Prayers for the Dead

From the earliest days of Christianity, the faithful would remember and mention their dear departed brothers and sisters in prayer beseeching God to alleviate their suffering and aid their journey to heaven.

“For her daughter Falconilla had died, and said to her in a dream: Mother, you shall have this stranger Thecla in my place, so that she may pray for me, and that I may be transferred to the place of the just.” (Acts of Paul and Thecla from c. A.D. 160).

FAQ

  • As noted earlier, prayer for the dead is not a new practice but one rooted in the early Christian tradition. We pray for the dead so they may be freed from the temporal punishments due to their sins. Temporal punishment is a debt owed to God for sin, which requires atonement both in this life and in Purgatory. Through our prayers, the merits of Christ are applied to the souls in Purgatory, helping to satisfy this debt and allowing them to enter their eternal home in Heaven.

  • While it can only be touched on briefly here, the answer is yes. Here are only a few notable verses. One explores Purgatory which is the reason the dead need our prayers, the other more directly addresses prayer for the dead.

    • “If someone’s work is burned, he will suffer loss, but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire." (1 Cor 13:15)

    • "It is a holy and pious thought to pray for the dead." (2 Macc 12:46)

  • The Church encourages us to pray for both sinners and the souls in Purgatory, but there is a key difference between them. The souls in Purgatory are entirely dependent on our prayers, as they cannot help themselves in their suffering. Our prayers can bring them relief and aid in their purification. Sinners, on the other hand, also need our prayers but still have the ability, with God's grace, to repent and turn back to Him, actively seeking their own salvation.

Eternal Rest Grant unto Them

Requiem æternam

From the Liturgy of the Hours. Partial Indulgence for the Souls in Purgatory.

ETERNAL rest grant unto him/her (them), O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon him/her (them). May he/she (they) rest in peace. Amen.

REQUIEM aeternam dona ei (eis), Domine, et lux perpetua luceat ei (eis). Requiescat (-ant) in pace. Amen.

Enchiridion of Indulgences #46 and the Raccolta #582 (S. C. Ind., Feb. 13, 1908; S. P. Ap., May 17, 1927)

O Lord Jesus Christ, King of Glory

Domine Iesu Christe, Rex gloriae

From the Roman Missal

O LORD Jesus Christ, King of glory, deliver the souls of all the faithful departed from the pains of hell and from the bottomless pit; deliver them out of the lion's mouth, lest hell should swallow them up, lest they fall into the outer darkness; but let Thy standard-bearer, Saint Michael, bring them back into Thy holy light, which Thou didst promise of old to Abraham and to his seed. Amen.

DOMINE Iesu Christe, Rex gloriae, libera animas omnium fidelium defunctorum de poenis inferni et de profundo lacu; libera eas de ore leonis, ne absorbeat eas tartarus, ne cadant in obscurum; sed signifer sanctus Michael repraesentet eas in lucem sanctam, quam olim Abrahae promisisti et semini eius. Amen.

Raccolta #597, from the Roman Missal (S. P. Ap., Sept. 12, 1935)

For a Deceased Woman

Pro defuncta nominatim

From the Roman Missal

WE beseech Thee, O Lord, according to Thy loving-kindness, have mercy upon the soul of Thy handmaiden N., and now that she is set free from the defilements of this mortal flesh, restore her to her heritage of everlasting salvation. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

QUAESUMUS, Domine, pro tua pietate miserere animae famulae tuae N., et a contagiis mortalitatis exutam, in aeternae salvationis partem restitue. Per Christum Dominum nostrum. Amen.

Raccolta #600 (S. P. Ap., March 14, 1923 and June 24, 1936)

For a Deceased Man

Pro defuncto nominatim

From the Roman Missal

INCLINE Thine ear, O Lord, unto our prayers, wherein we humbly pray Thee to show Thy mercy upon the soul of Thy servant N., whom Thou hast commanded to pass out of this world, that Thou wouldst place him in the region of peace and light, and bid him be a partaker with Thy Saints. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

INCLINA, Domine, aurem tuam ad preces nostras, quibus misericordiam tuam supplices deprecamur, ut animam famuli tui N., quam de hoc saeculo migrare iussisti, in pacis ac lucis regione constituas et Sanctorum tuorum iubeas esse consortem. Per Christum Dominum nostrum. Amen.

Raccolta #600 (S. P. Ap., March 14, 1923 and June 24, 1936)