Litany for the Dying

[Dawn Marie]

Litany for the Dying

 

LORD have mercy on us.

Christ, have mercy on us.

Lord, have mercy on us.

Holy Mary, pray for him/her.

All ye holy angels and archangels, pray for him/her.

Holy Abel, pray for him/her.

All ye choirs of the just, pray for him/her.

Holy Abraham, pray for him/her.

St. John the Baptist, pray for him/her.

St. Joseph, pray for him/her.

All ye patriarchs and prophets, pray for him/her.

St. Peter, pray for him/her.

St. Paul, pray for him/her.

St. Andrew, pray for him/her.

St. John, pray for him/her.

All ye holy apostles and evangelists, pray for him/her.

All ye holy disciples of the Lord, pray for him/her.

All ye holy innocents, pray for him/her.

St. Stephen, pray for him/her.

St. Lawrence, pray for him/her.

All ye holy martyrs, pray for him/her.

St. Sylvester, pray for him/her.

St. Gregory, pray for him/her.

St. Augustine, pray for him/her.

All ye holy bishops and confessors, pray for him/her.

St. Benedict, pray for him/her.

St. Dominic, pray for him/her.

St. Francis, pray for him/her.

All ye holy monks and hermits, pray for him/her.

St. Mary Magdalene, pray for him/her.

St. Lucy, pray for him/her.

All ye holy virgins and widows, pray for him/her.

All ye saints of God, make intercession for him/her.

Be merciful, spare him/her, O Lord.

Be merciful, deliver him/her, O Lord.

From Thy anger, deliver him/her, O Lord.

From an unhappy death, deliver him/her, O Lord.

From the pains of hell, deliver him/her, O Lord.

From the power of the devil, deliver him/her, O Lord.

From all evil, deliver him/her, O Lord.

By Thy nativity, deliver him/her, O Lord.

By Thy cross and passion, deliver him/her, O Lord.

By Thy death and burial, deliver him/her, O Lord.

By Thy glorious resurrection, deliver him/her, O Lord.

By Thy admirable ascension, deliver him/her, O Lord.

By the grace of the Holy Ghost the Comforter, deliver him/her, O Lord.

In the day of judgment, deliver him/her, O Lord.

We sinners beseech Thee to hear us.

That Thou spare him/her, We beseech Thee to hear us.

Lord, have mercy on us.

Christ, have mercy on us.

Lord, have mercy on us.

Let us Pray.

Go forth, Christian soul, from this world, in the Name of God the Father Almighty, Who created you; in the Name of Jesus Christ, Son of the Living God, Who suffered for you; in the Name of the Holy Ghost, Who was poured forth upon you; in the name of the glorious and ever-blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God; in the name of St. Joseph, chaste spouse of the same Virgin; in the name of the Angels and Archangels; in the name of the Thrones and Dominations; in the name of the Principalities and Powers; in the name of the heavenly Virtues, Cherubim and Seraphim; in the name of the holy Apostles and Evangelists; in the name of the holy Martyrs and Confessors; in the name of the holy Monks and Hermits; in the name of the holy Virgins and of all the Saints of God: may your place be this day in peace, and your abode in holy Sion. Through the same Christ our Lord.
R.Amen

O Merciful God, O Gracious God; O God who, according to the multitude of Thy tender mercies, forgivest the sins of such as repent, and graciously remittest the guilt of their past offenses, mercifully regard this Thy servant/handmaid, N., and grant him/her a full discharge from all his sins, who most earnestly begs it of Thee. Remove, O merciful Father, whatever is corrupt in him/her through human frailty, or by the snares of the devil; and associate him/her as a member redeemed to the unity of Thy Body the Church. Have pity, Lord, on his/her groanings, have pity on his/her tears, and admit him/her, who hath no hope save in Thy mercy, to the Sacrament of Thy reconciliation, through Christ our Lord.
R.Amen.

I commend thee to Almighty God, dearly beloved brother/sister, and commit thee to His mercy whose creature thou art; that having paid the debt of humanity by passing through death, thou mayest return to the Maker, who formed thee out of the earth. When, therefore, thy soul goeth forth from thy body, may the glorious company of Angels meet thee; may the council of the Apostles who shall judge the world greet thee; may the triumphant army of white-robed Martyrs come out to welcome thee; may the band of shining Confessors, crowned with lilies, encircle thee; may the choir of joyous Virgins receive thee; and unto the bosom of blessed rest may the embrace of the Patriarchs clasp thee; may St. Joseph, most consoling Patron of the dying, lift thee up in holy hope; may Mary, the holy Mother of God, mercifully turn her eyes upon thee, and may He award thee a place among those who stand before Him for ever.

