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Sickness and Death
Prayers for the Dying
LITANY FOR THE DYING PRAYERS
Let us pray
Depart, Christian soul, out of this miserable world, in the name of
God the Father Almighty, Who created thee; in the name of God the
Son, Who suffered for thee; in the name of the Holy Ghost, Who
sanctified thee; in the name of the Angels, Archangels, Thrones,
Dominations, Cherubim and Seraphim; in the name of the Patriarchs and Prophets, of the holy Apostles and
Evangelists, of the holy Martyrs and Confessors,
of the holy Monks and Hermits, of the holy
Virgins, and of all the Saints of God—let thy
place be this day in peace, and thy abode in holy
Sion; through Christ our Lord. Amen.
God of clemency! God of goodness! 0 God,
Who, according to the multitude of Thy mercies,
forgive the sins of such as repent, and graciously remit the guilt of their past offences, mercifully regard this Thy servant (Name), and grant
her a full discharge from all her sins, who most
earnestly begs it of Thee. Purify, 0 merciful
Father, whatever is corrupt in her human frailty,
or by the snares of the enemy; make her a true
member of the Church, and let her partake of the
fruit of Thy redemption. Have compassion, 0
Lord, on her sighs, have pity on her tears; and
admit her to the sacrament of Thy reconciliation,
who has no hope but in Thee; through Christ our
Lord. Amen.
I recommend thee, dear sister, to Almighty God,
and commit thee to His mercy, Whose creature
Thou art; that, having paid the common debt of
nature, thou may surrender thy soul to thy
Maker, Who formed thee out of the earth. May,
therefore the noble company of Angels meet thy
soul at its departure! May the court of the
Apostles receive thee! May the triumphant army
of glorious Martyrs conduct thee! May the
crowds of joyful Confessors encompass thee!
May the choir of blessed Virgins go before thee!
And may a happy rest be thy portion in the
company of the Patriarchs! May Jesus Christ
appear to thee with a mild and cheerful countenance, and give thee a place amongst those who are
to dwell in His presence for ever.
Mayest thou be a stranger to all who are condemned to darkness, chastised with flames, or
punished with torments. God command the
wicked enemy, with all his evil spirits, to depart
from thee. May the infernal spirits tremble at
thy approach, encompassed by Angels, and retire
into the horrid confusion of eternal night. May
thy God arise, and thy enemies be put to flight.
May all who hate Him fly before His face. Let
them vanish like smoke, or as wax before the fire;
so let sinners perish in the sight of God. But as
to the just, let them rejoice and be happy in His
presence. May all the ministers of hell be filled
with confusion and shame, and let no evil spirit
dare to stop thy course to heaven. May Christ
Jesus, Who was crucified for thee, be thy
deliverer; may He deliver thee from death, Who
for thy sake vouchsafed to die. May Christ Jesus,
the Son of the living God, place thee in His
garden of paradise; and may He, the true Shepherd, own thee for one of His flock. May He
absolve thee from all thy sins, and place thee at
His right hand in the inheritance of the elect.
Oh, may it be thy happy lot to behold thy Redeemer face to face; to be ever in His presence,
in the beatific vision of that eternal trust which
is the joy of the blessed. And thus placed amongst
those happy spirits, may thou be for ever filled
with heavenly sweetness. Amen.
Receive Thy servant, 0 Lord, into that place
where she may hope for salvation from Thy
mercy.
R. Amen. Deliver, 0 Lord, the soul of Thy servant from
all dangers of hell, and from all pain and tribulation.
R. Amen. Deliver, 0 Lord, the soul of Thy servant, as
Thou didst deliver Enoch and Elias from the
common death of the world.
R.—Amen.
Deliver, 0 Lord, the soul of Thy servant, as
Thou didst deliver Noe from the flood.
R.—Amen. Deliver, 0 Lord, the soul of Thy servant, as
Thou didst deliver Abraham from the midst of the
Chaldeans.
R.—Amen.
Deliver, 0 Lord, the soul of Thy servant, as
Thou didst deliver Job from all his afflictions.
R.—Amen.
Deliver, 0 Lord, the soul of Thy servant, as
Thou didst deliver Isaac from being sacrificed by
his father.
R.—Amen. Deliver, 0 Lord, the soul of Thy servant, as
Thou didst deliver Lot from Sodom and the flames
of fire.
R.—Amen. Deliver, 0 Lord, the soul of Thy servant, as
Thou didst deliver Moses from the hands of
Pharao, King of Egypt.
R.—Amen. Deliver, 0 Lord, the soul of Thy servant, as
Thou didst deliver Daniel from the lions' den.
R.—Amen.
Deliver, 0 Lord, the soul of Thy servant, as
Thou didst deliver the three children from the
fiery furnace, and from the hands of an unmerciful king.
R.—Amen. Deliver, 0 Lord, the soul of Thy servant, as
Thou didst deliver David from the hands of Saul
and Goliath.
R.—Amen.
Deliver, 0 Lord, the soul of Thy servant, as
Thou didst deliver Susanna from her false
accusers.
R.—Amen.
Deliver, 0 Lord, the soul of Thy servant, as
Thou didst deliver Peter and Paul out of prison.
