All Souls Day - 2nd November

On 2nd November of each year, it is a good spiritual custom to pray for our departed brothers and sisters.
The custom was established by St Odilo of Cluny, a man of deep prayer. 
Odilo (c 962 - c 1048) was the fifth Benedictine Abbot of Cluny, holding the post for around 54 years.

Odilo established All Souls Day in Cluny and its monasteries, and this custom was soon adopted by the Western Church. 
The Commemoration of All Departed falls on 2nd November - why not pray for deceased family members, colleagues, acquaintances.

There are a number of old Christian customs which have great meaning for All Souls Day; 

- Pray for the souls of all those gone before well known to you, and those unknown to you
- Pray for the repose of the souls of our ancestors on All Souls Day
- Visit the graves of loved ones, ensure they are tidy and well respected, and pray to God for loved ones at the graveside. 
Decorate the graves with flowers and candles. 
Make sure the headstone (it does not have to be expensive) is up. 
If you are in squatter camp or refugee camp areas and need to make a headstone; make a wooden cross and paint the name, date of birth and death and a loving message on a piece of wood or tin, and affix it strongly to the grave if at all possible
- Toll Church Bells to remind the community to pray for our departed brothers and sisters
- Attend Mass and pray for those who have gone before us
- Respect our dead by the way we speak of them, by not causing scandal to come upon their names after their death 
- Pray at solemn Requiem for the Dead for all departed, and for our aborted unborn 
- Remember Holy Odilo of Cluny for the great service he did Christianity to enable us to pray for those gone before 
- Remember all the community members of Cluny and its monasteries whose Powerhouses of Prayer in Christian History led the way for us, the then future generations, to worship God with honour and glory 
- Go to Church on All Souls Day, kneel down after lighting three candles, and pray the following prayers each three times;

The Our Father
Our Father, Who art in Heaven,
Hallowed be Thy Name.
Thy Kingdom come,
Thy Will be done,
On earth as it is in Heaven.
Give us this day
Our daily bread
And forgive us our sins and weaknesses
As we forgive the sins and weaknesses of other.
And save us from the temptation to sin
And deliver us from the power of the evil one.
For Thine is the Kingdom,
The Power and the Glory
Forever and ever, Amen.

The Hail Mary
Hail Mary, full of grace
The Lord is with Thee
Blessed art Thou among women
And blessed is the fruit of Thy womb, Jesus.
Holy Mary, Mother of God, 
Pray for us sinners,
Now and at the hour of our death, Amen.

The Glory Be
Glory be to the Father,
And to the Son,
And to the Holy Spirit,
As it was in the beginning,
Is now, and ever shall be,
World without end, 
Amen.

- Pray the Rosary for all departed, and for grace in our final moments on this earth
- Eschew the wearing of clothing or celebration of articles and customs that celebrate the darker forces 

Odilo of Cluny
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Odilo_of_Cluny

Cluny, France 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S9GXGzE8ALk

With thanks to Wikipedia and Youtube