Did the early Church Fathers believe in purgatory, and why is praying for the faithful departed an essential obligation of Catholic charity? On The Son Rise Morning Show, host Anna Mitchell welcomes back Fr. John Gavin, S.J., author of Mysteries of the Lord's Prayer and Growing into God, to explore St. Augustine’s profound teachings on prayer for the dead during the month of November.

Fr. Gavin refutes the misconception that belief in purgatory was a medieval invention, highlighting how St. Augustine (354–430 AD) defended prayers, almsgiving, and the Eucharistic sacrifice for the dead as an established apostolic tradition received from earlier Church Fathers. Rooting his analysis in the Communion of Saints, Fr. Gavin explains Augustine’s teaching from The City of God regarding temporal punishment and the cleansing of souls before the final judgment, showing that the deceased remain mystically united with the Church on earth.

Mitchell and Fr. Gavin emphasize the spiritual necessity of offering funeral Masses and daily prayers for the Holy Souls rather than presuming immediate canonization for loved ones. Closing with a moving passage from Book IX of Augustine’s Confessions, Fr. Gavin reads the Saint’s personal, heartbreaking prayer for his mother, St. Monica—begging God's mercy upon her soul after her death—to illustrate how genuine Christian love compels believers to intercede for their departed brothers and sisters. Stream now to listen!