8 Gulf Pine Catholic • December 19, 2025 His latest book takes that mission into one of the most emotionally delicate areas of faith: what happens after we die. “The reason I wrote this book,” he explains, “is because so much is said these days about there being no purgatory. Nobody prays for the dead in any way, shape or form.” Living and ministering in heavily Protestant regions of Mississippi, he often encountered the belief that the dead go “straight to heaven,” a comforting sentiment that, he notes, subtly undermines a core Catholic practice. As he reminds readers, praying for the dead is not a medieval invention but an ancient tradition. “Praying for the dead goes all the way back to 160 before Christ,” he said. “The Jews pray for the dead for about eleven months after a person dies…The Catholic Church has always taught about the importance of praying for the dead.” Modern reluctance to pray for the deceased, he argues, arose only with the Reformation. “Everyone prayed for the dead before that, but then the idea of not praying for the dead came along. Living in a Protestant area, that mindset kind of seeps into us too.” The danger, in his view, is pastoral as well as doctrinal. “It is devastating to hear someone tell a grieving person that their loved one is in heaven… People conclude that they don’t have to pray for them, and those souls could be in purgatory suffering purification…and nobody prays for them because somebody said they’re in heaven.” Such assurances, though offered in kindness, assume a knowledge no priest or believer can claim. As Father Noone shares candidly, “I’ve been a priest for almost 60 years. God has never told me that anybody I’ve ever done a funeral for, including my own mother and brother, was already in heaven.” Instead, he invites readers to see death as a continuation of family bonds and mutual love. “Even though somebody has gone ahead of us, they’re still members of our family…We help them if they need our help in the next life and they can help us.” Drawing from Scripture, tradition, saints, mystics, and pastoral experience, You Are on This Path But Where Are You Going? offers what one reviewer calls “a wealth of treasures” that illuminate death, judgment, mercy, and hope. Another praises its logical, easy-to-understand defense of purgatory, noting its usefulness for catechists and those discovering the Catholic faith. In this latest work, Father Noone once again does what he has done throughout his ministry: he teaches gently and clearly, leading readers to truth, comfort, and renewed responsibility. For information on all his books, visit frjohnnoonebooks.org or frjohnnoonebooks.wordpress.com. Father John Noone is shown here with his latest book, You Are On This Path But Where Are You Going? Father John Noone’s seventh book shines light on Purgatory and the power of praying for the dead BY TERRY DICKSON PICAYUNE -- Father John Noone’s newest book -- his seventh and perhaps his most urgent -- invites readers to confront a teaching often forgotten or dismissed in modern Christian conversation: purgatory. In You Are on This Path But Where Are You Going?, the retired priest, former director of Catholic Social Services, and longtime Mississippi pastor seeks to restore a practice deeply woven into Catholic tradition: praying for the dead. Born in Ireland in 1941 and ordained in 1967, Father Noone served parishes throughout the Dioceses of Natchez-Jackson and Biloxi until 2002, ministering in pulpits, schools, and homes while also leading Catholic Charities and Catholic Social Services. After decades of pastoral and social work, he turned increasingly toward writing, shaping his homilies, classroom materials, and parishioner questions into books designed to teach with the same clarity and compassion that marked his ministry. His works have become trusted tools for families, catechists, and parishes seeking accessible explanations of Catholic faith and practice. Rather than academic tomes, they take a friendly, question-and-answer form that mirrors the simple, honest way parishioners naturally ask about their faith. Among them is his most widely circulated volume, The Whole Truth About the Catholic Church and the Holy Bible. First printed in 2000 and reissued in 2013, more than 14,000 copies have been distributed. The book traces 2,000 years of Christian history through controversy and continuity, helping readers grasp the scriptural and historical foundations of Catholic belief. Other titles include 250 Questions About Confession (2020), a concise and approachable guide to the theology and practice of the sacrament; Explain That to Me: Signs & Symbols of the Catholic Church (rev. 2021), which unlocks the meaning of Catholic rituals; I’m Glad You Asked That! (2019; rev. 2021), collecting answers to common parish questions; and Thanks for All the Love: God’s Promises Fulfilled (2023), a reflection on sacrifice, divine love, and God’s fidelity. Teachers and religious educators frequently praise his books for their clarity, visual aids, and usefulness in classrooms across age groups. For Father Noone, this work has always been united under a single mission: “to get the truth out to all who are looking for it.”
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