In the first hours after a death, at a wake or funeral, on an anniversary or on All Souls’ Day, Christians keep praying for the people they have lost.
The prayer most Christians reach for is the Eternal Rest prayer at the top of this page, often shortened to “May they rest in peace.” Below it you will find short prayers for the soul to rest in peace, prayers for a specific person you have lost, the traditional Catholic and Orthodox prayers for the departed, a prayer for someone who is dying, and prayers for those left behind.
How this page is labeled: prayers marked Traditional come from the Church’s long use, with their source. Prayers marked Our own were written by the Holy Land Prayer team. Scripture quotations are from the NIV.
All Souls’ Day is Monday, November 2. See our All Souls’ Day prayers, with a short prayer service you can pray at home, or send the names of those you have lost to Jerusalem.
Send Their NamesShort Prayers for the Soul to Rest in Peace
For a card, a text message, a graveside, or the moment you hear the news.
- Eternal rest grant unto (name), O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon them. Traditional.
- May (name) rest in peace, and rise in glory. Our own.
- Lord Jesus, receive (name) into Your kingdom. Our own, echoing Luke 23:42.
- Memory eternal. Traditional, from the Orthodox funeral service.
- Into Your hands, Lord, I commend (name). Our own, echoing Luke 23:46.
- Goodbye for now, (name). Go in peace to the Lord who made you. Our own.
Want a prayer said for your loved one in Jerusalem? A priest prays it inside the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, the place of Jesus’ burial and resurrection, and a candle is lit in their memory. We email you the photos.
Send a PrayerA Prayer for a Loved One Who Has Died
Our own. Use it for a parent, a husband or wife, a child, a friend: anyone whose loss you are carrying.
For a mother or father
Our own.
For someone who just passed away
Our own. For the first hours and days, when the news is still new.
For a child who has died
Our own.
On a death anniversary
Our own. For the yearly anniversary, the 40th day, or any date that brings it all back.
Prayers for a Deceased Husband or Wife
Losing a husband or wife changes every hour of the day: the empty chair, the quiet house, the habits built for two. These prayers are for that loss. Use your spouse’s name where it says (name).
A prayer for my deceased wife
Our own.
A prayer for my deceased husband
Our own.
A prayer for a husband or wife who has died
Our own.
A bedtime prayer for a spouse who has died
Our own. For the hardest hour, when the other side of the bed is empty.
On a wedding anniversary or the anniversary of death
Catholics often have a Mass offered for a husband or wife on the anniversary of their death. Ask at your parish.
Would you like their name prayed for at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre? Write it in the form at the top of this page with your prayer. Your printed prayer is placed in one of the chapels and a candle is lit for them.
Write Your PrayerTraditional Catholic Prayers for the Dead
Eternal Rest (Requiem Aeternam)
Traditional. Drawn from the ancient Latin funeral liturgy and prayed by Catholics, Anglicans and many other Christians. It is the prayer at the top of this page.
Out of the depths (Psalm 130, the De Profundis)
Traditional. The Church has prayed this psalm for the dead for centuries, often followed by the Eternal Rest prayer.
The prayer of St. Gertrude
Traditional devotion, attributed to St. Gertrude the Great (13th century). Claims that it releases a set number of souls are not Church teaching; it is simply a beautiful prayer of intercession.
Catholics also have Masses offered for the dead. Ask at your parish; our Catholic prayer request page explains how a Mass intention differs from a prayer intention.
An Orthodox Prayer for the Departed
Traditional, from the Orthodox funeral and memorial services. Orthodox Christians close it with “Memory eternal.”
A Prayer for Someone Who Is Dying
Our own. If the person is Catholic, call a priest for the Anointing of the Sick and Viaticum while they are still conscious. See when to ask a priest.
A Prayer for Those Who Grieve
Our own. For yourself, or for a family you are praying for.
For more, see Prayers for Comfort.
Praying for the Dead on All Souls’ Day
Catholics keep November 2 as All Souls’ Day, the day the whole Church prays for everyone who has died, and many pray for the dead throughout November. Orthodox Christians hold memorial services on the Saturdays of Souls and on set days after a death, traditionally the third, ninth and fortieth days and the yearly anniversary. Many families visit graves, light candles, and pray the Eternal Rest prayer for each person they remember by name.
