The Archdiocese of Detroit tweeted that Bishop Gerard Battersby and the Very Reverend J.J. Mech were to celebrate a Requiem Mass for All Souls Day on Nov. 2, at the Cathedral of the Most Blessed Sacrament.

A Requiem Mass is a Mass that is offered up on behalf of the departed. 

“On #AllSoulsDay, we remember and pray for the souls of the faithfully departed.  Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon them,” the Archdiocese of Detroit tweeted. 

While the final destination of a man or woman of God is heaven, the Catholic doctrine of purgatory teaches that all those who die in a state of friendship with God, though ultimately heading to heaven, may go first to purgatory to be separated from any sins that they are still attached to at the time of their deaths.

 2 Maccabees chapter 12 verses 44-45 is strong biblical proof for purgatory: “For had he not expected the fallen to rise again, it would have been superfluous and foolish to pray for the dead, where if he had in view the splendid recompense reserved for those who make a pious end, the thought was holy and devout. Hence, he had this expiatory sacrifice offered for the dead, so that they might be released from their sin.” 

The Cathedral is a Neo-Gothic style Roman Catholic cathedral, which is the seat of the archbishop of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Detroit.

According to Britannica, “Roman Catholic doctrine holds that the prayers of the faithful on earth will help cleanse these souls in order to fit them for the vision of God in heaven, and the day is dedicated to prayer and remembrance. Requiem Masses are commonly held, and many people visit and sometimes decorate the graves of loved ones.”