After the death of a coworker, Emmanuel decided to pray the rosary for the deceased. Three times a week, he goes to his parish in Saint-Lubin-du-Perche to pray. Little by little, his prayers came to include all the souls in Purgatory. Like him, many members of the Fraternity’s prayer groups gathered at the Shrine of Our Lady of Montligeon on June 6-7, 2026, for a weekend of prayer, teaching, and fellowship.
“My name is Emmanuel, I’m 37 years old, and I’ve been coming to Notre-Dame de Montligeon for several years. I’ve been part of a prayer group with the Fraternity for a year. In my parish of Saint-Lubin-du-Perche, I pray the rosary three times a week for the deceased.”
“I first became familiar with the Basilica of Notre-Dame de Montligeon when I was a child, through my Catholic faith. I was baptized and received my First Communion not far away from here. Later on, I continued to practice my faith in my parish. Montligeon was part of my spiritual landscape, but I hadn’t yet realized just how significant a role this place would come to play in my life.
Not long ago, I lost a coworker. His death impacted me deeply. From that point on, I wanted to extend my prayer to include the deceased, our departed loved ones and the souls in purgatory. I didn’t want to just keep his memory alive. I wanted to pray. I wanted to take concrete, faithful, and regular action.
“I’ve been part of the Fraternity’s prayer group for a year.”
Joining the Fraternity of Notre-Dame de Montligeon has allowed me to learn a great deal about purgatory and about praying for those who have passed away. I discovered that this prayer is not only for a few privileged people. It involves the whole Church. Everyone is concerned, including our families, our friends, our colleagues, and also all those whom no one mentions anymore.
Nowadays, I pray the Rosary three times a week at my parish. Each time, I make sure to include the prayer to Our Lady Liberatrix. Remaining faithful to this devotion helps me keeping united with the departed and entrust them to God.
The benefits of the Fraternity of Our Lady of Montligeon for me
The Fraternity has been so beneficial for me. First of all, it has allowed me to engage more deeply in prayer for the deceased. I was already familiar with Montligeon. I used to visit this basilica. But at some point, I had to move from a personal connection to a more specific commitment.
I was welcomed and encouraged by Don Paul Denizot. He gave me advice. He served as a guiding light for me. At one point, he gave me the go-ahead, telling me that I was ready, that I needed to take the plunge and was capable of it. Those words helped me take that next step.
I started by attending the perpetual Masses here in Montligeon. Then I became a volunteer at the basilica of Notre-Dame de Montligeon. Then came the grand Mass for the Pilgrimage to Heaven on November 1. I was there. I had a conversation about my colleague who had passed away. The next day, I made my decision: I was in. I signed up.
“That’s very important.”
This prayer seems helpful to me. It gives me a role. It allows me to do something for the departed. When you join a prayer group, you’re not left alone with your grief or your memories. You join in a communal prayer, supported by the Church, alongside others who are moving in the same direction. “You’ll feel at peace, comforted, and useful.”
A Prayer for All the Departed
This personal grief was my starting point. I was thinking of my coworker. I was also thinking of my deceased family members. Then, little by little, my prayer expanded. It didn’t stop at the people I had known. It opened up to all the souls in purgatory.
In my view, Heaven is every person’s destination. I like to think of the deceased as angels in Heaven, as great stars in the night. This image helps me to keep remembering them. It also helps me to continue to pray for them, even when time passes. Above all we should not forget those deceased people.
Praying for the dead does not mean dwelling on the past. It means maintaining a connection through prayer. It means believing that our prayers can accompany those who have left us. It also means recognizing that the deceased do not disappear from our lives as if they had never existed.
So I pray for my loved ones, for my acquaintances, for the people I have loved, but also for those who need this prayer. The Fraternity has helped me move from personal suffering to a more universal form of prayer. I don’t pray just because I’ve lost someone. I pray because this mission is meaningful.
“I pray the rosary at my parish three times a week.”
This regular schedule helps me. It gives me a rhythm, making prayer a part of my week. In this way, the memory of the deceased does not remain only in my heart; it becomes a prayer that is repeated, offered, and entrusted.
The Fraternity Weekend, a step to move forward
The Fraternity Weekend brings together members of prayer groups at the Shrine of Our Lady of Montligeon. It offers an opportunity to pray together, receive some teachings, and get to know one another. For me, rhis was my first time participating as a member of a prayer group.
At first, I was a little nervous. There were new people to meet. I wasn’t quite sure how things would go, or how the way we pray in our parish would fit in with the prayer practiced here, in this place dedicated to the deceased and the souls in purgatory.
In the end, everything went very well. We were provided with teachings, times of prayer, and discussions. I heard Sister Cécile’s guidance. I also listened to Marie Houdebert, who leads the prayer groups, and to Fr. François-Régis Moreau. Their talks helped us further our understanding of what we’re already experiencing in our parishes. They also gave us insights on how to continue, move forward, and improve the way we serve this mission.
This weekend showed me that I wasn’t alone. Other people are also praying for the deceased. Other groups are coming together. Other parishes are praying for this intention. Furthermore, coming to Montligeon allows us to connect our local prayers with the work of the shrine. What we do in a parish then takes on a broader dimension.
I have come to understand that this prayer requires fidelity. It also requires us to grow in faith, to listen, and to receive. We do not pray solely with our own words or emotions. We join a prayer which has been upheld by the Church for a long time, and which Montligeon helps us to live out today.
A promise to keep moving forward
During the Pilgrimage to Heaven in November 2025, I made my vow. That moment had a profound impact on me. I received the recognition presented by Don Paul Denizot. It was a deeply moving experience for me, because I was thinking of my deceased loved ones, my family members, and my coworker.
This act gave me strength. It gave me even more strength to learn, to keep going, and to continue on this path. I do not view this promise as an end in itself. Rather, I see it as a commitment to continue praying and to remain faithful to this mission.
Today, I know that this prayer for the souls in purgatory helps me make progress. It makes me more mindful of the deceased. It unites me with those who pray in the Fraternity. It also reminds me that no one should be forgotten.
“It gave me even more strength to learn and continue on this path.”
In praying for the souls in purgatory—as Emmanuel’s testimony clearly shows—a bereavement experienced by an individual can become a path of prayer, and then a mission shared with others. In Montligeon, this prayer takes on a tangible form. It is lived out in prayer groups, in the “Pilgrimages to Heaven,” in perpetual Masses, and in trust in Our Lady Liberatrix.
