Does EO Believe/Teach About Purgatory?

[ArmyMatt]

You don't offer Liturgies for the dead?

normally no. I have heard of that happening in EO Churches, but that is more of a Western thing and not common. we do have specific services for the dead (like the one in the video), and there are prayers for the dead throughout the Liturgy.

Do you pray for the departed during the liturgy?

yep

Do you dedicate your Eucharist or office for them?

yep

Does the Divine Liturgy help both the living AND departed? Same with the Eucharist?

absolutely. since God is outside of time, it is never too late from His POV. if I pray for the soul anyone who is departed, Orthodox or not, God applies that prayer to the entire economy of that person's life, because He knew that I would pray that prayer before I prayed it.

 

[gzt]

They can be commemorated during the liturgy, prayed for, remembered in the proskomedia, etc. But there is no concept of having a mass said for somebody or for some intention (and especially no idea of a private mass, but this is a slightly different matter). Further, there are other services for commemorating the departed and praying for them, the panikhida. Yes, we pray for the dead and our prayers are efficacious.

 

[gzt]

"Soul Saturdays" are a few specific Saturdays where the liturgy is specifically for the departed. There is also Radonitsa, the Tuesday that's 9 days after Pascha, where traditioanlly there is a liturgy and then a panikhida and then you go to the graveyard in memory (and I suppose proclaiming) of the resurrection.

 

[RileyG]

They can be commemorated during the liturgy, prayed for, remembered in the proskomedia, etc. But there is no concept of having a mass said for somebody or for some intention (and especially no idea of a private mass, but this is a slightly different matter). Further, there are other services for commemorating the departed and praying for them, the panikhida. Yes, we pray for the dead and our prayers are efficacious.

Thank You for your response!!!

 

[buzuxi02]

Does the Divine Liturgy help both the living AND departed? Same with the Eucharist?
)

This is correct. The Apostolic Constitutions specifically states that the 3rd day memorial should be celebrated with psalms, lessons and prayers, that the 9th day memorial is done on behalf of both the living and the dead, and alms be given for the poor out of the departed person's goods as a memorial to him.