Collect Prayers for Funeral Mass
I. Ordinary Time, Advent, Christmas or Lent
A. (1.1) O God, almighty Father, our faith professes that your Son died and rose
again; mercifully grant, that through this mystery your servant N., who has
fallen asleep in Christ, may rejoice to rise again through him.
B. (1.2) O God, whose nature is always to forgive and to show mercy, we
humbly implore you for your servant N., whom you have called (this day) to
journey to you, and, since he (she) hoped and believed in you, grant that he
(she) may be led to our true homeland to delight in its everlasting joys.
C. (1.3) O God, who are mercy for sinners and the happiness of your saints,
give, we pray, to your servant N., for whom (today) we perform the fraternal
offices of burial, a share with your chosen ones in the blessedness you give,
so that on the day of resurrection, freed from the bonds of mortality,
he (she) may come before your face.
D. (1.4) O God, who have set a limit to this present life, so as to open up an
entry into eternity, we humbly beseech you, that by the grace of your mercy
you may command the name of your servant N. to be inscribed in the book
of life.
E. (1.5) O God, who alone are able to give life after death, free your servant N.
from all sins, that he (she), who believed in the Resurrection of your Christ,
may, when the day of resurrection comes, be united with you in glory.
II. Easter Time
A. (2.1) Listen kindly to our prayers, O Lord: as our faith in your Son,
raised from the dead, is deepened, may our hope of resurrection for your
departed servant N., also find new strength.
B. (2.2) O God, who through the ending of present things open up the
beginning of things to come, grant, we pray, that the soul of your servant N.
may be led by you to attain the inheritance of eternal redemption.
III. For Particular Circumstances
A. (3.1) For A Young Person—O God, who direct our life in all its moments,
we humbly entrust to you this your servant N., whom we mourn as one
whose life was completed in so short a time; grant that he (she) may
flourish, for ever young, in the happiness of your house.
B. (3.2) For an elderly person—God of mercy, look kindly on your servant N.,
who has set down the burden of his/her years. As he/she served you
faithfully throughout his/her life, may you give him/her the fullness of your
peace and joy. We give thanks for the lone life of N., now caught up in your
eternal love.
C. (3.3) For a Wife—Eternal God, you made the union of man and woman a
sign of the bond between Christ and the Church. Grant peace and mercy to
N., who was united in love with her husband. May the care and devotion of
her life on earth find a lasting reward in heaven. Look kindly on her
husband and family/children as now they turn to your compassion and love.
Strengthen their faith and lighten their loss.
D. (3.4) For a Husband—Eternal God, you made the union of man and woman
a sign of the bond between Christ and the Church. Grant peace and mercy to
N., who was united in love with his wife. May the care and devotion of his
life on earth find a lasting reward in heaven. Look kindly on his wife and
family/children as now they turn to your compassion and love. Strengthen
their faith and lighten their loss.
E. (3.5) A deceased non-Christian married to a Catholic—Almighty and faithful
Creator, all things are of your making, all people are shaped in your image.
We now entrust the soul of N. To your goodness. In your infinite wisdom
and power, work in him/her your merciful purpose, known to you alone from
the beginning of time. Console the hearts of those who love him/her in the
hope that all who trust in you will find peace and rest in your kingdom.
F. (3.6) After a long illness—O God, who called your servant N. to serve you
in affliction and sickness, grant, we pray, that he (she), who followed your
Son’s example of suffering, may also receive the reward of his glory.
G. (3.7) After a long illness—God of deliverance, your called our brother/sister
N. to serve you in weakness and pain, and gave him/her the grace of sharing
the cross of your Son. Reward his/her patience and forbearance, and grant
him/her the fullness of Christ’s victory.
H. (3.8) After a long illness—Most faithful God, lively is the courage of those
who hope in you. Your servant N. suffered greatly but placed his/her trust in
your mercy. Confident that the petition of those who mourn pierces the
clouds and finds an answer, we beg you, give rest to N. Do not remember
his/her sins but look upon his/her sufferings and grant him/her refreshment,
light and peace.
I. (3.9) For One Who Died Suddenly—Show us, Lord, the immense power of
your goodness, that, as we weep for our brother (sister) N., taken from us by
a sudden death, we may be confident that he (she) has passed over into your
eternal company.
J. (4.1) For one who died accidentally or violently—Lord our God, you are
always faithful and quick to show mercy. Our brother/sister N. was
suddenly [and violently] taken from us. Come swiftly to his/her aid, have
mercy on him/her, and comfort his/her family and friends by the power and
protection of the cross.
K. (4.2) For one who died by suicide—God, lover of souls, you hold dear what
you have made and spare all things, for they are yours. Look gently on your
servant N., and by the blood of the cross forgive his/her sins and failings.
Remember the faith of those who mourn and satisfy their longing for that
day when all will be made new again in Christ, our risen Lord.
L. (4.3) For one who died by suicide—Almighty God and Father of all, you
strengthen us by the mystery of the cross and with the sacrament of your
Son’s resurrection. Have mercy on our brother/sister N. Forgive all his/her
sins and grant him/her peace. May we who mourn this sudden death be
comforted and consoled by your power and protection.
IV. Prayers for the Ordained, the Religious or Lay Ministries
A. (5.1) A priest—Hear with favor our prayers, which we humbly offer, O Lord,
for the salvation of the soul of N., your servant and Priest, that he, who
devoted a faithful ministry to your name, may rejoice in the perpetual
company of your saints.
B. (5.2) A deacon—Grant, we pray, O merciful God, a share in eternal
happiness to the soul of N., your servant and Deacon, on whom you
bestowed the gift of ministering in your Church.
C. (5.3) A religious—Grant, we pray, almighty God, that the soul of your
servant N., who for love of Christ walked the way of perfect charity, may
rejoice in the coming of your glory and together with his brothers (her
sisters) may delight in the everlasting happiness of your Kingdom.
D. (5.4) An active layman (laywoman)—We humbly beseech your mercy, O
Lord, for your servant N., that, having worked tirelessly for the spread of the
Gospel, he (she) may merit to enter into the rewards of the Kingdom.
V. For the Funeral of a Baptized Child
A. (5.1) Most compassionate God, who in the counsels of your wisdom have
called this little child, N., to yourself on the very threshold of life, listen
kindly to our prayers and grant that one day we may inherit eternal life with
him (her), whom, by the grace of Baptism, you have adopted as your own
child and who we believe is dwelling even now in your Kingdom.
B. (5.2) O God, who know that our hearts are weighed down by grief at the
death of this young child, N., grant that, while we weep for him (her), who at
your bidding has departed this life so soon, we may have faith that he (she)
has gained an eternal home in heaven.
VI. For the Funeral of a Child Who Died before Baptism
A. (8.1) Receive the prayers of your faithful, Lord, and grant that those you
allow to be weighed down by their longing for the child taken from them
may be raised up by faith to hope in your compassion.
B. (8.2) O God, searcher of hearts and most loving consoler, who know the
faith of these parents, grant that, as they mourn their child, now departed
from this life, they may be assured that he (she) has been entrusted to your
divine compassion.