# The Catholic Prayer Book and Manual of Meditations/Recommendation of a Soul Departing

RECOMMENDATION OF A SOUL DEPARTING.
LORD, have mercy on us.
Christ have mercy on us.
Lord, have mercy on us.
Holy Mary, pray for [him].
All ye angels and archangels, pray for [him].
All ye choirs of the just,
St. John the Baptist, Pray for [him]
St. Joseph,
All ye patriarchs and prophets.
St. Peter,
St. Paul,
St. Andrew,
St. John,
All ye holy Apostles and Evangelists,
All ye holy disciples of our Lord,
All ye holy innocents,
St. Stephen,
St. Laurence,
All ye holy martyrs,
St. Sylvester,
St. Gregory,
St. Augustine,
All ye holy bishops and confessors,
St. Benedict,
St. Francis,
All ye holy monks and hermits,
St. Mary Magdalen,
St. Lucy,
All ye holy virgins and widows,
All ye saints of God, Make intercession for [him],
Be merciful, Spare [him], O Lord.
Be merciful, Deliver [him], O Lord.
Be merciful, Receive [him], O Lord.
​From thy anger,
From the danger of death, O Lord, deliver [him]
From an ill end,
From the pains of hell.
From all evil,
From the power of the devil.
Through thy nativity.
Through thy cross and passion.
Through thy death and burial,
Through thy glorious resurrection.
Through thy admirable ascension,
Through the grace of the Holy Ghost, the Comforter,
In the day of judgment,
We sinners, Beseech thee to hear us.
That thou spare [him], We beseech thee to hear us
Lord, have mercy on us.
Christ have mercy on us.
Lord, have mercy on us.
LET US PRAY.
DEPART, Christian soul, out of this world, in the name of God the Father Almighty, who created thee; in the name of Jesus Christ, Son of the living God, who suffered for thee; in the name of the Holy Ghost, who sanctified thee; in the name of the angels, archangels, thrones, and dominations, cherubim and seraphim; in the name of the patriarchs and prophets, of the holy apostles and evangelists, of the holy martyrs and confessors, of the holy monks and hermits, of the holy virgins, and of all the saints of God. Let thy place be this day in peace, and thy abode in holy Sion, through Christ our Lord. Amen.
God of mercy! God of goodness! O God, who, according to the multitude of thy mercies, forgivest ​the sins of such as repent, and graciously remittest the guilt of their past offences, mercifully regard this thy servant [N.,] and grant [him] a full discharge from all [his] sins, who most earnestly begs it of thee. Remove, O merciful Father, whatever is corrupt in [him] through human frailty, or by the snares of the enemy; make [him] a true member of the Church; and let [him] partake of the fruit of thy redemption. Have compassion, Lord, on [his] tears, and admit [him] to the sacrament of thy reconciliation, who has no hope but in thee, through Christ our Lord. Amen.
I recommend thee, dear brother, to Almighty God, and leave thee to his mercy, whose creature thou art; that having paid the common debt, by surrendering thy soul, thou mayest return to thy Maker, who formed thee out of the earth. Let, therefore, the splendid company of Angels, meet thy soul at its departure; let the court of the Apostles receive thee: let the triumphant army of glorious Martyrs conduct thee; let the crowds of joyful Confessors encompass thee; let the choir of blessed Virgins go before thee; and let a happy rest be thy portion in the company of the Patriarchs; let Christ Jesus appear to thee with a mild and cheerful countenance, and give thee place among those who are to be in his presence for ever. Mayst thou be a stranger to all that which is punished with darkness, chastised with flames, and condemned to torments. Let the wicked enemy, with all his evil spirits, depart from thee; may he tremble at thy approach in the company of Angels, and retire into the horrid confusion of eternal night. May thy God arise, and thy enemies be put to flight. May all who hate [him] fly before [his] face. Let them vanish like smoke, and as wax before the fire so let sinners perish in the sight of God; but for the just. ​let them rejoice and be happy in his presence. May all the ministers of hell be filled with confusion and shame; and let no evil spirit dare to stop thee in thy way. Christ Jesus be thy deliverer, who was crucified for thee. Christ Jesus, deliver thee from death, who vouchsafed to die for thee. Christ Jesus, Son of the living God, place thee in his garden of paradise, and may he, the true Shepherd, own thee for one of his flock. May he absolve thee from all thy sins, and place thee at his right hand in the inheritance of his elect. We pray it may be thy happy lot to behold thy Redeemer face to face, to be ever in his presence, and in the vision of that truth which is the joy of the blessed. And thus, placed among those happy spirits, mayest thou be ever filled with heavenly sweetness. Amen.
Receive thy servant, O Lord, into the place of salvation which [he] hopes from thy mercy.
