Recta Ratio

O Mary, may the souls who suffer cruel torments in Purgatory, purified by the ardor of the flames, be the object of thy compassion!
O Mary, Open Spring which cleanses our faults, Reconciler of sinners, reach out to those who pray thee and implore thine assistance in Purgatory!
O Mary, intercede for our deceased. They await patiently the end of their suffering when they will see thee and taste eternal joys!
O Mary, Model of the Just, Guide of the faithful, Salvation of those who hope in thee, help us to pray ardently for the souls of the deceased and touch the Heart of thy Divine Son!
O Mary, by the merits you have gained, give the dead true life, obtain mercy for them, and be the way which leads to your Son Jesus and to Eternal Rest! Amen!

Jesus, for the sake of the agony that You endured during Your fear of death in the Garden of Gethsemane, at the Scourging and Crowning, on the way to Mt. Calvary, at Your Crucifixion and at Your Death, have mercy on the souls in Purgatory and especially on those who are completely forgotten! Deliver them from their bitter pains, call them to You and embrace them in Your Arms in Heaven! Pray 1 Our Father, 1 Hail Mary Lord, grant them eternal rest. Amen. O Lord, Jesus Christ, through the Sacred Blood that You shed during Your fear of death in the Garden of Gethsemane, please deliver the souls of Your faithful from the sufferings of the fires of Purgatory, in particular those who are most neglected, and lead them to their place in Your Splendor to glorify and praise You in eternity. Pray 1 Our Father, 1 Hail Mary O Lord, Jesus Christ, through the Sacred Blood that You shed during Your merciless flogging, please deliver all the souls of the faithful, in particular those who are closest to their liberation, and lead them to seeing You so that they may glorify and praise You in eternity. Pray 1 Our Father, 1 Hail Mary O Lord, Jesus Christ, through the Sacred Blood that You shed during Your painful Crowning, please deliver all souls of the Christian faithful from the dungeon of Purgatory, in particular those who would have to suffer there very much longer, and lead them into the Blessed Community of the Chosen, so that they may glorify and praise You in eternity. Pray 1 Our Father, 1 Hail Mary O Lord, Jesus Christ, through the Sacred Blood that You shed during Your gruesome Crucifixion, please deliver all the souls of the departed, in particular those of my father, my mother, my brothers and sisters, my relatives, my benefactors, and lead them to eternal joys, so that they may glorify and praise You in eternity. Pray 1 Our Father, 1 Hail Mary O Lord, Jesus Christ, through the Sacred Blood that poured from Your Blessed Side, please deliver all Poor Souls from Purgatory, in particular those who during their lives especially served Your Blessed Virgin Mother, and lead them to Your Eternal Glory, so that they may glorify and praise You in eternity. Pray 1 Our Father, 1 Hail Mary

Our Lord dictated the following prayer to St. Gertrude the Great to release 1,000 Souls from Purgatory each time it is said:

Eternal Father, I offer Thee the Most Precious Blood of Thy Divine Son, Jesus, in union with all 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.
Amen.

Saint Gertrude the Great, please pray for us!

Today is the feast of the Saint who taught Saint Thomas Aquinas everything he knew.

Saint Albertus Magnus, please pray for us!

Today the Church celebrates Saint Martin of Tours, one of the most important saints in western Christendom.

Martin was born in Pannonia around 325, and entered the Roman army's elite cavalry at an early age. Encountering a beggar while was stationed at Amiens, he divided his cloak with him. According to legend, the beggar revealed himself to be Christ himself.

Shortly after age 20, he was baptized and left the army, becoming an exorcist under the direction of Saint Hilary of Poitiers. He lived as a hermit on the island of Gallinaria, and returned to Gaul where he founded a monastery at Liguge, the first important monastery in the West. His monastery followed the Rule of Saint Basil.

In 371, he was forcibly carried off to become bishop of Tours. He had hidden from the delegation from Tours, but his hiding place, it is said, was revealed by a goose, hence the custom of eating goose on Martinmas.

He ruled the see of Tours for 26 years. In that time, he made numerous conversions in Berry, Touraine, Anjou, Beauce, Dauphiny, Paris, Luxembourg, Trier, and Sennonais. Wherever he went, he cast down idols, built churches, and left priests and monks to carry out his work.

In 397, worn out, he lay dying at Candes. His followers begged him to live. He struggled to say, "If God finds that I can still be of use to His people, I do not at all refuse to work and to struggle longer." He died with his face turned to Heaven.

He became almost immediately, the most popular saint in Chistendom. In France alone, 4,000 churches are dedicated to him, and over 500 villages are named for him.

Martinmas in Europe corresponds to the traditional time for slaughtering animals not intended to be kept alive through the winter. It also signals the time that the new vintage of wine is ready for drinking. Fresh beef and Beaujolais Noveau have traditionally meant feasting in Europe. So Martinmas has traditionally been a jolly time, a last opportunity to enjoy God's bounty before the fast of Advent starts.

Here is what Fisheaters has on Martinmas and its customs.