OUR MISSION

Alleviate the suffering of holy souls in purgatory and preserve the dignity of their eternal resting spots.

At a quick glance

Requiem Aeternam is a pro-bono, Buffalo-based Catholic organization that is committed to alleviating the suffering of the Holy Souls in purgatory through ora et labora, or prayer and work. Upon receiving a ministry request, we clean the departed soul's grave, all the while praying for them according to the requirements of a plenary indulgence. Send in a ministry request to get started!

Who: Catholics with a zeal for assisting the holy souls.

What: A prayer ministry that doubles in grave restoration.

When: Grave restorations take place in late Spring through mid-Fall. Attempted plenary indulgences occur year-round.

Where: Primarily Buffalo, although cemeteries as far as Indiana and Poland have been prayed in.

Why: In an effort to coddle the faithful, modern-day funerals proclaim that the departed soul in question is most-likely in heaven, which then actually dissuades the faithful from praying on their behalf. In effect, countless souls are left without prayers in the cleansing fires of purgatory. Requiem Aeternam's goal is to pray for as many abandoned souls as possible.

How: By the grace of God.

Meet the Team

"All whatsoever you do in word or in work, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, giving thanks to God and the Father by him."

-Colossians 3:17

God

The one Supreme and Infinite Personal Being, the Creator and Ruler of the universe, to whom man owes obedience and worship. The ultimate granter of prayer requests and releaser of holy souls from Purgatory.

Head Intercessor

St. Gertrude the Great

Gertrude, a Benedictine nun in Helfta, Saxony, was one of the great mystics of the 13th century. Having a deep devotion to the holy souls in Purgatory, St. Gertrude, along with St. Nicolaus de Tolentino, is often referred to as "Patron of Holy Souls". All prayers from this ministry are asked through her pious intercession.

Grave Caretaker and Supplicant

Daniel May

Daniel is a regular attendee of the Traditional Latin Mass, which is the source and summit of this ministry. Inspired by St. Gertrude from a young age, he founded Requiem Aeternam Grave Cleaning in October 2024 in the hopes of offering supplication for the holy souls in purgatory. Realizing that most modern-day funerals are canonization ceremonies, Daniel wanted to concretely counteract this fallacy by reminding others that there are countless souls in need of our prayers. He first started cleaning his family members' graves before deciding to extend his services to members of the Church Militant.

The Process

1. Discern in prayer if you'd like your loved one's grave to be restored. Every grave restoration is accompanied by an attempted plenary indulgence by the grave caretaker and supplicant assigned to you. Granted plenary indulgences release a designated holy soul from purgatory into heaven.

2. Reach out. Email requ.aete@gmail.com or fill out this website's contact form.

3. Once you've been contacted by a member of this organization, schedule a date and time to meet the grave caretaker and supplicant at your loved one's grave. The grave caretaker will need to first inspect the grave to determine if it's in restorable condition.

4. The grave caretaker will provide you with a tentative schedule. Depending on the caretaker's schedule, either the gravestone restoration or the attempted plenary indulgence will happen first. The caretaker will keep you updated on his progress. For more information on the exact gravestone cleaning process, please visit our website's Ora et Labora Method tab.

5. The grave caretaker and supplicant will notify you when both the ora (prayers/attempted plenary indulgence) and labora (work/restoring gravestone) duties are completed.

6. Please know that restoring gravestones and praying for departed souls are Corporal and Spiritual Works of Mercy, and as such, come completely free of charge. If any recipient of our service feels compelled to support the ministry, monetary donations to offset the cost of supplies are welcomed. Volunteer opportunities are also available.

Cemeteries Prayed in

Buffalo, NY:

-Mount Calvary Cemetery

-St. Stanislaus Cemetery

-Buffalo Cemetery

-Holy Rest Cemetery

Greenwood, IN:

-Forest Lawn Memory Gardens

Bobrowniki, Poland:

-village cemetery