Prayers for the Newly Departed
To be read immediately after a person's passing or on the same day.
Introductory Prayers
Having calmed the passions in your heart, stand before the icons, make the sign of the cross in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, and begin in peace:
Through the prayers of our holy fathers, O Lord Jesus Christ our God, have mercy on us. Amen. Glory to Thee, our God, glory to Thee.
O Heavenly King, Comforter, Spirit of Truth, Who art everywhere present and fillest all things, Treasury of good gifts and Giver of life, come and dwell in us, and cleanse us of all impurity, and save our souls, O Good One1.
Trisagion: Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal, have mercy on us (three times).
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, both now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
Lord, have mercy (three times).
O Most Holy Trinity, have mercy on us; O Lord, cleanse our sins; O Master, pardon our transgressions; O Holy One, visit and heal our infirmities for Thy name's sake.
Lord, have mercy (three times).
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, both now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
Our Father, Who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name; Thy kingdom come; Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.
Troparia, Tone 4
With the spirits of the righteous made perfect, give rest, O Savior, to the soul of Thy servant2, and preserve him in the blessed life which is with Thee, O Lover of mankind.
In Thy resting place, O Lord, where all Thy saints repose, give rest also to the soul of Thy servant, for Thou alone art the Lover of mankind.
Glory...3 Thou art the God who descended into hell and loosed the bonds of the captive, do Thou Thyself give rest also to the soul of Thy servant.
Now and ever...4 O only pure and spotless Virgin, who without seed didst bring forth God, pray for the salvation of his soul.
O come, let us worship God our King.
O come, let us worship and fall down before Christ, our King and our God.
O come, let us worship and fall down before the very Christ, our King and our God.
Psalm 90 (91)
He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say to the Lord, “My refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.” For He will deliver you from the snare of the fowler and from the deadly pestilence. He will cover you with His pinions, and under His wings you will find refuge; His faithfulness is a shield and buckler. You will not fear the terror of the night, nor the arrow that flies by day, nor the pestilence that stalks in darkness, nor the destruction that wastes at noonday. A thousand may fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand, but it will not come near you. You will only look with your eyes and see the recompense of the wicked. Because you have made the Lord your dwelling place—the Most High, who is my refuge—no evil shall be allowed to befall you, no plague come near your tent. For He will command His angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways. On their hands they will bear you up, lest you strike your foot against a stone. You will tread on the lion and the adder; the young lion and the serpent you will trample underfoot. “Because he holds fast to Me in love, I will deliver him; I will protect him, because he knows My name. When he calls to Me, I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will rescue him and honor him. With long life I will satisfy him and show him My salvation.”
Glory... now and ever... Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia, glory to Thee, O God (three times).
Canon for the Departed
Introductory prayers, “Lord, have mercy” (12 times), “Glory... now and ever...”, “O come, let us worship.”
Ode 1
Irmos: Having passed through the water as upon dry land, and having escaped the evil of Egypt, Israel cried aloud: “To our Deliverer and God let us sing.”
Refrain: Give rest, O Lord, to the soul of Thy departed servant.
Having opened my lips, O Savior, grant me the word of prayer, O Merciful One, for him who has now departed, that Thou mayest give rest to his soul, O Master.
Give rest, O Lord, to the soul of Thy departed servant.
Thou wast dead in the flesh, O Savior, and laid in the tomb with the dead; give rest to the soul of Thy servant in a place of verdure, as Thou art Merciful.
Glory... Hear my prayerful voice, O Tri-hypostatic God, and place the soul of him who has now departed in the bosom of Abraham, O Deliverer.
Now and ever... O Most Pure Theotokos, pray to Thy Son, Whom thou didst bear without a man, to grant rest to Thy departed servant.
Ode 3
Irmos: O Creator of the vault of heaven, O Lord, and Builder of the Church, strengthen me in Thy love, O Thou who art the summit of desire, the confirmation of the faithful, O only Lover of mankind.
Give rest, O Lord, to the soul of Thy departed servant.
In a place of verdure, in a place of rest, where the choirs of the saints rejoice, give rest to the soul of Thy departed servant, O Christ, the only Merciful One.
