There are many different prayers you can recite during a funeral service, to offer the departed to the Lord. Some prayers, such as the prayers of the faithful, are said by the priest and the celebrant themselves. The deceased’s relatives can choose to say a few words and prayers to celebrate their life and accomplishments, give thanks for the moments shared together, and ask Our Merciful Father to open His arms to them. Funeral readings and poems, Catholic prayers such as the De Profundis (taken from the Psalms), and other prayers are all available options in that instance.
“Into your hands, O Lord, we humbly entrust our (brother-sister: Name). In this life, you embrace (him/her) with your tender love; deliver (him/her) now from every evil and bid (him/her) enter eternal rest. The old order has passed away: welcome (him/her) then into paradise, where there will be no sorrow, no weeping nor pain, but the fullness of peace and joy with your Son and the Holy Spirit for ever and ever.
Amen.”
“O God of spirits and of all flesh, You trampled upon death and abolished the power of the devil, giving life to Your world. Give rest to the souls of Your departed servants in a place of light, in a place of green pasture, in a place of refreshment, from where pain, sorrow, and sighing have fled away. As a good and loving God, forgive every sin they have committed in word, deed, or thought, for there is no one who lives and does not sin. You alone are without sin. Your righteousness is an everlasting righteousness, and Your word is truth.
For You are the resurrection, the life, and the repose of Your departed servants, Christ our God, and to You we offer glory, with Your eternal Father who is without beginning and Your all-holy, good, and life-creating Spirit, now and forever and to the ages of ages.
Amen.”
“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.”
At the funeral, in Church, the assembly recites a common prayer, known as the prayer of the faithful for a funeral. This prayer includes a few intentions, mainly about the deceased and their close ones, but also about more general topics (the family of the departed, the sick, the elderly, people who are suffering, the Church, etc.). These prayers are composed by the family, with the help of parishioners from a pastoral accompaniment program for the bereaved, or a priest.
Learn a few examples of prayer intentions for a eulogy, and some advice to write a prayer of the faithful for a funeral.
The death of a loved one can be the cause of a profound grief and vulnerability. The death of any loved one is painful, but in some cases, the circumstances of their death can be even more so traumatizing. In such moments, you can feel the need to mourn, no matter what your faith is.
Prayer can help: it opens your heart to God’s comforting spirit. It can help you support the ones most affected by the death of a loved one (widowers, parents, children, etc.), and it can carry the soul of the departed on its journey to meet the Father.
However, though your pain can start to fade in the days, months and years following the funeral, you should know that the dead always need your prayers. Pray for them, and ask that they do the same for you: our relationship to them does not end after death, it is still living. On November the 2nd, “All Souls’ Day,” you can pray for your deceased relatives and visit their graves. You can also pray for them during your night prayer, or simply recite the Lord’s Father and the Hail Mary in their honor.
You can organize a Mass celebration for the dead as well: during the ceremony, the priest will say a prayer intention in their name, and the assembly will carry them in their prayers.
The souls of the purgatory also need your prayers. They are waiting to meet the Lord, and you can help by carrying them in your prayers, whenever you can.
Hozana offers you to join prayer communities to accompany you during any special event of your life.
Find comfort from your Christian sisters and brothers by saying a few prayer intentions. Pray for the souls in purgatory, that they may join the Lord in Heaven. Say a novena for the sick to support families and people who are suffering around the world.