Mayest thou never know aught of the terror of darkness, the gnashing of teeth in the flames, the agonies of torment. May Satan most foul, with his wicked crew, give way before thee; may he tremble at thy coming with the Angels that attend thee, and flee away into the vast chaos of eternal night. Let God arise, and let His enemies be scattered; and let them that hate Him flee from before His face. As smoke vanisheth, so let them vanish away; as wax melteth before the fire, so let the wicked perish at the presence of God; and let the just feast and rejoice before God. May, then, all the legions of hell be confounded and put to shame, nor may the ministers of Satan dare to hinder thy way. May Christ, who was crucified for thee, deliver thee from torment. May Christ, who vouchsafed to die for thee, deliver thee from everlasting death. May Christ, the Son of the living God, place thee within the green pastures of His paradise, and may He, the true Shepherd, acknowledge thee as one of His sheep. May He absolve thee from all thy sins, and set thee at His right hand in the portion of His elect. Mayest thou behold thy Redeemer face to face; and, standing ever before Him, gaze with blessed eyes on the Truth made manifest. And set thus among the choirs of the Blessed, mayest thou enjoy the sweetness of divine contemplation for ever more.
R. Amen.

Receive, O Lord, Thy servant/handmaid into the place of salvation, which he/she hopes for from Thy mercy.
R. Amen.

Deliver, O Lord, the soul of Thy servant/handmaid from all the dangers of hell, and from the bonds of its punishments, and from all tribulations.
R. Amen.

Deliver, O Lord, the soul of Thy servant/handmaid, as Thou didst deliver Henoch and Elias from the common death of the world.
R. Amen.

Deliver, O Lord, the soul of Thy servant/handmaid/handmaid, as Thou didst deliver Noah from the flood.
R. Amen.

Deliver, O Lord, the soul of Thy servant/handmaid, as Thou didst deliver Abraham from Ur of the Chaldeans.
R. Amen.

Deliver, O Lord, the soul of Thy servant/handmaid, as Thou didst deliver Job from his sufferings.
R. Amen.

Deliver, O Lord, the soul of Thy servant/handmaid, as Thou didst deliver Isaac from being sacrificed by the hand of his father Abraham. R. Amen,

Deliver, O Lord, the soul of Thy servant/handmaid, as Thou didst deliver Lot from Sodom and from the flame of fire.
R. Amen.

Deliver, O Lord, the soul of Thy servant/handmaid, as Thou didst deliver Moses from the hands of Pharaoh, king of the Egyptians.
R. Amen.

Deliver, O Lord, the soul of Thy servant/handmaid, as Thou didst deliver Daniel from the lions' den.
R. Amen.

Deliver, O Lord, the soul of Thy servant/handmaid, as Thou didst deliver the Three Children from the burning fiery furnace, and from the hand of a wicked king.
R. Amen.

Deliver, O Lord, the soul of Thy servant/handmaid, as Thou didst deliver Susanna from a false accusation.
R. Amen.

Deliver, O Lord, the soul of Thy servant/handmaid, as Thou didst deliver David from the hand of King Saul and from the hand of Goliath.
R. Amen.

Deliver, O Lord, the soul of Thy servant/handmaid, as Thou didst deliver Peter and Paul out of prison.
R. Amen.

And as Thou didst deliver Thy most blessed Virgin and Martyr, Thecla, from three most cruel torments, so vouchsafe to deliver the soul of this Thy servant/handmaid, N., and make it to rejoice with Thee in the bliss of heaven.
R. Amen.

We commend unto Thee, O Lord, the soul of Thy servant/handmaid, N., and we beseech Thee, O Lord Jesus Christ, Savior of the world, that Thou wouldst not refuse to place in the bosom of Thy Patriarchs a soul for whose sake Thou didst mercifully come down upon earth. Acknowledge, O Lord, Thy creature, made, not by strange gods, but by Thee, the only living and true God: for there is no other God beside Thee, and none that doeth according to Thy works. Make glad his/her soul, O Lord, with Thy presence, and remember not his/her old sins, and the excesses which wrath or heat of evil desire may have aroused. For though he/she has sinned, he/she has not denied the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Ghost; but has believed, and has had a zeal for God, and has faithfully worshipped God, the Creator of all things.