Give rest, O Lord, to the soul of Thy departed servant.
There, where the choirs of the saints are, settle, O Master, him who served Thee with all his heart, who took Thy yoke upon his shoulders, for Thou alone art the Master of life and death.
Glory... O Heavenly Father Almighty, and Only-begotten Son, and Holy Spirit who descendest, forgive the sins of the departed, and place him in the church of the firstborn, that he may glorify Thee with all who have pleased Thee.
Now and ever... As the holy Mother of the Most Holy God, O Lady of the universe, Mary Theotokos, with all His saints pray to give rest to the soul of Thy servant in the heavenly dwellings.
Ode 4
Irmos: I have heard, O Lord, the mystery of Thy dispensation, I have understood Thy works and have glorified Thy Divinity.
Give rest, O Lord, to the soul of Thy departed servant.
Having descended into the abyss of hell, Thou, O Christ, didst raise all the dead; give rest to him who has now departed, O Savior, as Thou art Merciful.
Give rest, O Lord, to the soul of Thy departed servant.
There is no one without sin, only Thou art the only Master; for this reason, forgive the sins of the departed and settle him in paradise.
Glory... Hear, O Holy Trinity, the voice of our supplication which we bring to Thee in the church for the departed, and with Thy Divine light illumine the soul darkened by vain inclinations.
Now and ever... Thou didst bear, O Most Pure One, without a man, God perfect and Man perfect, who took away our sins, O Virgin. Pray to Him, O Lady, to grant rest to Thy departed servant.
Ode 5
Irmos: Enlighten us with Thy commandments, O Lord, and with Thy mighty arm grant us Thy peace, O Lover of mankind. Give rest, O Lord, to the soul of Thy departed servant.
Having power over life and death, give rest to the departed, O Christ God, for Thou, O Savior, art the rest and life of all.
Give rest, O Lord, to the soul of Thy departed servant.
Having placed his hope in Thee, O Savior, the departed has now departed from us; do Thou, O Lord, have mercy upon him, for Thou art a God of great mercy.
Glory... Grant us who pray to Thee, O Thrice-holy glorified Master, to receive heavenly peace, and settle in peaceful dwellings the soul that has departed from this temporal life in hope of eternal life.
Now and ever... Deliver him who has now departed from standing on the left, O Most Pure One; entreat Thy Son, O Virgin Lady, as the true Mother of our Savior and God.
Ode 6
Irmos: I will pour out my prayer to the Lord and to Him I will tell my sorrows, for my soul is filled with evil and my life has drawn near to hell, and I pray like Jonah: from corruption, O God, deliver me.
Give rest, O Lord, to the soul of Thy departed servant.
Having destroyed hell, O Master, Thou didst raise the dead from of old; and now place the departed in the bosom of Abraham, O God, having forgiven all sins, as Thou art Merciful.
Give rest, O Lord, to the soul of Thy departed servant.
The commandment which Thou gavest me, O God, I transgressed and became mortal, but Thou, who didst descend into hell and raise the souls of the faithful from of old, do not deliver me, O Master, to torments, but to rest, — the departed cries out to Thee through us, O Greatly Merciful One.
Glory... We pray to Thee, O Unoriginate Father, and Son, and Holy Spirit, do not cast into the abyss of hell the soul wounded by the malice of the soul-destroying world, which has come to Thee, O Creator, O my Savior.
Now and ever... From the heavens Christ our God, like rain upon the fleece, descended upon Thee, O Most Pure One, watering the whole world with His Divine wisdom and drying up all godless streams. Him pray, O All-pure One, to grant rest to the servant who has now departed.
Kontakion, Tone 8
With the saints give rest, O Christ, to the soul of Thy servant, where there is no sickness, nor sorrow, nor sighing, but life everlasting.
Ikos
Thou alone art Immortal, who didst create and fashion man, for we are earthly, created from the earth and to the same earth we shall return, as Thou didst command, my Creator, and said to me: earth thou art and to earth thou shalt return. Thither also shall we all, O mortals, go, singing the funeral dirge: alleluia, alleluia, alleluia.
