The death of Pope Francis weighs heavily on my heart this week. Although I am not Roman Catholic, I deeply admired and appreciated his pastoral presence and the simplicity with which he lived his life.
His death was the inspiration for this set of prayers for use with an Anglican rosary to pray both for him and for those of us around the world who mourn him, but I have also taken care to make it applicable to anyone who we have lost in death, so it can be used beyond this particular death. The blanks are places to insert the name of the departed for whom you are praying, and I offered male and female options throughout to make it easy to personalize the prayers for your situation.
These prayers are all taken from the Book of Common Prayer (abbreviated BCP), and page numbers are provided. In addition to the changes I mentioned above for ease in personalization, I also adapted the language slightly to better accommodate personal prayer instead of the corporate prayer it was originally written for (i.e., changing we/or to I/my, where appropriate). I retained some corporate pronouns (we/our) when praying for “all who mourn” as a means of praying for others in addition to ourselves.
| Cross: | Almighty God, I remember before You today Your faithful servant ________; and I pray that, having opened to him/her the gates of larger life, You will receive him/her more and more into Your joyful service, that, with all who have faithfully served You in the past, he/she may share in the eternal victory of Jesus Christ our Lord; who lives and reigns with You, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. (BCP, p.253) |
| Invitatory bead: | O God of grace and glory, I remember before You this day my brother/sister _______. I thank you for giving him/her to me to know and to love as a companion on my earthly pilgrimage. In your boundless compassion, console us who mourn. Give me faith to see in death the gate of eternal life, so that in quiet confidence I may continue my course on earth, until, by your call, I am reunited with those who have gone before; through Jesus Christ my Lord. Amen. (BCP, p.493) |
| Cruciform beads: | Rest eternal grant to him/her, O Lord; And let light perpetual shine upon him/her. May his/her soul, and the souls of all the departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen. (BCP, p.502) |
| Week bead 1: | Lord, You consoled Martha and Mary in their distress; draw near to us who mourn for ___________, and dry the tears of those who weep. (BCP, p.497) |
| Week bead 2: | You wept at the grave of Lazarus, your friend; comfort us in our sorrow. (BCP, p.497) |
| Week bead 3: | You raised the dead to life; give to our brother/sister eternal life. (BCP, p.497) |
| Week bead 4: | You promised paradise to the thief who repented; bring my brother/sister to the joys of heaven. (BCP, p.497) |
| Week bead 5: | My brother/sister was washed in Baptism and anointed with the Holy Spirit; give him/her fellowship with all Your saints. (BCP, p.497) |
| Week bead 6: | He/she was nourished with your Body and Blood; grant him/her a place at the table in your heavenly kingdom. (BCP, p.497) |
| Week bead 7: | Comfort me in my sorrow at the death of my brother/sister; let my faith be my consolation, and eternal life my hope. (BCP, p.497) |
| Invitatory bead: | Father of all, I pray to You for those I love, but see no longer: Grant them Your peace; let light perpetual shine upon them; and, in Your loving wisdom and almighty power, work in them the good purpose of Your perfect will; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. (BCP, p.504) |
| Cross: | Almighty God, Father of mercies and giver of comfort: Deal graciously, I pray, with all who mourn; that, casting all their care on You, they may know the consolation of Your love; through Jesus Christ my Lord. Amen. (BCP, p.505) |
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