Remember not, O Lord, we beseech Thee, the sins of his/her youth nor his/her ignorances; but, according to Thy great mercy, be mindful of him/her in the brightness of Thy glory. May the heavens be opened unto him/her, may the Angels rejoice with him/her. Into Thy kingdom, O Lord, receive Thy servant/handmaid. May Saint Michael, Archangel of God, prince of the heavenly host, receive him/her. May the holy Angels of God come forth to meet him/her, and lead him/her into the heavenly city, Jerusalem. May blessed Peter the Apostle, to whom were given by God the keys of the kingdom of heaven, receive him/her. May St. Paul the Apostle, who was counted worthy to be a vessel of election, assist him/her. May St. John, the chosen Apostle of God, to whom were revealed the secrets of heaven, intercede for him/her. May all the holy Apostles, to whom the Lord gave the power of binding and loosing, pray for him/her. May all the Saints and Elect of God, who, in this world, suffered torments for the name of Christ, intercede for him: that, being loosed from the bonds of the flesh, he/she may come to the glory of the heavenly kingdom, through the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, who, with the Father and the Holy Ghost, liveth and reigneth, world without end.
R. Amen.

May the most clement Virgin Mary, Mother of God, loving consoler of the afflicted, commend to her Divine Son the soul of this her servant/handmaid, N., so that through her maternal intercession our dying brother/sister may be freed from the terrors of death and in her company joyfully enter the desired heavenly home.
R. Amen.

We fly to thee, St. Joseph, Patron of the dying, and we earnestly commend to thee, whom Jesus and Mary assisted at thy happy death by this twofold pledge most dear, the soul of this thy servant/handmaid, N., now in his/her last agony, so that under thy protection he/she may be freed from the snares of the devil and from everlasting death, thus reaching the eternal joys of Heaven. Through the same Christ our Lord.
R. Amen.

The Last Agony

(When the soul is about to depart from the body, then those gathered around the bedside, should, more than ever, pray earnestly for the dying person. The Holy Name of Jesus should be constantly invoked, and such ejaculations as the following, repeated in the dying person's ear)

Into Thy hands, O Lord, I commend my spirit.--O Lord Jesus Christ, receive my spirit.--Holy Mary, pray for me.--O Mary, mother of grace, mother of mercy, do thou protect me from the enemy, and receive me at the hour of death.--St. Joseph, pray for me.-St. Joseph, in company with the blessed Virgin thy Spouse, open to me the bosom of divine mercy.

Jesus, Mary, Joseph, to you I commend my heart and my soul.

Jesus, Mary, Joseph, assist me in my last agony.

Jesus, Mary, Joseph, let me depart and rest with you in peace.

(When the soul has departed, the following prayers may be said)

Come to his/her assistance, ye Saints of God, come forth to meet him/her, ye Angels of the Lord; Receiving his/her soul: Offering it in the sight of the Most High.

V. May Christ receive you, who hath called you, and may the Angels bear you into Abraham's bosom.
R. Receiving his/her soul: Offering it in the sight of the Most High.

V. Eternal rest grant unto him/her, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon him/her.
R. Offering it in the sight of the Most High.
V. Lord have mercy.
R. Christ have mercy.
V. Lord have mercy.

(Silently) Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy Name. Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our tresspasses, as we forgive those who tresspass against us.

V. And lead us not into temptation.
R. But deliver us from evil.

V. Eternal rest grant unto him/her, O Lord.
R. And let perpetual light shine upon him/her.
V. From the gate of hell
R. Deliver his/her soul, O Lord.
V. May he/she rest in peace.
R. Amen.
V. O Lord, hear my prayer
R. And let my cry come unto You.

V. The Lord be with you.
R. And with you spirit.

Let us pray

To You, O Lord, do we commend the soul of Your servant/handmaid, N., that being dead to the world he/she may live unto You; and whatsoever sins he/she has committed through the frailty of his/her mortal nature, wash away by the pardon of Your most merciful love. We ask this through Christ our Lord.

R. Amen.

[Carol Henderson]

Amen. 

[bernadette szczepkowski]

Amen+

[Flavia Talladen Schott]

Amen.