Such an amazing gift that our faith enables us to do!
48 (…) However, the souls of the departed can obtain “solace and refreshment” from the Eucharist, prayer and almsgiving. The belief that love can reach into the afterlife, that reciprocal giving and receiving is possible, in which our affection for one another continues beyond the limits of death—this has been a fundamental conviction of Christianity throughout the ages and it remains a source of comfort today. Who would not feel the need to convey to their departed loved ones a sign of kindness, a gesture of gratitude or even a request for pardon? (…). Spe salvi (In hope we are saved, 30 November 2007) | BENEDICT XVI
Death does not severe relations
49 (…) “Therefore the union of the wayfarers with the brethren who have gone to sleep in the peace of Christ is not in the least weakened or interrupted, but on the contrary, according to the perpetual faith of the Church, is strengthened by communication of spiritual goods.”
Lumen Gentium ( Lumière des nations, 21 November 1964). Concile Vatican II
“My deceased beloved does not belong to my past but to my future”
Rev. Fr. Don Paul Denizot interview on KTO French Catholic TV Channel on 1st November 2019.
At the shrine of Montligeon, writing a postcard to a deceased person is simple.
Two easy steps to choose from: if on a visit at the shrine, you merely have to take a “Thank You/Sorry” card, fill it in and place it in the “Petitions box” located to the right, beneath the statue of Our Lady of Montligeon, also known as Our Lady of deliverance of the poor souls. Pray to Our Lord, through Mary’s intercession, let your deceased know of your gratitude, or request their forgiveness.
Or, you download and print the card, and send it at your convenience to the shrine by postal or electronic mail.
To thank a deceased person
It is essential to express our gratitude to our beloved departed: for their existence, for what they were, for what they taught us, for the good times we shared. Just as essential as that of expressing to a living why we love them.
In order to ask forgiveness from or to forgive a deceased person
He is deceased, she is departed. I did not find time to thank him/her. I could not ask him/her for forgiveness… In the communion of saints, we believe that we can still reach out to them and that the love bond is not severed. That it continues beyond death.