The group thought the name “Dead Theologians Society” was apt not only because of the film, but because “we’re learning about people who are only dead by the world’s definition of dead, but they’re fully alive in Christ,” Cotter said.
“Dead to sin but alive in Christ” became the motto of the newly-formed group, and they decided to meet weekly for two hours to learn about the lives of the saints and to pray for souls in purgatory.
Cotter said a typical Dead Theologians Society (DTS) chapter will meet weekly for two hours. The first half-hour is reserved for socializing, after which the students move into a chapel or a designated prayer space. Taking a cue from the style of Dead Poets Society, the room is typically dark, lit only by candles or smaller lights, and decorated with icons.
“Many parishes…they’ll set up a room and make it look like a little monastery. They’ll have a crucifix, maybe some Byzantine hanging lights in front of icons, and they make it prayerful. It’s not spooky, it’s not macabre. It’s just a very prayerful and very sacred space,” Cotter said.
Once the meeting in the prayer room begins, a facilitator tells the story of the life of a saint to the group for about 20 minutes, followed by time for questions from the students about the saint or about the faith. This is followed by praying a mystery of the rosary, which is then followed by the group’s signature prayer, the St. Gertrude Prayer for Souls in Purgatory: “Eternal Father, I offer Thee the Most Precious Blood of Thy Divine Son, Jesus, in union with the Masses said throughout the world today, for all the holy souls in purgatory, for sinners everywhere, for sinners in the universal church, those in my own home and within my family. Amen.”
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