Our Jurisdiction would be more than happy to say GREGORIAN MASSES for your deceased for
the deliverance of their souls from Purgatory to Heaven. Please contact us: chiesaortodossa.occidentale@gmail.com
The practice of Gregorian Masses is an ancient tradition in which it is
believed that a continuous series of thirty Masses would release the
soul of a deceased person from the punishments of Purgatory.
Pope Benedict XIII lauded this pious practice of having thirty Masses
said for each soul that has departed from this life.
The history of the "Thirty Mass" practice goes back to the year 590 A.D.
in St. Andrew's Monastery in Rome, founded by St. Gregory the Great in
his own family villa around 570. It is now known as the Monastery of St.
Gregory the Great. The account of the incident which gave rise to it is
recounted by St. Gregory himself in his Dialogues.
After his election as Pope in 590, one of the monks, Justus by name,
became ill. So he admitted to a lay friend, Copiosus, that he had hidden
three gold pieces among his medications years before, when he was
professed a monk. Both, in fact, were former physicians. And sure
enough, the other monks found the gold when seeking the medication for
Justus.
The founder and former abbot of the monastery, now Pope Gregory, hearing
of this scandalous sin against the monastic Rule, called in the new
Abbot of his beloved monastery, and ordered the penalty of solitary
confinement for Justus, even though he was dying, and ordered that his
burial not be in the cemetery but in the garbage dump. Copiosus told his
wretched friend of this decision. Moreover, the community were to
recite over his dreadful grave the words of St. Peter to Simon the
Magician: "May your money perish with you" (Acts 8:20).
The Pope's desired result was achieved: Justus made a serious
repentance, and all the monks a serious examination of conscience.
Justus then died, but the matter did not, for thirty days later Pope
Gregory returned to the monastery filled with concern for Justus, who
would now be suffering the grim temporal punishment of Purgatory's fire
for his sins. "We must," said Gregory to the Abbot, "come by charity to
his aid, and as far as possible help him to escape this chastisement. Go
and arrange thirty Masses for his soul, so that for thirty consecutive
days the Saving Victim is immolated for him without fail." And so it was
done.
Some days later, the deceased monk, Justus, appeared in a vision to his
friend Copiosus and said, "I have just received the Communion pardon and
release from Purgatory because of the Masses said for me." The monks
did a calculation, and noted that it was exactly thirty days since the
thirty Masses had begun for Justus. They shared this great consolation
with each other, with their Abbott and with Pope Gregory. The Pope
included a full account of this episode.
