Manualist Press Books

Office of the Dead, Hours of Charles the Noble, illumination by Master of the Brussels Initials and Associates — Master of the Brussels Initials and Associates, Office of the Dead, Hours of Charles the Noble, about 1405. Cleveland Museum of Art.

Remember your dead

Written in.

Prayer for the Dead

O God, the Creator and Redeemer of all the faithful, give to the souls of thy servants departed the remission of all their sins; that, through pious supplications, they may obtain the pardon which they have always desired: who livest and reignest, world without end. Amen.

V. Eternal rest give unto them, O Lord.

R. And let perpetual light shine upon them.

V. May they rest in peace.

R. Amen.

Prayer for the Dead, from The Golden Manual, 1850

Lord's Prayer for the Departed

On one occasion when St. Mechtilde had received holy Communion for the departed, our Lord appeared to her, saying: Recite for them one Our Father. And as she prayed she received by divine inspiration the prayer which follows, the which when she had recited she saw a great multitude of souls ascending into heaven.

OUR Father, who art in heaven. I beseech thee that thou wouldst forgive all the souls in purgatory, whereinsoever they have neither loved nor worthily honoured thee, their adorable and most beloved Father, who of thine own mere grace didst adopt them to be thy children, and have thrust thee forth from their hearts in which thou didst delight to dwell. And in satisfaction for this their sin, I offer thee that love and honour which thy beloved Son showed thee upon earth, and that most abundant satisfaction which he hath made for all their sins. Amen.

Hallowed be thy Name. I beseech thee, O thou Father of compassion, forgive the souls of the faithful departed whereinsoever they have not worthily honoured nor duly made mention of thy holy Name, but have taken it in vain, and by their scandalous life rendered themselves unworthy of the name of Christians. And in satisfaction for these their sins I offer thee the consummate holiness of thy Son, whereby he magnified thy Name by his teaching, and made it honourable by his work. Amen.

Thy kingdom come. I beseech thee, O Father of compassion, vouchsafe to forgive the souls of the faithful departed whereinsoever they have not fervently longed nor ardently striven after thee and thy kingdom, in which alone is true rest and abiding glory. And for this and all their sloth in doing good I offer thee the most holy and longing desires of thy Son, wherewith he desired to make them heirs together with him of his kingdom. Amen.

Thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven. I beseech thee, O Father of compassion, vouchsafe to forgive the souls of the faithful departed, and especially of those consecrated to thee in the religious life, whereinsoever they have not preferred thy will above their own, nor have loved it in all things, but have too often lived and done only according to their own will. And in satisfaction for this their disobedience I offer thee the union of the sweetest Heart of thy Son with thy Will, and all that his most ready and loving obedience wherewith he was obedient unto thee, even to the death of the cross. Amen.

Give us this day our daily bread. I beseech thee, O Father of compassion, vouchsafe to forgive the souls of the faithful departed whereinsoever they have not received the most blessed and adorable Sacrament of the Altar with pure and perfect desire, devotion, and love; or have received it unworthily, or seldom, or not at all. And in satisfaction for these their sins I offer thee the consummate holiness and the devotion of thy Son, together with that most ardent love and ineffable yearning desire wherewith he bestowed upon us this most inestimable treasure. Amen.

And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive them that trespass against us. I beseech thee, O Father of compassion, vouchsafe to forgive the souls of the faithful departed whereinsoever they have sinned against thee by any one, of the seven mortal sins, and especially wherein they have not forgiven those who had trespassed against them, or have not loved their enemies. And for all these their sins I offer thee that most sweet and tender prayer which thy Son prayed to thee for his enemies while hanging on the cross. Amen.

And lead us not into temptation. I beseech thee, O Father of compassion, vouchsafe to forgive the souls of the faithful departed whereinsoever they have not resisted their concupiscence and the sins to which they were especially prone, but have again and again consented to the devil and the flesh, and entangled themselves by their own will in many grievous evils. And for all these their manifold sins I offer thee the glorious victory wherewith thy Son overcame the world and the devil, together with all his most holy life and conversation, his toil and weariness, his most bitter Passion and his Death. Amen.