In 2026, All Souls’ Day falls on Monday, November 2. For a full set of prayers for the day, including a short prayer service you can hold at home, see All Souls’ Day Prayers.
How Catholics pray for the dead in the first days of November
- Write down the names. Make a list of everyone you want to remember, and pray the Eternal Rest prayer once for each name.
- Visit a cemetery. The Church grants a plenary indulgence, applicable only to the souls of the dead, to the faithful who visit a cemetery and pray for the dead on any day from November 1 to 8, under the usual conditions of Confession, Holy Communion and prayer for the intentions of the Pope.
- Go to Mass on November 2. Priests may celebrate three Masses on All Souls’ Day, and many parishes read out the names of those who died during the year.
- Keep praying through November. The whole month is traditionally dedicated to the Holy Souls.
A prayer for All Souls’ Day
Our own, closing with the traditional Eternal Rest prayer.
Filipino Traditions of Praying for the Dead
In the Philippines, praying for the dead is a family and community practice that continues long after the funeral.
- The pasiyam. Nine days of prayer, often the Rosary, held in the home for the soul of the person who has died, usually starting on the day of death or burial.
- The fortieth day. Many families gather again for Mass and prayers on the fortieth day after the death.
- The first anniversary. The babang luksa marks the end of the formal year of mourning with prayers, a Mass and a meal.
- Undas. On November 1 and 2, All Saints’ and All Souls’ Day, families visit the graves of their relatives, clean them, light candles and pray together, often staying late into the night.
The Eternal Rest prayer in Tagalog
Traditional. Wording can vary slightly from parish to parish.
Is It Biblical to Pray for the Dead?
Christians answer this differently, and it is worth saying so plainly. Catholic and Orthodox Christians pray for the dead as an ancient practice of the Church. They point to 2 Maccabees 12:46, where Judas Maccabeus has prayers offered for fallen soldiers, to Paul’s prayer for Onesiphorus in 2 Timothy 1:16 to 18, and to inscriptions in the early Christian catacombs asking for prayers for the dead. Many Protestant Christians do not pray for the dead, believing a person’s eternal state is settled at death, and instead pray thanks for their life and comfort for the living. All agree on praying for the grieving and on the hope of the resurrection.
Bible Verses of Hope for the Dead and the Grieving
Questions People Ask
What is the best prayer for a departed soul?
The Eternal Rest prayer is the one most Christians use: “Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon them. May they rest in peace.” It is short, ancient, and can be said anywhere, with the person’s name.
What is a short prayer for the soul to rest in peace?
“Eternal rest grant unto (name), O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon them. May they rest in peace. Amen.” Orthodox Christians say “Memory eternal,” and many people simply say “May (name) rest in peace.”
What do you say in a goodbye prayer for someone who has died?
Thank God for their life, commend them into His hands, and ask for rest and peace for them. For example: “Goodbye for now, (name). Thank You, Lord, for their life. Into Your hands I commend them. May they rest in peace.”
How long should I pray for someone who has died?
There is no limit. Many Catholics pray daily in the first weeks, have Masses offered on anniversaries, and remember their dead every November. Orthodox families keep memorial days on the third, ninth and fortieth days and on the anniversary.
Can I pray for someone who was not a believer?
Yes. You can commend anyone to the mercy of God, who knows every heart. Many people find great comfort in doing so.
Send a Prayer for Your Loved One to Jerusalem
If you would like a prayer for someone you have lost carried to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, the place of Jesus’ burial and resurrection, write it in the form at the top of this page with their name. It is printed and placed in one of the chapels, a priest prays it in English, and a candle is lit in their memory.
Related prayers
Who Writes These Prayers
Unless a prayer is marked as traditional or quoted from Scripture, the prayers on this page are written and reviewed by the Holy Land Prayer team, who carry the prayer requests sent to us into the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem. Read more about Holy Land Prayer.
Last updated 8 October 2026 by the Holy Land Prayer team.
