~ Prayers for Visiting A Cemetery

PRAYERS FOR

VISITING A CEMETERY

Presider’s Greeting:

The grace and peace of God our Father, who raised Jesus from the dead, be with you always.

All:      And with your spirit.

Presider:  My dear friends, we gather today to pray for our loved ones whose bodies lie here in rest.  They have passed from death to life in company with the Lord Jesus, who died and rose to new life, and are purified now of their faults.  We pray that God may welcome them among all the saints of heaven.

READING:  (choose a favorite scripture  passage of

                        the deceased)

PRAYER:  (choose one of the following)

All-powerful God,

            whose mercy is never withheld

            from those who call upon you in hope,

            look kindly on your servant(s) ______________                             

            who departed this life confessing your name, and number them among your saints for evermore.

            We ask this through Christ our Lord.  Amen.

OR

            Almighty God and father,

            by the mystery of the cross,

            you have made us strong;

            by the sacrament of the resurrection

            you have sealed us as your own.

            Look kindly upon your servants,

            now freed from the bonds of mortality,

            and count them among

            your saints in heaven.

            We ask this through Christ our Lord.  Amen.

OR

            Almighty God and Father,

            it is our certain faith

            that your Son, who died on the cross, was raised from the dead,

            the first fruits of all

            who have fallen asleep.

            Grant that through this mystery

            your servant _______________________

            who has gone to his/her rest in Christ,

            may share in the joy of his resurrection.

            We ask this through Christ our Lord.  Amen.

OR

O God, by whose mercy

            the faithful departed find rest,

            bless this gravestone

            with which we mark the resting place of     

             _______________________________                          

            May he/she have everlasting life

            and rejoice in you

            with your saints for ever.

            We ask this through Christ our Lord.  Amen.

CONCLUDING RITE:

            Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord.

            and let perpetual light shine upon them.

            May they rest in peace.        Amen.

May their souls and the souls of the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen.

            May the peace of God,

            which is beyond all understanding,

            keep your hearts and minds

            in the knowledge and love of God

            and of his Son, our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.

            And may the almighty God bless you,

            in the name of the Father,

            and of the Son,

            and of the Holy Spirit.  Amen