Curia Corner — Do you stay after Mass and say three Hail Marys?

By Kathy Cordes
Diocesan Archivist

When digging through some old West River Catholic newspapers, I discovered an expression of gratitude from April 1997. Several churches in the diocese have adopted the practice of saying three Hail Marys for the next person to die in their parish. How widespread these prayers remain, and are so needed for us today to show our love and help us grieve, as Jesus would want us to help our neighbors in a time of need.

Why say three Hail Marys after Mass?

A mother who lost a son wrote, “How morbid, I once thought, to stay after Mass to pray for the next person to die in our parish. Really, what good will that do? The real question is not what good will that do but what good can I do? How do these three Hail Marys help those in need?

“Your prayers that week took you five minutes to say on that Sunday, yet gave our family a foundation of faith that would span the upcoming year(s).

“Your prayers gave my family the strength to pray as Jesus in the ‘Agony of the Gardens’ at the time of a tragedy that claimed a family member.

“Your prayers encircled our family and extended family as they prayed like they had never prayed before. “Your prayers found a lady who sat with us and said a rosary with our family.

“Your prayers granted God’s grace for me to touch my child on his cheek and caress his hand and say, ‘It’s okay, if God calls you home. Go.’

“And when Jesus called, he went.

“Did your prayers go with him to heaven? No, they weren’t needed there, but they were needed here to help our grieving family here on earth. They were needed to help us to make the decision to choose God’s will of faith and hope. They uplifted our family and gave us strength to go on.

“They gave us the power of God’s mercy as we were told we must live on and chose the road of faith and hope. How else could a family say ‘yes’ but by donating the organs of our child so that another may live?

“Can you see? Can you feel the gift of your prayers for that five minutes after Mass? We do, every single day.”

This witness explains the courage and support needed when a family releases a loved one to the Lord. It testifies to the help we can give.

Names have been omitted, and the letter has been edited for space.