Rosary for the Dead
In the Rosary for the dead, we commend the departed to God’s mercy and pray for their eternal rest. Pray the usual Rosary with this intention; a customary addition is Eternal Rest after each decade.
The Divine Mercy Chaplet is also prayed for the dying and the departed. It uses the same rosary beads, with its own prayers and sequence.
On this page
Opening offering
Before beginning, offer this prayer or name your intention in your own words.
Lord Jesus, we offer this Rosary for our loved one who has died. Receive them in your mercy, give them eternal rest, and comfort all who mourn. Help us to live in faith, hope, and love. Amen.
Eternal Rest
Pray after each decade or as a separate prayer for the departed.
Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon them. May they rest in peace. Amen.
Réquiem ætérnam dona eis, Dómine, et lux perpétua lúceat eis. Requiéscant in pace. Amen.
Offering the Rosary for the departed
Prayer for the dead is an expression of the communion of saints: our love and prayer for one another continue beyond death. In the Rosary, we contemplate Christ’s life, death and Resurrection while asking God to receive the departed into his peace.
Begin by naming the person or people for whom you are praying. You can express this intention in your own words. Then pray the Rosary in the usual order, found in the Rosary guide.
A customary addition is Eternal Rest after each decade, following the Glory Be and the customary Fatima Prayer. This short prayer can also be offered on its own. Conclude the Rosary with the usual closing prayers.
Choosing the mysteries
Any set of mysteries can be offered for the departed. The Glorious Mysteries place Christ’s Resurrection and the hope of eternal life before us. The Sorrowful Mysteries lead us through his saving Passion. The usual weekday mysteries are also suitable.
For a family Rosary, choose the mysteries together before beginning, or follow the person leading the prayer.
Nine days of Rosary prayer
Many families gather to pray the Rosary for the departed on nine consecutive days. This is a novena: each day, the same intention is brought before God through the Rosary. Parish and family prayerbooks often include further prayers for these gatherings.
Prayer for the departed continues throughout the year, especially on the anniversary of a death and on All Souls’ Day.
Praying at a wake or with family
Choose a time and a person to lead the Rosary. Have the prayer texts ready so that everyone can follow the responses. Allow time for silence and remembrance as well as spoken prayer.
At a funeral, the Rosary accompanies the Church’s funeral rites as a devotional prayer. Arrange its time with the parish minister alongside the liturgical vigil and other rites.
Offering Mass for the departed
The Church gives particular importance to the Mass offered for the dead. Ask your parish to arrange a Mass intention for the person you are remembering. The Catechism explains this prayer in paragraphs 958 and 1030–1032: we commend the departed to God and pray for their purification.
The Divine Mercy Chaplet
The Divine Mercy Chaplet is also prayed for the departed. Its petitions appeal to Christ’s Passion and ask God’s mercy for us and for the whole world. It is prayed on ordinary rosary beads; the linked guide contains the complete prayers and their order.