Not an answer to your question, but I thought you might like to know
the month's mind is still observed, at least in Ireland. One was
held one for my Grandmother in January.
Maeve
>Med-religion List Members: A General Inquiry:
>I apologize for the impropriety of cross-posting , but answers to
>the following inquiry were few and thin,and in retrospect the topic
>seems more appropriately aimed at the Med-religion List.
> Both an original call for assistance on the medieval ( OG ,
>MHG ) German term indicating a "thirty-day memorial" celebration for
>the departed and Jim O'Donnell's recollective affirmation of the
>"month's mind"( cited below) , leads me to inquire if there was any
>specific significance attached to the period of thirty days in the
>cycle of commemorations of the newly departed in the Western
>Church.The Eastern Church had rather early absorbed a rather
>detailed and colorful metempsychotic itinerary ( almost a day by
>day, blow by purgating blow description) based on an 'angelic
>revelation' to St Macarius of Alexndria, and ,what I suspect, was a
>reflection ,in reverse, of the currently accepted medical theorizing
>about the formation of the fetal body and it's reception of the soul
>[ see Vita Macarii Alexandr; Acta Sanct.] Apparently the angels
>were Macarius's constant conversational companions, and from the
>vita, apparently quite chatty. In this revealed itinerarium the
>fortieth day is the crtical waystation on which the soul is brought
>( a second time) before God, and allocated a fitting location for
>residence. I quote from the Vita Macarii:
> "On the fortieth day the soul is once again taken to do
>reverence and offer obeisance before God; and it is there ( and
>then) that the Great judge determinines the fitting place for its
>holding, according to its deeds. Thusly, the Church will do right in
>remembering the baptized dead on the fortieth day."
>
>Does the thirty day Western parallel commemoration have any such
>hitstory/story,
>and what are its sources.?
>Thanks rendered in advance,
>Josef Gulka
>
><"Jim O'Donnell wrote:
>>"The thirties": when I was a child in Catholic churches, there remained
>>traces in bulletins of something called "month's mind" -- the same
>>practice of a memorial mass thirty days after decease.>
>
>Josef Gulka
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> Tel: 215- 732-8420
>Fax (215) 732-8420
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