“1000 souls? One simple prayer? Can I do that?”
The questions of an inquisitive little girl had begun. As a child, my parents would gather at my Nana’s home with a group of others to recite the rosary every Wednesday night. Most of the time, I would tag along, happily taking on the job of passing out papers to ensure that everyone had copies of the prayers to be said throughout the evening. Little did I know how much this role served as a precursor for another special mission that I would take up for a lifetime.
As my Nana’s blue handouts spread throughout the room, my eyes would gaze upon each prayer, long before I could even understand the words. The Saint Gertrude’s prayer was among the many listed. I initially did not know of its significance, since to me, it was simply a routine prayer that I would try to join in saying. One night, I decided to ask Nana what this prayer was all about and what she told me will forever remain in my mind. She explained that Saint Gertrude was a woman who received visions from the Lord. Through her prayers and writings, we can learn about the depth of God’s love for us and for the salvation of all souls. God gave Saint Gertrude this specific prayer for the specific purpose of releasing 1,000 souls from Purgatory each and every time it is prayed with love and devotion.
“1000 souls? One simple prayer? Can I do that?” I asked Nana in return. I was and still am so amazed at how one little prayer can have that much power. Whoa. Talk about mind-blowing! From that day forward, I began to pray this prayer every night, every time I struggled, and honestly, at every moment possible. I can’t explain why I had a sudden love and devotion to this prayer and its mission of saving souls, but something within me held on tight and hasn’t let go since.
Maybe it’s because this prayer charges us with a clear purpose in a world full of confusion and ever changing expectations. Maybe it’s rewarding to know that “help is on the way” for those deceased who can no longer pray for themselves or have anyone to pray for them. Or maybe, just maybe, it’s personal: feeling a humble honor to be able to help the souls of my passed loved ones to enter eternal life. No matter what the reason, prayer changes things, and the Saint Gertrude prayer indeed changes the state of a soul! Best of all, we all have an incredible mission and part to play in helping to expedite their purification, alleviate their suffering and quench the longing these souls have for heaven!
For whatever reason I started praying the Saint Gertrude prayer, I know now that I have a strong desire to help souls. My prayer is that one day I will be able to greet the souls that I have prayed so hard for, face to face, and together, we can glorify and praise our Creator for all eternity! The Saint Gertrude prayer has helped me to realize the truth that it is “a holy and wholesome thought to pray for the dead, that they may be loosed from sin.” (2 Macabees 12:46). In fact, when souls reach their heavenly home, they then pray for those who prayed for them, out of gratitude! It is this reciprocating gift of prayer and intercession that makes the mission of prayer mighty!
Eternal Father, I offer Thee the Most Precious Blood of Thy Divine Son, Jesus, in union with the masses said throughout the world today, for all the holy souls in purgatory, for sinners everywhere, for sinners in the universal church, those in my own home, and within my family.
The Saint Gertrude Prayer
Born Dignified 