R. Amen.
Deliver, O Lord, the soul of thy servant, from all dangers of hell, from all pain and tribulation.
R. Amen.
Deliver, O Lord, the soul of thy servant, as thou deliveredst Enoch and Elias from the common death of the world.
R. Amen.
Deliver, O Lord, the soul of thy servant, as thou deliveredst Noah from the flood.
R. Amen.
Deliver, O Lord, the soul of thy servant, as thou deliveredst Abraham from the midst of the Chaldeans.
R. Amen.
Deliver, O Lord, the soul of thy servant, as thou deliveredst Job from all his afflictions.
R. Amen.
​Deliver, O Lord, the soul of thy servant, as thou deliveredst Isaac from being sacrificed by his father.
R . Amen.
Deliver, O Lord, the soul of thy servant, as thou deliveredst Lot from Sodom and the flames of fire.
R. Amen.
Deliver, O Lord, the soul of thy servant, as thou deliveredst Moses from the hands of Pharaoh, king of Egypt.
R. Amen.
Deliver, O Lord, the soul of thy servant, as thou deliveredst Daniel from the lions’ den.
R. Amen.
Deliver, O Lord, the soul of thy servant, as thou deliveredst the three children from the fiery furnace, and from the hands of an unmerciful king.
R. Amen.
Deliver, O Lord, the soul of thy servant, as thou deliveredst Susanna from her false accusers.
R. Amen.
Deliver, O Lord, the soul of thy servant, as thou deliveredst David from the hands of Goliah and of Saul.
R. Amen.
Deliver, O Lord, the soul of thy servant, as thou deliveredst Peter and Paul out of prison.
R. Amen.
And as thou deliveredst that blessed virgin and martyr, St. Thecla, from most cruel torments, so vouchsafe to deliver the soul of this thy servant, and bring it to the participation of thy heavenly joys.
R. Amen.
LET US PRAY.
WE commend to thee, O Lord, the soul of this thy servant, and beseech thee, Jesus Christ, ​Redeemer of the world, that as in mercy to [him], thou becamest man, so now thou wouldst vouchsafe to admit [him] into the number of the blessed. Remember, O Lord, [he] is thy creature, not made by strange gods, but by thee, the only true and living God; for there is no other God but thee — none that can work thy wonders. Let [his] soul find comfort in thy sight, and remember not [his] former sins, nor any of those excesses which [he] has fallen into, through the violence of passion and corruption. For although [he] hath sinned, [he] hath retained a true faith in thee, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost; [he] has had a zeal for thy honour, and faithfully adored thee [his] God, and Creator of all things.
Remember not, O Lord, we beseech thee, the sins and ignorances of [his] youth; but according to thy great mercy, be mindful of [him] in thy eternal glory. Let the heavens be open to [him], and the angels rejoice with [him]. Receive, O Lord, thy servant into thy kingdom. Let the Archangel, St. Michael, the chief of the heavenly host, conduct [him]. Let the holy Angels of God meet [him], and bring [him] into the city of the heavenly Jerusalem. May blessed Peter, the Apostle, to whom were given the keys of the kingdom of heaven, receive [him]. May holy Paul the Apostle, who was a vessel of election, help [him]. May St. John, the beloved disciple, to whom God revealed the secrets of heaven, intercede for [him], May all the holy Apostles, to whom was given the power of binding and loosing, pray for [him]. May all the blessed and chosen servants of God, who in this world have suffered torments for the name of Christ, pray for [him.] That being delivered from this body of corruption, [he] may be admitted into the kingdom of heaven, through the assistance and ​merits of our Lord Jesus Christ, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Ghost. Amen.
The soul being now departed, the following Responsory is said:--
COME to [his] assistance, all you saints of God; meet [him] all you angels of God; receive [his] soul, and present it now before its Lord. May Jesus Christ receive thee, and the angels conduct thee to thy place of rest; may they receive thy soul, and present it now before its Lord.
V. Eternal rest grant [him], O Lord.
R. And let perpetual light shine upon [him].
May the Angels present [him] now before the Lord.
Lord, have mercy on us.
Christ, have mercy on us.
Lord, have mercy on us.
Our Father.
V. And lead us not into temptation.
R. But deliver us from evil.
V. Eternal rest grant [him], O Lord.
R. And let perpetual light shine on [him].
V. From the gates of hell.
R. Deliver [his] soul, O Lord.
V. May [he] rest in peace.
R. Amen.
V. O Lord, hear my prayer.
R. And let my cry come unto thee.
Let us pray
ABSOLVE, we beseech thee, O Lord, the soul of thy servant (N.), that being dead to this world, [he] may live, to thee, and whatever sins [he] has committed through human frailty, we beseech thee in thy goodness, mercifully to pardon. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.