Ode 7
Irmos: The youths who once came from Judea to Babylon, by faith in the Trinity, overcame the flame in the furnace, singing: Blessed art Thou, O God of our fathers.
Give rest, O Lord, to the soul of Thy departed servant.
O Master Christ God, when Thou shalt deign to judge the world, have mercy on the soul of Thy servant whom Thou hast now received from us, for he cries out to Thee: Blessed art Thou, O God of our fathers.
Give rest, O Lord, to the soul of Thy departed servant.
In the delight of paradise, where the souls of the righteous who have served Thee rejoice, settle with them the soul of Thy servant who sang to Thee: Blessed art Thou, O God of our fathers.
Glory... The three Judean youths in the flame Thou didst save, O Thou who art praised in Three Persons; deliver from eternal fire the departed who sang to Thee with faith: Blessed art Thou, O God of our fathers.
Now and ever... Isaiah called Thee a rod, O Pure One, Daniel a mountain not cut by hand, Ezekiel a gate through which Christ shall pass; and we, calling Thee the true Theotokos, magnify Thee.
Ode 8
Irmos: The Chaldean tyrant heated the furnace seven times more fiercely for the pious youths, but seeing that they were saved by a Higher Power, he cried out to the Creator and Deliverer: Ye youths, bless, ye priests, praise, ye people, exalt Him throughout all ages.
Give rest, O Lord, to the soul of Thy departed servant.
Having finished his course and come to Thee, O Lord, the departed cries out now: Forgive my transgressions, O Christ God, and do not judge me when Thou shalt wish to judge all, for I sang to Thee with faith: All ye works of the Lord, bless the Lord and exalt Him throughout all ages.
Give rest, O Lord, to the soul of Thy departed servant.
The soul of him who bore, though not always, Thy light yoke upon his shoulders, settle in the city of Thy righteous, for he sang to Thee, O Christ Savior: Ye youths, bless, ye priests, praise, ye people, exalt Him throughout all ages.
Let us bless the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, the Lord.
O Unoriginate Holy Trinity, God, Father, and Son, and Holy Spirit, join to the assembly of the saints the soul of Thy departed servant and deliver him from eternal fire, that he may praise Thee, exalting Thee throughout all ages: Ye youths, bless, ye priests, praise, ye people, exalt Him throughout all ages.
Now and ever... Thee, O Virgin, the choirs of the prophets foretold, having foreseen Thee with prophetic eyes; one called Thee a rod, another a gate to the rising of the sun, yet another a mountain not cut by hand. We confess Thee to be truly the Theotokos, who didst bear the God of all: Him pray to give rest to the departed forever.
Ode 9
Irmos: Heaven was struck with awe, and the ends of the earth were amazed, that God appeared to men in the flesh, and thy womb became more spacious than the heavens. Therefore, O Theotokos, the angelic and human choirs magnify thee.
Give rest, O Lord, to the soul of Thy departed servant.
O Jesus God, my Savior, Thou didst take upon Thyself the sin of Adam and didst taste death, to deliver men from it, O Merciful One. Therefore we pray to Thee, O Gracious One, give rest to the departed, as Thou art Good, in the dwellings of Thy saints, for Thou alone art all-good and Merciful.
Give rest, O Lord, to the soul of Thy departed servant.
There is no one among men, O Merciful One, who has not sinned, only Thou alone, O Jesus Christ, didst take away the sins of the whole world. Therefore, having cleansed Thy servant of his transgressions, settle him in the dwellings of Thy saints, for Thou art life, and rest, and light, and the joy of all who have pleased Thee.
Glory... All human nature was amazed when the Only-begotten Son of the Unoriginate Father took flesh from the Virgin by the action of the Holy Spirit and suffered as a man, to quicken the dead. Therefore, we pray Thee fervently, settle him who has now departed in the land of the living, as Thou art Good.
Now and ever... We call Thee the Bride of the Invisible Father, O Most Pure One, and the Mother of the Son who was incarnate of Thee by the Holy Spirit. Be an intercessor for Thy departed servant, we pray, for Thou art a helper for us, the earth-born, and we, singing to Thee with love, magnify Thee.
