November 2 is the Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed, better known as All Souls' Day. The day after the Church rejoices with the saints in heaven, she prays for everyone who has died in God's friendship but may still be undergoing purification before seeing Him face to face. A yearly day of prayer for all the dead spread from the Benedictine abbey of Cluny, where St. Odilo established it around the year 998, and the whole month of November is traditionally devoted to

This short prayer comes from the close of one of St. John Henry Newman's sermons, preached in 1834 when he was an Anglican vicar in Oxford. Its gentle images of lengthening shadows, a quiet world, and the fever of life ending make it a favorite evening prayer, and it is often prayed at funerals and at the bedside of the dying. Pray it at the end of a long day, at Night Prayer, in old age, or for someone nearing the end of life. It asks God to carry us through every day until

"Father, into Thy hands I commend My spirit" (Luke 23:46) is the seventh and final Word of Jesus from the Cross. It is His last prayer, drawn from Psalm 31, and it shows complete trust in the Father at the very moment of death. Christians have made these words their own for centuries. They are part of Night Prayer (Compline) in the Liturgy of the Hours, and many saints died with them on their lips. This short meditation asks for the grace to surrender ourselves to God both no

This prayer comes from the traditional prayers for a deceased father or mother, which begin by recalling God's commandment to honor our parents. It asks God to have pity on the soul of the one who has died and expresses the Christian hope of seeing them again in the joy of eternal brightness. Although it was written for parents, you can offer it for any loved one by inserting his or her name. Praying for the dead is a work of mercy the Church has practiced from the beginning;

Most Catholics know grace before meals, but the tradition also includes a thanksgiving after eating. This extended form thanks God for all His benefits and then adds a brief prayer for the faithful departed, a beautiful custom that remembers the dead every time the family rises from the table. Grace after meals is a natural way to close a family dinner, especially on Sundays, feast days, and holidays like Thanksgiving and Christmas. It helps children learn gratitude and keeps

On November 2 the Church commemorates all the faithful departed, praying for every soul still being purified in purgatory. The commemoration spread from the Benedictine abbey of Cluny, where St. Odilo established it around the year 998, and it soon became a day observed throughout the Western Church. The prayer given here is the traditional collect for the faithful departed, asking God to grant the souls of His servants the pardon they always desired. Pray it on All Souls Day

The Gospels do not record St. Joseph's death, but tradition holds that he died before Jesus began His public ministry, with Jesus and Mary at his side. No death could be more peaceful, and so the Church honors St. Joseph as patron of a happy, or holy, death. A "happy death" does not mean one without suffering; it means dying in God's grace, prepared by the sacraments and surrounded by prayer. This prayer asks St. Joseph to come with Jesus and Mary to help us at the hour of de

The De Profundis is Psalm 129 (130 in modern numbering), which begins "Out of the depths I have cried to thee, O Lord." It is one of the seven Penitential Psalms and one of the Songs of Ascents, which pilgrims sang on their way up to Jerusalem. Because it speaks of God's mercy and plentiful redemption, the Church has prayed it for the faithful departed for centuries. It is part of the Office of the Dead, and many families once prayed it every evening for their deceased relati

The Church has always prayed for the faithful departed. This traditional petition asks mercy for souls in Purgatory. The Prayer O gentle Heart of Jesus, ever present in the Blessed Sacrament, ever consumed with burning love for the poor captive souls in Purgatory, have mercy on them. Be not severe in Thy judgments, but let some drops of Thy Precious Blood fall upon the devouring flames. And, Merciful Savior, send Thy Angels to conduct them to a place of refreshment, light, an

When someone is near death, this traditional prayer recommends the soul to God's mercy. The Prayer Go forth, O Christian soul, from this world, in the Name of God the Father Almighty, Who created thee; in the Name of Jesus Christ, the Son of the living God, Who suffered for thee; in the Name of the Holy Ghost, Who was poured out upon thee; in the name of the Angels and Archangels; in the name of the Thrones and Dominations; in the name of the Principalities and Powers; in the

This classic petition asks for the grace of final perseverance and a peaceful death in God's friendship. The Prayer O my Lord and Savior, support me in my last hour by the strong arms of Thy Sacraments and the sweetness of Thy consolations. Let Thy absolving words be said over me, and the holy oil sign and seal me; and let Thine own Body be my food, and Thy Blood my sprinkling; and let Thy Mother Mary breathe on me, and my Angel whisper peace to me, and my glorious Saints and

The Church never forgets the faithful departed. The Eternal Rest prayer is a brief, steady act of charity for souls in purgatory. Say it after hearing of a death, at gravesides, or at the end of the day for those you love who have gone before you. The Prayer Eternal rest give unto them, O Lord; and let perpetual light shine upon them. May they rest in peace. Amen. May the souls of the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen. Sources: Traditional publi

Dies Irae is the traditional sequence of the Requiem Mass, meditating on judgment and mercy. This classic English excerpt is public domain. The Prayer Day of wrath! O day of mourning! See fulfilled the prophets' warning, Heaven and earth in ashes burning! Oh, what fear man's bosom rendeth When from heaven the Judge descendeth On Whose sentence all dependeth! Wondrous sound the trumpet flingeth; Through earth's sepulchers it ringeth; All before the throne it bringeth. Death is

After the meal, linger a moment to thank God and remember those who have gone before us. Gratitude after eating is as traditional as the blessing before it. This form also asks rest for the faithful departed—a quiet work of charity at every table. The Prayer We give Thee thanks, O Almighty God, for all Thy mercies. Who livest and reignest world without end. R. Amen. Vouchsafe, O Lord, to reward with eternal life all those who do us good for Thy name's sake. R. Amen. V. Let us