10+ Catholic Prayers for the Departed
Published October 14, 2023
For Catholics, prayer is as essential to the dead as breathing is to the living. Our prayers, according to Catholic tradition, can save the souls of our dearly departed on the day of judgment.
According to the scriptures, after we die, we will be judged based on our actions while we are living (Revelations 20:11-13). And on the day of judgment, we will receive the reward or punishment we deserve. The righteous will be with God in paradise, but those who did wrong will be sent either to hell or purgatory.
But just like how the saints can intercede for us, our prayers can help our deceased brothers and sisters, too. If many people will pray for those poor souls in purgatory, God – in his mercy and kindness – will surely hear our pleas. This is why the rosary includes the Fatima Prayer so that we will always include in our prayers a plea for all souls, especially those in need of God’s mercy.
Aside from what the scriptures tell us, we pray for the dead simply because we love them. Even if they’re not with us physically, the memories we shared and the impact they left in our lives will forever stay with us. Offering a prayer for them is also a way of remembering them, a sort of tribute to their memories.
Here are some Catholic prayers for the dead you can use to intercede for the souls of the dearly departed:
Prayers For The Dying
Go forth, Christian soul, from this world
in the name of God the almighty Father,
who created you,
in the name of Jesus Christ, Son of the living God,
who suffered for you,
in the name of the Holy Spirit,
who was poured out upon you,
go forth, faithful Christian.
May you live in peace this day,
may your home be with God in Zion,
with Mary, the Virgin Mother of God,
with Joseph, and all the Angels and Saints. Amen
Gracious Father, your holy Word tells us that our time is in your hands.
Hear our prayers for (name) and for their family
as he/she is near the end of their earthly life.
Comfort his/her family with your gracious promises of the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body
and the life everlasting;
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen
Almighty, eternal God, heavenly Father,
comfort and strengthen this your servant
and save them through your goodness.
Deliver them from all anguish and distress,
release them in your grace,
and take them to yourself in your kingdom;
through Jesus Christ your dear Son,
our only Lord Savior, and Redeemer.
Amen.
Prayers For The Dead
Eternal rest grant unto him/her, O Lord.
And let perpetual light shine upon him/her.
May he/she rest in peace.
Amen.
May his/her soul and the souls of all the faithful departed,
through the mercy of God,
rest in peace.
Amen.
Let us pray.
All-powerful and merciful God,
we commend to you (Name) your servant.
blot out the sins he/she has committed
through human weakness.
In this world he/she has died:
let him/her live with you forever.
Through Christ our Lord.
Amen.
Prayer at the Hour of Death
Almighty God, our creator and redeemer,
you are our strength and our hope.
You have given us (name).
to know and to love in our pilgrimage on earth.
Uphold us now as we entrust her/him to your boundless love and eternal care.
Assure us that not even death can separate us from your infinite mercy.
Comfort us in our anguish,
that we may know your sure consolation
and live in confident hope of the resurrection;
through your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.
Prayer For The Soul to Rest in Peace
Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon them. May their souls and the souls of all the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen.
Prayer for Eternal Rest
In your hands, O Lord,
we humbly entrust our brothers and sisters.
In this life you embraced them with your tender love;
deliver them now from every evil
and bid them eternal rest.
The old order has passed away:
welcome them into paradise,
where there will be no sorrow, no weeping or pain,
but the fullness of peace and joy
with your Son and the Holy Spirit
forever and ever.
Amen.
Prayer for Departed Loved Ones
God our Father,
Your power brings us to birth,
Your providence guides our lives,
and by Your command, we return to dust.
Lord, those who die still live in Your presence,
their lives change but do not end.
I pray in hope for my family,
relatives and friends,
and for all the dead known to You alone.
In company with Christ,
Who died and now lives,
may they rejoice in Your kingdom,
where all our tears are wiped away.
Unite us together again in one family,
to sing Your praise forever and ever.
Amen.
Prayer for Deceased Parents
O God, Who has commanded us
to honor our father and mother,
have compassion in Thy mercy,
on the souls of my father and mother;
forgive them their sins, and grant that
I may see them in the joy of eternal brightness.
Through Christ our Lord,
Amen.
Prayer of Commendation
I commend you, my dear (name) to almighty God,
and entrust you to your Creator.
May you rest in the arms of the Lord
who formed you from the dust of the earth.
May holy Mary, the angels, and all the saints
welcome you now that you have gone forth from this life.
May Christ who was crucified for you,
bring you freedom and peace.
May Christ who died for you
admit you into his garden of paradise.
May Christ, the true Shepherd,
embrace you as one of his flock.
May he forgive all your sins,
and set you among those he has chosen.
May you see your Redeemer face to face,
and enjoy the vision of God, forever.
Amen.
Prayer for Forgotten Souls
O merciful God,
take pity on those souls
who have no particular friends and intercessors
to recommend them to Thee, who,
either through the negligence of those who are alive,
or through the length of time are forgotten
by their friends and by all.
Spare them, O Lord,
and remember Thine own mercy,
when others forget to appeal to it.
Let not the souls which Thou hast created
be parted from thee, their Creator.
May the souls of all the faithful departed,
through the mercy of God, rest in peace.
Amen.
Prayer for Burial
In sure and certain hope of the resurrection to eternal life
through Our Lord Jesus Christ,
we commend to Almighty God (Name),
and we commit his/her body to the ground:
earth to earth,
ashes to ashes,
dust to dust.
The Lord bless him/her and keep him/her,
the Lord make His Face to shine upon him/her
and be gracious to him/her,
the Lord lift up His countenance upon him/her
and give him/her peace.
Amen.
Prayer in a Cemetery
Dear Lord, here lie in their last rest,
the boys and girls,
the men and women that worked on the land.
They knew the meaning of hard work.
They knew the joy and peace that is the product of labor.
Now we trust they know the peace and happiness
of everlasting life with You.
They watched the sunrise often,
winter and summer,
over these hills and fields.
They worked hard by its light
and turned willingly to their rest at its setting.
Now they walk in the light of a Sun
that knows no setting.
Lord, if they are still in the waiting room of heaven,
in purgatory,
bring them speedily to the light of Your peace
and the happiness of Your presence.
These men and women all their lives long
labored to supply the food and drink necessary
to sustain human life.
Now, or soon,
they enjoy in all its fullness the life that You, Lord,
came down to earth to give men,
and to give more abundantly.
Dear Lord, bless us who labor now in the fields and hills
where these dear dead have worked.
Grant that we may remember them with charity and kindness,
walking reverently in the ways that they have left behind them.
Grant, too, that we may finally meet these men and women,
these boys and girls,
in the eternal mansions that You are even now preparing for us.
Amen.
Short Prayer For A Peaceful Death
Dear God, I pray for (name) today.
He is nearing the end of his life
I ask that you grant him a peaceful death.
Let him come to you in his passing and be made whole.
In the name of Jesus, I pray, Amen.
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About The Author
Judy Ponio is a professional writer for the Lay Cistercians blog and a devoted Catholic. She works hard to ensure her work uses accurate facts by cross checking reputable sources.
