In Christianity there is ample evidence for the custom of praying for the dead in the inscriptions of the catacombs, with their constant prayers for the peace and refreshment of the souls of the departed and in the early liturgies, which commonly contain commemorations of the dead; and Tertullian, Cyprian and other early Western Fathers witness to the regular practice of praying for the dead among the early Christians. However, in the case of martyred Christians, it was felt that it was inappropriate to pray “for” the martyrs, since they were believed to be in no need of such prayers, having instantly passed to the Beatific Vision of Heaven. Theoretically, too, prayer for those in hell (understood as the abode of the eternally lost) would be useless, but since there is no certainty that any particular person is in hell understood in that sense, prayers were and are offered for all the dead, except for those believed to be in heaven who are prayed to, not for.
Thus, prayers were and are offered for all those in Hades, the abode of the dead who are not known to be in heaven, sometimes rendered as “hell”. With the development of the doctrine of purgatory, the dead prayed for were spoken of as being in purgatory and, in view of the certainty that by the process of purification and with the help of the prayers of the faithful they were destined for heaven, they were referred to as the “holy souls”. Each Eucharistic Prayer, including the Roman Canon of the Order of Mass, has a prayer for the departed.
In Communio Sanctorum, the prayer for the dead “corresponds to the communion in which we are bound together in Christ … with those who have already died to pray for them and to commend them … to the mercy of God.” There is communion among the living and the dead across the divide of death. …Prayerful commendation of the dead to God is salutary within a funeral liturgy. …Insofar as the resurrection of the dead and the general final judgment are future events, it is appropriate to pray for God’s mercy for each person, entrusting that one to God’s mercy.
The Parish of Katukurunda is blessed to have its very own cemetery within the Church premises, and the devotion towards the dear departed is very much found among the Catholics of Katukurunda. The Catholic cemetery at St. Mary’s Church, Katukurunda is common to both the communities at Katukurunda and Modera.
