Catholics are observing the month of the dead this month by offering up prayers for those who have died.

“This All Souls’ Day, as we remember the faithful departed, let us renew our commitment to loving God and loving one another. And let us, once again, set the goal of our life on going to heaven,” Archbishop Jose Gomez posted on Twitter. Gomez also serves as president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB).

Church doctrine requires that, during November, Catholics must pray for those who have died on earth, but have not yet entered Eternal Life, according to Catholic Culture. The Old Testament says alms and prayers were offered for the dead. Also, the Liturgical Meditations from the Sisters of St. Dominic says, "They who had fallen asleep with godliness had great grace laid up for them" and "it is therefore a holy and wholesome thought to pray for the dead, that they may be loosed from sins.”

Through his death and resurrection, Jesus opened the gates of Heaven to believers, the USCCB says, citing the Catechism of the Catholic Church. “All who die in God’s grace and friendship, but still imperfectly purified, are indeed assured of their eternal salvation, but after death they undergo purification, so as to achieve the holiness necessary to enter the joy of Heaven,” Paragraph 1030 reads. The place of purification the Church calls “Purgatory.” The teachings on Purgatory are based on Scripture. “The Church also commends almsgiving, indulgences and works of penance on behalf of the dead,” the Catechism says in paragraph 1032.

The month kicks off with All Souls Day on Nov. 2. That calls for Catholics to commemorate and pray for the faithful dead, according to the National Catholic Reporter (NCR). The practice began with St. Odilo of Cluny in the 10th century and has continued to this day. Burying the dead is one of the Corporal Works of Mercy.

“The bodies of the dead are not discarded vessels, but integral parts of a human being that will be reunited on the last day,” Clare Coffey, an NCR writer, says. “The separation is temporary, and they are still worthy of our respect and our love.”

Catholics typically say a special prayer for those loved ones who have died. My Catholic Prayers cites a common one: “Eternal rest grant unto him/her, O Lord, and let Your perpetual light shine upon him/her. May his/her soul and the souls of all the faithful departed rest in peace. Amen.”

Detroit Archbishop Allen Vigneron implored his parishioners to respect the traditions. “I hope that the Church of Detroit will develop an active community of intercessors praying regularly for the souls in purgatory” he wrote in a pastoral letter posted by the Archdiocese of Detroit on Twitter.