Prayer for the Dead

Prayer for the Dead

 

The leader begins:

In this moment of sorrow

the Lord is in our midst

and comforts us with his word:

Blessed are the sorrowful; they shall be consoled.

 

Let us pray

 

Almighty and eternal God

hear our prayers for your son/ daughter N.,

whom you have called from this life to yourself.

Grant him / her light, happiness, and peace.

Let him / her pass in safety through the gates of death,

and iive for ever with all your saints in the light you promised

to Abraham and to all his descendants in faith.

Guard him / her from all harm

and on that great day of resurrection and re- ward

raise him / her up with all your saints.

Pardon his I her sins

and give him / her eternal life in your king­ dom.

We ask this through Christ our Lord.

Amen .

 

 

 

OR

 

Loving and merciful God,

we entrust our brother I sister to your mercy .

You loved him / her greatly in this life:

now that he I she is freed from all its cares,

give him I her happiness and peace for ever.

The old order has passed away: welcome him I her now into paradise where there will be no more sorrow, no more weeping or pain, but only peace and joy with Jesus, your Son, and the Holy Spirit for ever and ever.

Amen .

 

 

READING

 

The word of God is proclaimed by one of those present or by the minister.  :

+ A reading from the holy gospel according to Luke       23:44-46

 

It was now around midday, and darkness came over the whole land until midafternoon with an eclipse of the sun. The curtain in the sanctuary was torn in two. Jesus uttered a loud cry and said, "Father, into  your  hands  I  commend  my spirit.”.  After he said this, he expired.

 

The Gospel of the Lord.

 

 

 

OR

+ A reading from the holy gospel according to John   

11:3-7, 17, 20-27, 33-36, 41-44

 

The sisters sent word to Jesus to inform him, "Lord, the one you love is sick." Upon hearing this, Jesus said: "This sickness is not to end in death rather it is for God's glory,  that through  it the Son of God may be glorified." Jesus  loved  Martha  and  her  sister  and Lazarus very much. Yet, after hearing that Lazarus was sick, he stayed on where he was·for two days more. Finally he said to his disciples, "Let us go back to Judea." When Jesus arrived at Bethany, he found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb four days. When  Martha  heard  that Jesus was coming she went to meet  him, while Mary sat at home. Martha said to Jesus "Lord, if you had been here, my brother would never have died. Even now I am sure that God will give you whatever you ask of him." "Your brother will rise again," Jesus assured her. "I know he will rise again ,, Martha replied, "in the resurrection on the last day." Jesus told her:

"I am the resurrection and the life: whoever believes in me,

though he should die, will come to life; and whoever is alive and believes in me will never die.

Do you believe this?" "Yes, Lord," she replied. "I have come to believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God: he who is to come into the world."

 

When Jesus  saw  her weeping,  and  the Jews who had accompanied her also weeping, he was troubled in spirit, moved by the deepest emotions. "Where have you laid him?" he asked. "Lord, come and see," they said. Jesus began to weep, which caused the  Jews  to remark,  "See how much  he  loved him

 

Then Jesus looked upward and said:

"Father, I thank you for having heard me. I know that you always hear me

but I have said this for the sake  of  the crowd, that they may believe that you sent me."

 

Having said this he called loudly, "Lazarus, come out!" The dead man came out, bound hand  and  foot  with  linen strips,  his  face wrapped in a cloth. "Untie him," Jesus told them, "and let him go free."

 

The Gospel of the Lord.

 

LITANY

Then one of those present may lead the others in praying a brief form of the litany of the saints. Other saints may be added, including the patron saints of the dead person, of the family, and of the parish; saints to whom the deceased person may have had a special devotion may also be included.

 

Saints of God, come to his/ her aid!

Come to meet him / her, angels of the Lord!

 

Holy Mary, Mother of God               pray for him I her

Abraham, our father in faith           pray for him I her

David, leader of God's people         pray for him I her

 

All holy patriarchs and prophets          pray for him I her

Saint John the Baptist                        pray for him I her

Saint Joseph                                     pray for him I her

Saint Peter and Saint Paul                  pray for him I her

Saint Andrew                                    pray for him I her

Saint John                                         pray for him I her

Saint Mary Magdalene                         pray for him I her

Saint Stephen                                    pray for him I her

Saint Ignatius                                      pray for him I her

Saint Lawrence                                   pray for him I her

Saint Perpetua and Saint Felicity          pray for him I her

Saint Agnes                                         pray for him I her

Saint Gregory                                      pray for him I her

Saint Augustine                                   pray for him I her

Saint Athanasius                                 pray for him I her

Saint Basil                                           pray for him I her

Saint Martin                                         pray for him I her

Saint Benedict                                     pray for him I her

Saint Francis and Saint Dominic            pray for him I her

Saint Francis Xavier                            pray for him I her

Saint John Vianney                             pray for him I her

Saint Catherine                                   pray for him I her

Saint Teresa                                         pray for him I her

Saint Vincent de Paul                           pray for him I her

 

Other saints may be included here.

All holy men and women                   pray for him I her

 

 

 

Lord, be merciful                                            Lord, save your people

From all evil From every sin                            Lord, save your people

From Satan's power                                        Lord, save your people

At the moment of death                                  Lord, save your people

From everlasting death                                    Lord, save your people

On the day of judgment                                   Lord, save your people

By your coming as man                                    Lord, save your people

By your suffering and cross                             Lord, save your people

By your death and rising to new life                Lord, save your people

By your return in glory to the Father              Lord, save your people

By your gift of the Holy Spirit                       Lord, save your people

By your coming again in glory                       Lord, save your people

Be merciful to us sinners                                 Lord, save your people

Bring N. to eternal life,

     first promised to him I her

    in baptism                                            Lord, save your people

Raise N. on the last day,

  for he I she has

   eaten the bread of life             Lord, save your people

Let N .share in your glory,

   for he I she has shared

   in your suffering and death                Lord, save your people

 

Jesus, Son of the living God                   Lord, hear our prayer

 

Christ, hear us                                      Lord, hear our prayer

 

Lord Jesus, hear our prayer                    Lord, hear our prayer

 

 

 

God of mercy,

hear our prayers and be merciful

to your son / daughter N., whom  you  have called from this life.

Welcome him / her into the company of your saints,

in the kingdom of light and peace.

We ask this through  Christ our Lord.

Amen.

 

THE LORD'S PRAYER

 

 

 

With God there is mercy and fullness of redemption;

let us pray as Jesus taught us to pray:

All say :

 

Our Father . . .

 

 

PRAYER OF COMMENDATION

 

Lord Jesus, our Redeemer,

you willingly gave yourself  up to death so that all people might be saved

and pass from death into a new life.

Listen to our prayers,

look with love on your people

who mourn and pray for their brother I sister N.

 

Lord Jesus, holy and compassionate: forgive N. his / her sins.

By dying you opened the gates of life for those who believe in you:

do not let our brother I sister be parted from you,

but by your glorious power    .

give him / her light, joy, and peace m heaven where you live for ever and ever.

W  Amen .

 

For the solace of those present the leader of prayer may conclude these prayers with a simple blessing or with symbolic gesture , for example, signing the forehead with the sign of the cross .

 

 

O God, almighty Father,
our faith professes that your Son died

and rose again;
mercifully grant, that through this mystery
your servant,who has fallen asleep in Christ,
may rejoice to rise again through him
.

When Death Occurs

Funeral Liturgies

Gathering of Family & Friends

Catholic Cemetery

Life Beyond Loss

Creamation