Rosary for the Deceased
Many outside the Protestant traditions of the West pray for the deceased in some manner or another. Most notable would be the Catholic tradition of praying for the departed in purgatory, done through the month of November beginning with the days of All Saints and All Souls on the first and second of November respectively. Orthodox Christians pray for the dead throughout the year on Saturdays.
I also pray for the departed, particularly on Saturdays which is the day of the week Sai Rhavë is associated with. I believe all departed souls should
be prayed for, particularly those who have died in less than peaceful
conditions, and that includes our sister souls: those of the animals. Please do take a look at the Rosary for the Animals at the bottom of the page.
--You may choose to meditate on a specific Mystery or set of Mysteries or on those you may be saying this Rosary for, such as the Rosary for the Animals meditations.
There are a few ways to say a Rosary for the deceased:
- You may say a regular Rosary with the intention of praying for the dead (you can also choose to meditate on a particular Mystery for the duration of the Rosary);
- You may say a regular Rosary with the Eternal Rest prayer said at the end of each decade;
- Or you may say the Rosary with the main prayers of each decade changed to the Eternal Rest prayer, followed by the adapted prayer of St. Ignatius.
Adapted Prayers
The Eternal Rest Prayer
Eternal rest, grant unto them, O Lady,
and let perpetual light shine upon them.
May the souls of the departed rest in peace.
(or -- may the souls of the departed through the mercy of God rest in peace.)
Prayer for the Dead (original from St. Ignatius of Antioch)
Receive in tranquility and peace, O Lady, the souls of those who have departed this life to come to You. Grant them rest and place them in the habitations of light, the abodes of blessed spirits. Give them life that will not age, good things that will not pass away, delights that have no end, through Your Holy Daughter, amen.
Saying the Rosary
(for a traditional, five-decade Rosary, with ten beads in each decade)
First Method
--Following the instructions found on the Rosary page, you may choose to begin as normal with the Creed, the Memorare, or the lengthy
'Prayer for the Souls of the Dead' [see bottom of this
page]. You may also choose to begin with a personal prayer for the dead,
whether an individual or the dead in general; or a combination of these -- perhaps the Creed, followed by a personal prayer for the dead or a loved one, etc.
--Say the Rosary as normal; you may choose to meditate on a specific Mystery or set of Mysteries or on those you may be saying this Rosary for.
Second Method
--Following the directions for a regular Rosary, at the end of each decade before you move on to say the Our Mother, you say the Eternal Rest prayer. I do not use the Our Mother prayer; you may replace the Our Mother with the Eternal Rest prayer if you wish.
--You may choose to meditate on a specific Mystery or set of Mysteries or on those you may be saying this Rosary for, such as the Rosary for the Animals meditations.
Third Method
--Following the instructions found on the Rosary page, begin as normal with the Creed, the Memorare, or the
lengthy
'Prayer for the Souls of the Dead' [see bottom of this
page]. You may also choose to begin with a personal prayer for the dead,
whether an individual or the dead in general; or a combination of these
-- perhaps the Creed, followed by a personal prayer for the dead or a
loved one, etc.
--Then on every occasion where a Hail Mary would be said instead say the Eternal Rest prayer, and on the single bead that divides the decades, say the Prayer for the Dead alongside or instead of the Our Mother prayer. For those who say the Rosary the way I do, you may choose to retain the Have Mercy prayers at the beginning of the Rosary.
It is my hope that these prayers will be of use and comfort to you!
Prayer for the Souls of the Dead
Heavenly Mother,
today, we remember those who have passed.
Particularly those who have died in the past year,
And pray for their joyful reunion with You, their loving Creator.
Names we will never know,
Voices we have not heard,
In locations we may never visit,
Yet brothers and sisters they are all.
So we pray.
For victims of war, caught in the crossfires of
conflicts we could not prevent,
for soldiers and civilians,
adults and children,
humans and animals, we pray.
Give eternal rest to their souls, O Mother.
For those immigrants who have died seeking a
haven where they wished to find safety
and opportunity for themselves and for their families, we pray.
Grant eternal rest to their souls, O Mother.
Mother, for victims of hunger, denied their share in the
bounty You have placed before us, we pray.
Grant eternal rest, O Mother.
Lady, for the victims of AIDS, Malaria, Ebola, Covid, and other infectious diseases.
Who perished before adequate care could reach them, we pray.
Grant eternal rest, O Mother.
For those refugees looking for asylum from war,
who died in a land that was not their home, we pray.
Grant eternal rest to their souls, O Mother.
For the animals killed in slaughterhouses,
the free creatures of the seas caught in nets,
for those innocent beings who perished before help could reach them,
Grant eternal rest and peace to their souls, O Mother.
God, for the victims of emergencies and calamities everywhere.
Who died amidst chaos and confusion, we pray.
Grant eternal rest, O Mother.
Our Mother,
We call upon You on behalf of those we could not help this year.
You raised Your Daughter from the dead
that all may share in Her joyful resurrection.
In Her Name, we pray. Amen.
(adapted version of Prayer for the Souls of the Dead)
Rosary for the Animals
In
a regular Rosary, each decade is dedicated to a particular Mystery. In a
Rosary for the animals, I pray each decade for a different area:
- First Decade: all animals in factory farms
for the sows in their gestation crates, for the cows who've just had their babies stolen away, for the babies crying for their mothers, for the chicks on the conveyor to a grisly end, the geese tortured for foie gras, we pray - Second Decade: all fish and sea creatures
for the fish caught in the nets, for the crabs in their cages, for the dolphins and turtles and myriad others killed by abandoned fishing gear or caught by accident, for the farmed fish in their stock tanks, for the sharks and whales and the health of the seas, we pray - Third Decade: those in captivity
for the animals on display in zoos, aquariums, circuses, and fairs, for sun bears & moon bears trapped in cages for their bile, for those in hoarding situations or places of neglect, for those who die after being forced to breed in a misguided attempt to preserve species, we pray - Fourth Decade: those in testing facilities
for those in labs for animal studies, for those in cosmetic testing, for those denied health and rest and socializing with their own kind in the name of safety for humans, we pray - Fifth Decade: all animals about to die
for the animals on the slaughterhouse floor, for the sea creatures brought on deck, for those tossed aside after birth, for those dying of their own weight or from the intolerable living conditions forced upon them, for those who do not live past the heroic jump for freedom off the trucks taking them to slaughter, for those suffering illness and injury without aid, for those about to pass on, we pray. I particularly pray that they may be granted rescue if at all possible, for mercy, for everyone working in these horrific places to have a change of heart and say 'no more' -- for the industry of exploitation and pain to end, even one day sooner.
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