by Hannah Brockhaus Rome Newsroom, Nov 2, 2022 / 06:00 am On All Souls’ Day, the Catholic Church remembers all those who have died and prays for them in a particular way. But why do Catholics pray for the souls of the dead — not only on Nov. 2 but …

by Mary Farrow Denver, Colo., Nov 1, 2021 / 18:30 pm In the 2017 Disney-Pixar movie “Coco,” the main character, Miguel, accidentally passes over into the land of the dead on Dia De Los Muertos (Day of the Dead) while trying to reconcile his love of music with his family’s …

by Jonah McKeown St. Louis, Mo., Sep 10, 2022 / 06:00 am The Catholic Church’s teaching on purgatory — the “cleansing fire” that prepares the elect for heaven — can be difficult to understand. But for one saint, the Catholic imperative to pray for the dead was made very real …

All Souls Day immediately follows All Saints Day in the Church calendar for good reason: Vatican II’s Dogmatic Constitution on the Church, Lumen Gentium, reaffirms our ancient faith as Catholics “in the living communion which exists between us and our brothers and sisters who are in the glory of heaven …

Question of Faith: If saints are known to be in heaven, are there particular souls known to be in hell? The Church does not judge whether certain souls are in hell. Such judgment is for God alone. Even those individuals who appear to have lived contrary to Christ’s teachings may …

When did the belief in heaven and hell originate among Christians? I have heard that Jewish believers, some early Christians, and even possibly Jesus did not believe in an afterlife. Most Christians would probably be surprised to know of the diversity of Judeo-Christian beliefs about the world to come. The …

What happens after we die? For Catholics, we believe that we will be judged and placed in either heaven or hell, but that those welcomed to heaven might have to take a stop along the way in purgatory. What do we know about this place, and did this doctrine come …

Dear Father: What happened to Purgatory? Haven’t heard about it for decades. Did it go away? What are the past and current teachings of the church on the subject? Dear Reader: Thank you for your question. Purgatory is still very much a part of church teaching. In paragraphs 1030-1032 of …