Dear God, we remember our loved ones who have passed on. We thank you for the time we shared with them. We ask that their spirits may rest in peace, and that you will welcome them into your loving arms. We pray for strength and comfort for those who mourn their loss, and for the courage to remember the joys of their lives. In this time of sadness, we turn to each other for support, knowing that there is no greater comfort than being together with those who love us. May we continue to find happiness in sharing our lives with those who are dear to us, as well as those who are new friends but already feel like family. May we find strength in one another as we cope with our grief, knowing that there is always hope ahead with every new day. Amen
Losing your parents can change your entire world. They raised you, supported you, and taught you from the very beginning. These prayers are comforting after a parent’s death.
Remembrance Prayer For The Dead
“Yizkor” from Judaism
Judaism centers around honor for parents. The mourning period for parents is long and intense. This prayer reflects your wish for a parent:
“May God remember the soul of my father, my teacher who has gone to his world because I will — without obligating myself with a vow — donate charity for his sake. In this merit, may his soul be bound up in the bond of life with the souls of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and with the other righteous men and women who are in Gan Eden and let us say Amen.”
“Yizkor” from Judaism
Replace “Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob” to read “with the souls of Sarah, Rebecca, Rachel, and Leah” for your mother. The Yizkor prayer continues at length. Here is an excerpt:
“May the all-merciful Father who dwells in the supernal heights, in his profound compassion, remember with mercy the pious, the upright and the perfect ones, the holy communities who gave their lives for the sanctification of the divine name. They were beloved and pleasant in their lives, and [even] in their death were not parted from him…”
“Death Anniversary Prayer” from Christianity
Taking time to care for yourself is important. This prayer gives you a moment to pray for your own strength.
“Loving heavenly Father, you know how troubled I am thinking about my loved one who has departed from this world. On this memorial day of my beloved one, I plead for your new strength and new grace which alone can carry me through the rest of my life.”
“Prayers on the Anniversary of a Deceased Person” from Catholicism
This prayer asks for everything you may want on this day: peace, rest, and light.
“O Lord, the God of mercies, grant unto the souls of thy servants the anniversary day of whose burial we are keeping, a place of solace, of peaceful rest, of glorious light. Through Christ our Lord, Amen.”
“For those who have died” from Anglicanism
This prayer focuses on the one constant through life and death: Christ’s love.
“Almighty and eternal God, from whose love in Christ we cannot be parted, either by death or life: hear our prayers and thanksgivings for all whom we remember this day; fulfill in them the purpose of your love; and bring us all, with them, to your eternal joy; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.”
Death Anniversary Prayers for a Spouse or Partner
Losing a spouse is a painful experience — here are a few prayers if you’ve found yourself grieving for your significant other.
“At a bereavement anniversary” from Anglicanism
This prayer acknowledges all the emotions you may feel right now: pain, loss, grief. It asks to be allowed to achieve hope again.
“Father, you know our hearts and share our sorrows. We are hurt by our parting from those whom we loved: when we are angry at the loss we have sustained, when we long for words of comfort, yet find them hard to hear, turn our grief to truer living, our affliction to firmer hope in Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.”
“Duas for the deceased” from Islam
This is a prayer for the deceased’s afterlife. It’s a request for forgiveness and mercy.
“O Allah, forgive [name of the person] and elevate his station among those who are guided. Send him along the path of those who came before, and forgive us and him, O Lord of the worlds. Enlarge for him his grave and shed light upon him in it.”
“The ceremony of Bhog” from Sikhism
In the Sikh religion, death anniversary celebrations aren’t completed. This prayer, though, comes from a special ceremony and it’s a prayer that you can repeat at any time.
“All that we see must pass on and be gone from us / Slipping away like the shadows of clouds. / Such is the world a mere vision that perishes. Leaving the Lord our sole refuge and friend. Death must sever all family ties / With parents, brothers, wife, and sons / All relations must be severed. / This world is unreal, a deceitful mirage, / Reflect on this truth in your heart…”
“Prayer for the Deceased” from Buddhism
This prayer focus on the circle of life and how the world, and the people in it, are transient.
“The Buddha said, ‘Life is a journey. Death is a return to earth. The universe is like an inn. The passing years are like dust. Regard this phantom world as a star at dawn, a bubble in a stream, a flash of lightning in a summer cloud, a flickering lamp — a phantom — and a dream.’
“Prayer for Mercy on the Souls in Purgatory” from Catholicism
This prayer focuses on how Jesus is a companion in your suffering because of his pain during the crucifixion.
“My Jesus, by the sorrows thou didst suffer in thine agony in the garden, in thy scourging and crowning with thorns, in the way to calvary, in thy crucifixion and death, have mercy on the souls in purgatory, and especially on those that are most forsaken. Do thou deliver them from the dire torments they endure; call them and admit them to thy most sweet embrace in paradise.”