ST. FAUSTINA PRAYER BOOK

FOR THE HOLY SOULS IN PURGATORY

By Susan Tassone

Our Sunday Visitor, 2015

168 pages, $16

To order: EWTNRC.com (Item: T1759)

 

Just when you think author Susan Tassone has found all there is to find about praying for the souls in purgatory — after having already written eight books on the subject — the “Purgatory Lady” has found more insights to share and inspire with her ninth tome.

“The Catholic Church’s teaching on purgatory is all about the abundance of God’s mercy, love and grace,” writes Tassone. “God invites us to play a role in this masterpiece of his mercy.”

The title sets the stage for reading during the Jubilee Year of Mercy. After all, St. Faustina’s primary role was bringing Jesus’ message of Divine Mercy to the world. So how does that affect the souls already in purgatory? They come under the large umbrella of the seventh spiritual work of mercy: “Pray for the living and the dead.”

Tassone highlights two areas: Naturally, praying for the souls in purgatory can shorten their stay and help them get to heaven. And praying for the living — those dying and for all — so they can seek and receive mercy is vital, too.

To tell us what St. Faustina has to say about these areas and about Divine Mercy, the book has a wealth of quotes from St. Faustina’s diary.

Included is the section about the “Divine Mercy Rosary for Holy Souls” that Tassone puts together.

“St. Faustina treasured the Rosary,” Tassone writes to introduce this devotion. “She prayed it while walking (especially in the cemetery) and while working in the garden. She knew its power and grace, as well as its special protection, especially for the dying and the holy souls in purgatory.”

In another section called “Purgatory in the Eyes of St. Faustina,” not only are there important insights from Faustina’s diary, but the author adds her own reflection after each one. The author also brings in bonus quotes and prayers from other beloved saints. One is St. Alphonsus Ligouri’s “Prayer to Our Lady of Pity,” and the other is St. Gertrude on the power of Mary and her “Heroic Act of Charity.” These “extras” from different saints add even more weight and reason for us to pray for the holy souls and for the living so they, too, become holy souls.

Of course, some of Faustina’s own prayers are part of the book as well. Tassone provides a variety of other prayers throughout, including ones such as a “Novena for the Holy Souls,” a “Way of the Cross” and a number of others, such as those to St. Joseph as patron of the dying. The author has added a section on “Frequently Asked Questions on Purgatory,” and an appendix contains an explanation on indulgences and the “25 Practical Teachings on Spiritual Warfare Jesus Taught St. Faustina.”

If you have any of Tassone’s other books on the holy souls and purgatory, and even if you don’t, make room on your bookshelf for this latest one. It will do nothing but good for you and the holy souls in purgatory. And, according to Church teaching, your new heavenly friends will be praying for you, too.

Joseph Pronechen is a

Register staff writer.