theological basis for the feast is the
doctrine that the souls, which, on departing from the body are not
perfectly cleansed from venial sins, or have not fully atoned for past
transgressions, are debarred from the Beatific Vision, and that the
faithful on earth can help them by prayers, almsdeeds, and especially by
the holy sacrifice of the Mass. In the early days of Christianity the
names of the departed brethren were entered in the diptychs. Later, in
the sixth century, it was customary in Benedictine monasteries to hold a
commemoration of the deceased members at Whitsuntide, In Spain, there
was such a day before Sexagesima or before Pentecost, at the time of St.
Isidore (d. 636). In Germany, there existed (according to the testimony
of Widukind, Abbot of Corvey, c. 980) a time-honoured ceremony of
praying for the dead on 1st October. This was accepted and sanctified by
the Church" (_Cath. Ency._, art. "All Souls").

The psalms and lessons of this Office are especially well chosen, and
the responses to the lessons--said to be the work of Maurice de Sully
(d. 1196)--are greatly admired by liturgical experts.

It may be noted here, that, in the recitation of this Office, which is,
for most priests, the only choral recitation of liturgy, care should be
taken to select the proper nocturn or nocturns. "In the general rubrics
of the Breviary (Tit. XIX. n. 2) it is stated that the invitatory is not
to be said in _Officio Defunctorum_ per annum, excepto die
Commemorationis omnium fidelium defunctorum, ac in die obitus seu
depositionis defuncti et quandocunque dicuntur tres nocturni. When,
therefore, only one nocturn is recited, the invitatory is to be omitted
except on the dies obitus seu depositionis." In this latter case, even
though the body is not present--for some special reason, such as
contagious disease--the invitatory is not to be omitted.

"On any other occasion, no matter how solemn or privileged, such as the
seventh, thirtieth, or anniversary day, when only one nocturn is
recited, the invitatory must not be included. This is clear, not only
from the rubrics of the Breviary and Ritual (Tit. VI., cap. IV.) but
also from certain answers of the Congregation of Rites" (_Irish Eccles.
Record_, December, 1913).

Dom Baudot's _The Roman Breviary_ gives in an appendix, pp. 239-252,
"tables showing the date at which each saint was inserted in the Roman
Breviary, the rank given to his festival, and the variations it has