A Traditional Form of Nine Days Prayer for One Deceased

These are the traditional prayers—lasting nine days, and thus called a novena— which emphasize praying God’s mercy on the soul of the person who has died. These prayers may not be suitable for all those who mourn. They may, however, be particularly suited to situations to which the more general prayers for the dead do not speak.

These prayers may be said as part of one’s daily prayers, a rosary, at the Eucharist, or as a separate devotion during the novena. 

Each Day:

V. Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I shall fear no evil.
R. I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

V. Surely your goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life.
R. I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

V. Rest eternal, grant to them, O Lord;
R. And let light perpetual shine upon them.

Then, say the prayer appointed for each day...

First Day

O God, whose nature and property is ever to have mercy and to forgive, receive our humble petitions for the soul of thy servant N., which thou hast commanded to depart out of this world: deliver him/her not into the hand of the enemy, neither forsake him/her at the last; but command him/her to be received by the holy Angels and brought to the country of paradise; that forasmuch as he/she hoped and believed in thee, he/she may undergo no pains, but be made partaker of everlasting felicity. Through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Second Day

To thee, O Lord, I commend the soul of thy servant N., that being dead to the world, he/she may live to thee; and whatsoever sins he/she hath committed, through the frailty of his/her mortal nature, do thou wash away by the pardon of thy most merciful loving-kindness. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Third Day

O God, who mercies cannot be numbered; accept my prayers on behalf of the soul of thy servant N., departed, and grant him/her an entrance into the land of light and joy, in the fellowship of thy saints. Through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Fourth Day

Incline thine ear, O Lord, unto the prayers wherewith I humbly entreat thy mercy: that the soul of thy servant, which thou has bidden to depart this life, may by thee be set in the abode of peace and light, and made partaker of the fellowship of thine elect. Through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Fifth Day

Absolve, O Lord, I pray thee, the soul of thy servant N., from every bond of sin: that at the general Resurrection at the last day he/she may find refreshment in the glory of thy Saints. Through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Sixth Day

I beseech thee, O Lord, of thy loving kindness have mercy upon the soul of thy servant N., and now that he/she is released from bonds of mortality, do thou restore his/her portion in everlasting salvation, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Seventh Day

I implore thee, O Lord, mercifully to grant companionship with the blessed in heaven to the soul of thy servant N., whose death I commemorate. Through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Eighth Day

Accept, O Lord, I pray thee, the prayers which I humbly offer unto thee for the soul of thy servant N., beseeching thee to grant that, whatever sins committed in his/her conduct in this life being pardoned by thy goodness, he/she may be partaker of those unspeakable joys that thou hast prepared for thine elect. Through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Ninth Day

Grant, O Lord, this mercy to thy servant departed, who desired to do thy will, that he/she may not receive the punishment of his/her misdeeds: and that, as true faith joined him/her to the company of the faithful here below, so thy mercy may bring him/her to the Angelic company of heaven. Through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

The Lord's Prayer

Concluding sentence:

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