R.—Amen.
And as Thou didst deliver that blessed virgin
and martyr, St. Thecia, from most cruel torments,
vouchsafe to deliver the soul of this Thy servant,
and bring it to the participation of Thy heavenly
joys.
R.—Amen.
Let us pray
We commend to Thee, 0 Lord, the soul of this
Thy servant, and beseech Thee, 0 Jesus Christ,
Redeemer of the world, that as in Thy mercy to
her Thou became man, so now Thou wouldst
vouchsafe to admit her into the number of the
blessed. Remember, 0 Lord, that she is Thy
creature, not made by strange gods, but by Thee,
the only true and living God, for there is no other
God but Thee, none than can work Thy wonders.
Let her soul find comfort in Thy sight, and remember not her former sins, nor any of those excesses into which she has fallen, through the violence of passion and corruption. For although she
hath sinned, yet she has retained a true faith in
Thee, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost: she has had
a zeal for Thy honor, and faithfully adored Thee
her God, and the Creator of all things.
Remember not, 0 Lord, the sins of ignorance
of her youth, but, according to Thy great mercy,
be mindful of her in Thy eternal glory. Let the
heavens be opened to her, and the Angels rejoice
with her. May St. Michael, the Archangel, the
chief of the heavenly host, conduct her. May
blessed Peter, the Apostle, to whom were given
the keys of the kingdom of heaven, receive her.
May holy Paul, the Apostle and vessel of election,
assist her. May St. John, the beloved disciple, to
whom was revealed the secrets of heaven, intercede for her. May all the chosen servants and
martyrs of God, who in this world have suffered
torments for the sake of Christ, intercede for her,
that, being delivered from this body of corruption,
she may be admitted into the kingdom of heaven,
through the assistance and merits of Our Lord
Jesus Christ, Who lives and reigns with the
Father and the Holy Ghost, world without end.
Amen.
If the dying person continue in her senses, the following
Acts may be made, ACT OF THANKSGIVING
0 my God! Thou hast created, redeemed, and
sanctified me. Thou hast preserved me in many
dangers both in body and soul. Thou hast fed me
with Thy most blessed Body and Blood. Thou
hast shown immense patience in bearing with my
repeated crimes, and often called me to repentance. For these and all other blessings bestowed
on me, a most ungrateful sinner, I offer innumerable thanks.
ACT OF RESIGNATION
0 my God! I cheerfully receive the certain
summons of my death. It is a greater happiness
to fulfil Thy will than to enjoy ten thousand lives.
0 happy news of my departure! I shall soon
hear the choirs of Angels sing Thy eternal
praises. Let death hasten his pace, that dying I
may no more offend Thee, but live with Thee, and
love Thee eternally.
ACT OF CONTRITION
I am truly and heartily sorry for all my sins,
not for the fear of hell, nor for the hope of re-
ward ; but for the love of Thee, my God, my only
good! And were I beginning instead of ending
my life, I would not offend Thee for a thousand
worlds . . . 0 my God ! despise not a contrite and
humble heart. Amen.
The Dead
The soul being now departed, the following Responsory is
said:
Come to her assistance, all you Saints of God;
meet her all you Angels of God; receive her soul,
and present it now before its Lord—May Jesus
Christ receive thee, and the Angels conduct thee
to thy place of rest; may they receive thy soul,
and present it now before its Lord. V.—Eternal rest grant her, 0 Lord,
R.—And let perpetual light shine upon her!
May the Angels present her now before the
Lord.
Lord, have mercy on us!
Christ, have mercy on us!
Lord, have mercy on us! Our Father. Eternal rest grant her, 0 Lord,
And let perpetual light shine on her! From the gates of hell,
Deliver her soul, 0 Lord.
V. May she rest in peace.
R. Amen.
V. 0 Lord, hear my prayer,
R. And let my cry come unto Thee!
Let us pray
Absolve, we beseech Thee, 0 Lord, the soul of
Thy servant (Name), that being dead to this
world, she may live to Thee; and whatever sins
she has committed through human, frailty, we
beseech Thee in Thy goodness mercifully to par-
don. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.
DE PROFUNDIS
Out of the depths I have cried to Thee, 0 Lord:
Lord, hear my voice. Let Thine ears be attentive to the voice of my
supplication.
If Thou, 0 Lord, wilt mark iniquities, Lord,
who shall stand it?
For with Thee there is merciful forgiveness:
and by reason, of Thy law, I have waited for Thee,
0 Lord.
My soul hath relied, on his word: my soul hath
hoped in the Lord. From the morning, watch even until night let
Israel hope in the Lord.
Because with the Lord there is mercy; and with
Him plentiful redemption.
And He shall redeem Israel from all his iniquities.
V.—Eternal rest give to her, 0 Lord,
R.—And let perpetual light shine upon her!
V.—May she rest in peace!
R.—Amen!
0 God, the Creator and Redeemer of all the
faithful, grant to the soul of Thy servant departed, the remission of all her sins; that through
pious supplications she may obtain that pardon
which she has always desired! Who lives and
reigns with the Father, in the unity of the Holy
Ghost, one God, world without end. Amen.
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