All souls day is coming this week, and although my current parish does not host a cleaning of the graves for the feast day, I am going to try to convince my wife that we should go and pray in the cemetery for a little while. This is not something that she grew up doing since, in New Orleans, their cemeteries are so far from their parish church, so the whole thing is really spooky to her.
In the meantime, here is a collection of prayers you might take with you and pray if you choose to visit a cemetery this week (or at any time!).
Requiem
Eternal rest grant to them, O Lord,
and let perpetual light shine upon them
May they and all the souls of the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace.
Amen.
Cemetary Prayer
O God, by Whose mercy the faithful departed find rest,
send Your holy angel to watch over this grave,
through Christ our Lord.
Amen.
For the Forgotten Dead
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 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 Deceased Relatives and Friends
Almighty Father, source of forgiveness and salvation, grant that our relatives and friends who have passed from this life may, through the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary and of all the saints, come to share your Eternal happiness through Christ our Lord.
Amen
And if you’d like to print these prayers off to take with you, here is a word doc.:
Prairie Cajun 