Roxane hiked to Montligeon with a friend. After a 15 miles walk, they arrived at the Shrine for the Easter vigil in the evening. On this occasion, she told us that she had enrolled her deceased godfather at perpetual mass and explained what a consolation it is for those who stay behind.
Perpetual Mass
“As I was already familiar with the shrine, I had been able to register my godfather for perpetual mass (which is celebrated daily at the shrine, Editor’s note). In fact, by registering our loved ones – or just people we may know well or not so well -, we can pray for them every day at Mass. So it is a very strong reassurance to know that, every day, someone is praying for your loved ones.
So that was really the important thing for me when I enrolled my my godfather on the register of the Shrine. It also helped other people in my family to overcome their grief. Or at least to get through it better. The fact is, as he died following an illness, which was a very painful situation for my grandmother (his mother), she had been mourning him for several years.
The living get solace
I wrote a card to my grandmother to share my registration process. On the back of the card, there was a depiction of a sick man in bed, with the Virgin Mary coming to reassure him, or at least to take him with her. In this powerful image, my grandmother saw a personal message. Later, she had a revelation and realized that my godfather had joined heaven. She felt allowed to take a break and find inner peace.
Talking to Don Pierre in particular, I realized that I might be the key to helping my godfather on his way to heaven. Of course I am just a passing messenger. But if it helped, here or up there, so much the better.
Death changes our lives
Death upsets us because we are powerless against it. There is nothing we can do about it. Often it comes unexpectedly – not really the way we wanted it to be. It makes us want to do better for our loved ones, and so it also brings us closer to God.
Eventually, death is a kind of gift. Joining our eternal Father is not a sad thing. In fact it is just the opposite. And it may also bring a family together.”
