This beautiful Gothic style church on the outskirts of Normandy is about 93 miles west of Paris. It is the sole shrine in the world dedicated to praying for the dead. Fr. Paul Joseph Buguet (1843-1918), a humble rural parish priest, is the founder of the shrine and worldwide confraternity.

In 1878, Fr. Buguet wanted to help the inhabitants of the parish and village who were suffering from unemployment and a means to survive. They weren’t thinking about the poor souls in need of prayer, as they were in such need themselves.

Fr. Buguet had solutions both in creating jobs for them and teaching them to pray for the holy souls.

In 1884, the statue of Our Lady of Deliverance for the Poor Souls, was approved and the fundraising began.

This 12′ statue represents Mary and the Child Jesus in between two souls. The soul on the left is in Purgatory and reaches out to our Mother who extends a loving hand. The soul on the right is a soul that’s been freed from purgatory and the Child Jesus is handing her the crown of life. The first stone for the Basilica was laid on June 1, 1911 and work was completed in 1928.

One of the ministries that is offered through the parish is the ability to write a note to a deceased friend or family member to be able to ask forgiveness from them for something you did or omitted doing during their life time. You can do that here it may sound odd, but it is not. I did this and dropped it in the box there and felt immediately a release and peace knowing it was heard and forgiven.

Our next stop was the town of Nevers, in the small convent of St. Gilard. It is here where St. Bernadette spent the last years of her earthly life. Her body is incorrupt, and it looks as of she is simply sleeping there.

Not every saint in the Catholic Church is found to be incorrupt after death. God has his reasons, and it is another mystery that we can ask about over hot chocolate in heaven🥴

SCRIPTURE REFLECTION:

“This I declare, brothers: flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does corruption inherit incorruption. Behold, I tell you a mystery. We shall not all fall asleep, but we will all be changed, in an instant, in the blink of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed….Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?” (1 Cor 5:50-52, 55)

The saints remind us to keep our death in front of us daily. This life is but a journey, our death is the only certainty in life. Keep an eternal perspective and you will never be caught off guard.

Get in the habit of praying the prayer for Holy Souls by St. Gertrude the Great. Every time it is said reverently, 1000 should are released from purgatory.

“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 within the universal Church, those in my own home, and within my family. Amen.”