It is truly meet and right to bless thee, O Theotokos, ever-blessed and most pure, and the Mother of our God. More honorable than the cherubim and beyond compare more glorious than the seraphim, who without corruption didst bear God the Word, the true Theotokos, thee we magnify5.
Trisagion after “Our Father”
Troparion, Tone 6
Thou alone art by nature the Life-giver, O Christ, / and the abyss of goodness truly unfathomable, / grant the kingdom of Thy heavens / to Thy servant who has now departed; / for Thou alone hast a multitude of mercies and immortality.
Glory... now and ever...
Theotokion
Thou didst bring forth the Source of life, O Lady, / the Deliverer of the world, the Lord Jesus, / Him fervently pray to grant eternal life / to Thy servant who has now departed, / for Thou art the only sure Helper of Christians.
Lord, have mercy (12 times).
Prayer
Remember, O Lord our God, in the faith and hope of life eternal, Thy departed servant (name), and as Thou art Good and the Lover of mankind, who forgivest sins and blottest out iniquity, lighten, remit, and pardon all his voluntary and involuntary transgressions, deliver him from eternal torment and the fire of Gehenna, and grant him the communion and enjoyment of Thy eternal blessings, which Thou hast prepared for those who love Thee. For though he has sinned, he has not departed from Thee, but has steadfastly believed in the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, God glorified in the Trinity, and has confessed the One in Trinity, and the Trinity in Unity, orthodoxly until his last breath. Therefore, be merciful to him, and accept his faith in Thee instead of works, and as Thou art Merciful, give him rest with Thy saints, for there is no man who lives and does not sin. Thou alone art without any sin, and Thy righteousness is righteousness eternal; and Thou alone art the God of mercy and bounties, and love for mankind, and to Thee we send up glory, to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
More honorable than the cherubim and beyond compare more glorious than the seraphim, who without corruption didst bear God the Word, the true Theotokos, thee we magnify.
Glory... now and ever... Lord, have mercy (three times). Bless.
Through the prayers of our holy fathers, O Lord Jesus Christ our God, have mercy on us. Amen.
In blessed repose, grant, O Lord, eternal rest to Thy departed servant (name) and make his memory to be eternal.
Memory eternal (three times).
His soul shall dwell in blessedness. And his memory from generation to generation.
Individual Prayers
Prayer to the Guardian Angel of the departed
O holy Guardian Angel, given to the departed servant of God (name). Cease not to guard his soul from evil demons; be his guide and comforter there, in the spiritual world; receive him under the protection of thy wings and lead him without hindrance through the doors of the supercelestial toll-houses; be his intercessor and prayer-book before God, — pray to Him, the All-good, that he may not fall into the place of darkness, but that He may settle him where the unwaning Light shines.
Prayer to the Most Holy Theotokos
O Most Holy Lady Theotokos! Through thee we fall down before the Lord, our Intercessor, our swift Helper and tireless Caretaker before God. Most of all we pray to thee in this hour: By thy heavenly mercy and grace, help the newly departed servant of thine (name) to pass this fearful and unknown path; we pray to thee, O Lady of the world, by God's power drive away from his soul, gripped by fear, the fierce forces of the spirits of darkness, let them be troubled and put to shame before thy Son; let Him by thy prayers deliver it from the torments of the supercelestial toll-collectors, dispel their counsel and cast them down as malicious enemies. Be to him, O All-merciful Lady Theotokos, an Intercessor and the Lord's Protection from the supercelestial prince of darkness, the tormentor who stands on the fearful path; we pray to thee, O Most Holy Theotokos, protect him with thy honorable veil, that he may pass without fear and without hindrance from earth to heaven. We pray to thee, our Helper, help him, who must be judged before the fearful general Judgment, help this soul to be justified before God, the Creator of heaven and earth, and entreat thine Only-begotten Son, our Lord God and Savior Jesus Christ, that He may give rest to the departed in the bosom of Abraham with the righteous and all the saints. Amen.
Source: kyrios.org.ua