Feast of All Souls and Purgatory....
So many people, Catholics and non-Catholics alike, do not understand the meaning of or the IMPORTANCE of praying for the dead. I recently wrote an article for our church bulletin regarding this, in an effort to shed some much needed light on this subject:

During the month of November we set aside time to remember the deceased. It is a time to pay respect to the souls of friends and loved ones who have died, as well as to offer prayers for those who have no one praying for them. We pray for their souls that they may be received into Heaven. Beginning in the year 998, all souls -- the "faithful departed" -- were officially remembered in the Church's prayers on the evening of November 1, and with Requiem Masses on November 2. All Souls Day is now a feast of the universal Church honoring all saints, known and unknown.
We pray for our dead to show respect. Respect for the dead is part of respect for all human life, which comes from God. Our heavenly Father gave us life, and we are all infinitely precious to Him. This act of charity of praying for our deceased is a stewardship we are all called to share in.
In the Apostle’s Creed, we state emphatically “we believe in the Communion of Saints”. What does this mean for us as Catholics? This is the belief that all of God's people, on heaven, earth, and in the state of purification, or Purgatory, are connected in a communion. The Doctrine of the Church teaches that the communion of saints is “the spiritual solidarity which binds together the faithful on earth, the souls in purgatory, and the saints in heaven in the organic unity of the same mystical body under Christ its head.” (Taken from the Catholic Encyclopedia).
Because of our communion through Jesus Christ, our prayers are joined with the heavenly community of Christians. Throughout the Gospel of Matthew and the letters of St. Paul, we are taught about this solidarity. Jesus is the vine, and we are the branches; He is the Head of the Mystical Body of which all Christians are a part.
There are three levels of existence for the Mystical Body of Christ. On earth we invoke the prayers of the saints in heaven, honor them as glorified Christians and seek to imitate them. The Saints in Heaven pray for the saints on earth and for the souls in purgatory. Those in purgatory can invoke the saints in heaven and pray for us struggling with the world. The saints are continually praying for us and interceding before God on our behalf. The feast of All Souls is a reminder to pray for the "faithful departed". It is a time for celebrating Life, not mourning its loss. Jesus said, “My God is not the God of the Dead, but the God of the Living.” We are given New Life in Christ – a life in which we continue and complete the Communion of Saints. This month let us take this opportunity to introduce memories of loved ones to our children, and celebrate what their lives meant to us. Let us all take the time to reflect and share in the glory of belonging to the Body of Christ.