Prayers for that Special Time

Your visit to the cemetery is a very special and personal time. It can be difficult to know what to say or what to do, especially the first time you come to visit. We hope the following prayers will be of help.

Traditional Catholic Prayers

Sign of the Cross
In the Name of the Father,
and of the Son,
and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.

Glory Be
Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son,
and to the Holy Spirit.
As it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be, world without end.
Amen.

Psalm 23
The Lord is my shepherd,
I shall not want.
He makes me lie down in green pastures;
he leads me beside still waters;
he restores my soul.
He leads me in right paths
for his name’s sake.
Even though I walk through the darkest valley,
I fear no evil;
for you are with me; your rod and your staff;
they comfort me.
You prepare a table before me
in the presence of my enemies;
you anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
all the days of my life,
and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord
my whole life long.

For The Dead
Eternal rest grant to 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.

Hail Mary
Hail Mary, full of grace,
the Lord is with you.
Blessed are you among women,
and blessed is the fruit of your womb, Jesus.
Holy Mary, Mother of God,
Pray for us sinners now,
and at the hour of our death.
Amen.

The Lord’s Prayer
Our Father,
Who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy name.
Thy kingdom come.
Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread,
and forgive us our trespasses
as we forgive those who trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation
but deliver us from evil.
Amen.

PRAYER SERVICE AT THE CEMETERY
(adapted from the Book of Blessings)
Praise be to God our Father,
who raised Jesus Christ from the dead.
Blessed be God for ever.
We gather today to pray for (Name) whose body lies here in rest. (Name) has passed from death to life in company with the Lord Jesus, who died and rose to new life, and is purified now of all faults. We pray that God may welcome (Name) among all the saints of heaven.
Amen.

A reading from the first letter of Paul to the Thessalonians: 4:13-18
We do not want you to be unaware, brothers and sisters, about those who have fallen asleep, so that you may not grieve like the rest,
who have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose, so too will God, through Jesus, bring with him those who have fallen asleep. Indeed, we tell you this, on the word of the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will surely not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself, with a word of command, with the voice of an archangel and the trumpet of God, will come down from heaven, and the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. Thus we shall always be with the Lord. Therefore, console one another with these words.

Psalm 25
To you, O Lord, I lift up my soul.
In you I trust; let me not be put to shame, let not my enemies exult over me. No one who waits for you shall be put to shame; those shall be put to shame who heedlessly break faith.
To you, O Lord, I lift up my soul.
Your ways, O Lord, make known to me; teach me your paths, Guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my savior, and for you I wait all the day.
To you, O Lord, I lift up my soul.
Remember that your compassion, O Lord,
and your kindness are from of old.
The sins of my youth and my frailties remember not;
in your kindness remember me,
because of your goodness, O Lord.
To you, O Lord, I lift up my soul.
Good and upright is the Lord;
thus he shows sinners the way.
He guides the humble to justice,
he teaches the humble his way.
To you, O Lord, I lift up my soul.
All the paths of the Lord are kindness and constancy
toward those who keep his covenant and his decrees.
For your name’s sake, O Lord,
you will pardon my guilt, great as it is.
To you, O Lord, I lift up my soul.
Together pray the Lord’s Prayer…
All-powerful God, whose mercy is never withheld from those who call upon you in hope, look kindly on your servant (Name) who departed this life confessing your name, and number (Name) among your saints for ever more.
We ask this through Christ our Lord.
Amen.

Conclusion
May the love of God and the peace of the Lord Jesus Christ
bless and console us
and gently wipe every tear from our eyes:
in the name of the Father,
and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen