turn now to Acta Sanctae Sedis (Acts of the Holy See), published monthly in Rome from 1865 to 1908. The following appears in Acta Sanctae Sedis No. 32 on page 243:

“The leaflets and booklets which promise the faithful that they will free one or more souls from purgatory by the recitation of some prayer or another are to be rejected … and the indulgences which are wont to be attached to the said promise are to be held as apocryphal.”

According to the document about this I found on the Our Lady of the Rosary Library website (www.olrl.org), those words come from the Congregation of Indulgences and Holy Relics, “which is run in a way that is pious, holy, and incorrupt….” Pope Clement IX created the Congregation in July 1669, and Pope Pius X united it to the Congregation of Rites in January 1904.

I confess; I was crushed to learn that a formal congregation of the Holy See had declared apocryphal, more than a century ago, the 1,000-souls promise. Such a ruling takes precedence. For years – ever since I learned of St. Gertrude’s prayer and its promise – I have been saying it faithfully; early and often; daily.

In explaining St. Gertrude’s vision as it relates to the prayer, Father O’Sullivan writes, “Our Lord showed St. Gertrude a vast number of souls leaving purgatory and going to heaven as a result of this prayer, which the Saint was accustomed to say frequently during the day.” Based on my read of the Acta Sanctae Sedis section quoted above, even the “softer” description Father O’Sullivan provided in “Read Me or Rue It” is apocryphal.

Webster defines the adjective apocryphal as meaning “of doubtful authenticity,” and lists the word fictitious as a synonym. Bottom line – the Congregation of Indulgences and Relics isn’t buying the “1,000-souls promise.”

I say:

I have faith that St. Gertrude believed what she reported came from our Lord. And I believe hers is a powerful prayer that we can – and must – use to benefit the Holy Souls in purgatory.

I have faith that Father O’Sullivan believed what he reported.

I have faith that the Congregation of Indulgences and Relics believed what it proclaimed.

Finally – and most importantly – I believe the Holy Souls in purgatory and living sinners on earth need our prayers – early and often, and daily.

So I keep praying St. Gertrude’s prayer, and I hope you’ll join me. Stay faithful, my friends.