One of the most beautiful chants in our Dominican tradition is the Libera Procession. As Dominicans, prayer for the souls in Purgatory is a regular part of our daily life, in short invocations and longer Psalms that we say as a community throughout the day. Every week we have the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass offered for the repose of the souls of the faithful departed. The Libera Procession traditionally follows immediately after this Mass.
The weekly procession takes place in the choir (the nuns’ part of the chapel), while the longer form, with the verses “Quid ego miserrimus?” and “Nunc, Christe,” is prayed on November 2, All Souls Day, as we process down to our monastic cemetery. It is this All Souls Day version of the Libera which we present in the recording above. In addition to All Souls Day, we also process to the cemetery singing the shorter version of the Libera on the Anniversary of the Deceased Brothers and Sisters of the Order (“All Dominican Souls Day”) on November 8, and for the octave after a nun’s funeral.
Putting the video together made us vividly aware of the compelling imagery of the Last Judgment, and how bringing the Four Last Things to mind and praying for the holy souls regularly is formative for our Christian and monastic life. It is a great blessing for us to be able to continue our Dominican tradition and intercede for the faithful departed in this way. May the souls of the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace.