As he was discovering Montligeon for the first time, Father Wilfried Koutoukloui, who traveled from Benin, told us about his special connection with the souls in purgatory. He explained why we should pray for the souls in purgatory and why the holy Mass should be offered to them, as “the biggest offering we may ever do”.
My first reason for being in Montligeon is to discover this amazing shrine I have been told about for so long. Indeed, I have been a member of the Fraternité Notre-Dame-de Montligeon for ten years. This visit provided me an opportunity to explore in depth how important it is to pray for the souls in purgatory.
In Benin, all major seminaries include praying for the souls in purgatory in their curriculum. That’s where I have discovered this practice and made it part of my prayer routine. I then realized how important it is to pray for the brothers and sisters who are on their way to their heavenly home, towards the Father, towards light and peace.
Why should we pray for the souls in purgatory?
In the communion of saints, a bound of love connects the living, the deceased and the saints in Heaven. This bound of love was meant by the Lord for all His creatures, for all men and women. God, who created us for eternity, wants us to enter into eternity with Him after our passage on earth. To make this possible, he has allowed those already in Heaven to intercede for those still on their way. Likewise he has allowed those who go through purification in purgatory to benefit from their prayer and their assistance, just like us while we are still on earth. Through our prayers, our sacrifices and, most of all, by the offering of the Eucharist, we can help those souls as they are awaiting God’s mercy.
Africa, a fertile ground for the prayer for the deceased
I believe that our prayers are very helpful for those souls. In Africa, we are particularly aware of this. As a matter of fact, through our cultures we have developped the certainty that interceding for them is essential, so much so that keeping a connection with them is a duty. Thanks to such cultural practices, and in the light of the Gospel, we perfectly understand the importance of praying for the souls in purgatory.
Offering the holy Mass for the souls in purgatory
Since my ordination, I pray for the souls in purgatory in a very special way on each mass. This has become my ordinary practice, because mass is the greatest offering we can do.
Although I was already doing this in my country, celebrating here is even more important, because Montligeon is the world centrer for the souls in purgatory. And I give thanks to God for this opportunity to celebrate Mass here in this shrine.
A message for my friends in Cotonou
First of all, I would urge them to realize the importance of praying for the souls in purgatory. Then, I encourage all Beninese who will travel to France to come and visit this shrine. And last, I would invite them to enroll the deceased members of their families with the Fraternité Notre-Dame de Montligeon. You can register the living as well. Everyday, there are Masses celebrated for the members of the Fraternité Notre-Dame de Montligeon, both living or deceased.
