All Souls Day

"Indeed, on the day after the feast of All Saints,

when the Church joyfully celebrates

the communion of saints and human salvation,

St Odilo (abbot of the monastery of Cluny)

urged his monks to say special prayers for all the dead,

thus mysteriously contributing

to their entry into beatitude;

the custom of solemnly interceding for the dead

in a celebration which St Odilo called All Souls Day

gradually spread from the Abbey of Cluny

and is now the practice throughout the universal Church.

"In praying for the dead,

the Church above all contemplates

the mystery of the Resurrection of Christ,

who obtains salvation and eternal life for us

through his Cross."

The great John Paul II
Message for Millenium of All Souls Day, 1-2 (excerpt)
June 2, 1998

(adapted from a previous post)