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Catholic prayer while visiting a cemetery

cemetery

bestjeroen | Shutterstock

Philip Kosloski - published on 05/27/21

Pray this prayer the next time you visit a cemetery, asking God to have mercy on your deceased loved ones.

It’s important, when we visit cemeteries, that we not only pay our respects to deceased loved ones, but that we also pray for their souls. We should offer a prayer each time we visit a cemetery, recognizing their final journey into the arms of the Lord.

Praying for the deceased is a biblical tradition and has roots in the early Christian Church. It corresponds with the Catholic belief in purgatory and that certain souls may still be in need of a final purification before reaching Heaven.

The next time you visit a cemetery, try offering a short prayer, like this prayer that is typically abbreviated on tombs with the letters R.I.P.

Requiem æternam dona ei, Domine
℟. Et lux perpetua luceat ei:
℣. Requiescat in pace.
℟. Amen.

℣. Eternal rest, grant unto him/her, O LORD,
℟. And let perpetual light shine upon him/her.
℣. May he/she rest in peace.
℟. Amen.

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Catholic PrayersDeath
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