But deliver us and them from every evil and every woe through the merits of thy beloved Son, and bring us to the kingdom of thy glory, which is none other than thy most glorious self. Amen.

Lord's Prayer for the Departed, from Preces Gertrudianae, 1861

Offerings of the Precious Blood for the Poor Souls

I.

Lord, God Almighty! I beseech thee, by the precious body and blood of thy divine Son Jesus, which he gave with his own hands upon the eve of his passion to his beloved Apostles to be their meat and drink, and which he left to his whole Church, to be a perpetual sacrifice and life-giving food of his own faithful people, deliver the souls in purgatory (and especially that one which was most devoted to this mystery of love), that with thy divine Son, and with thy Holy Spirit, they may ever praise thee in thy eternal glory. Hail Mary.

II.

Lord, God Almighty! I beseech thee, by the precious blood which thy divine Son Jesus shed in the garden, deliver the souls in purgatory (especially that soul which is most destitute of aid); and bring them to thy glory, there to praise and bless thee forever. Hail Mary.

III.

Lord, God Almighty! I beseech thee, by the precious blood which thy Son Jesus shed in his cruel scourging, deliver the souls in purgatory (especially that soul which is nearest its entrance into heaven), that they may soon begin to praise and bless thee forever. Hail Mary.

IV.

Lord, God Almighty! I beseech thee, by the precious blood which thy divine Son Jesus shed in his bitter crowning with thorns, deliver the souls in purgatory (especially that one which would be the last to issue from those pains), that they tarry not so long a time before they come to praise thee in thy glory and bless thee forever. Hail Mary.

V.

Lord, God Almighty! I beseech thee, by the precious blood which thy divine Son Jesus shed through the streets of Jerusalem, when he carried the cross upon his sacred shoulders, deliver the souls in purgatory (especially that soul which is richest in merit before thee), that on the throne of glory, which awaits them, they may magnify and bless thee forever. Hail Mary.

VI.

Lord, God Almighty! I beseech thee, by the precious blood which thy divine Son Jesus shed upon the tree of the cross from his sacred hands and feet, deliver the souls in purgatory (especially that for which I am most bound to pray), that they may praise and bless thee in thy glory forever. Hail Mary.

VII.

Lord, God Almighty! I beseech thee, by the precious blood which gushed forth from the side of thy divine Son Jesus, deliver the souls in purgatory (especially that one which was most devout to the sacred heart of Jesus), that they may soon attain unto thy glory, there to praise thee in all eternity. Hail Mary.

Hymn.

Ye souls of the faithful,
Who sleep in the Lord,
But as yet are shut out
From your final reward;
Oh! would I could lend you
Assistance, to fly
From your prison below
To your palace on high!

O Father of mercies!
Thine anger withhold;
These works of thy hands
In thy presence behold;
Too oft' from thy path
They have wandered aside,
But thee, their Creator,
They never denied.

O tender Redeemer!
Their misery see.
Deliver the souls,
That were ransomed by thee.
Behold how they love thee,
Despite of their pain!
Restore them! Restore them!
To favor again.

O Spirit of grace!
O Consoler divine!
See how for thy presence,
They lovingly pine.
Oh! then, to enliven
Their sadness, descend,
And fill them with peace,
And with joy in the end.

O Mother of mercy!
Dear soother in grief!
Send thou to their torments
A balmy relief;
Attemper the rigor
Of justice severe,
And soften their flames
With a pitying tear.

Ye Patrons, who watched
O'er their safety below;
Oh! think how they need
Your fidelity now,
And stir all the Angels
And Saints of the sky,
To plead for the souls,
That upon you rely.

Ye friends who, once sharing
Their pleasure and pain,
Now haply already
In Paradise reign;
Oh! comfort their hearts
With a whisper of love,
And call them to share
In your pleasures above.

All ye, who would honor
The Saints and their Head,
Remember! remember!
To pray for the dead;
And they, in return,
From their misery freed,
To you will be friends
In the hour of your need.

Offerings of the Precious Blood for the Poor Souls, from Manual of Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament

From 1 to 8 November, a plenary indulgence for the souls in purgatory is granted each day for visiting a cemetery and praying for the dead, under the usual conditions.