St. Vincent's Manual/The Recommendation of a Soul Departing
THE 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 [her]. | ||
| All ye holy Angels and Archangels, | Pray for him [her]. | |
| Holy Abel, | ||
| All ye choirs of the just, | ||
| Holy Abraham, | ||
| St. John the Baptist, | ||
| 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. Lawrence, | ||
| 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, pray for him [her]. |
| St Mary Magdalen, pray, &c. |
| St Lucy, pray, &c. |
| All ye holy virgins and widows, pray, &c. |
| All ye Saints of God, make intercession for him [her] . |
| Be merciful, spare him [her], O Lord! |
| Be merciful, deliver him [her], O Lord! |
| Be merciful, receive him [her], O Lord! |
| From thy anger, deliver him [her], O Lord! |
| From the danger of death, deliver him [her]. O Lord! |
| From an ill end, deliver him [her], O Lord! |
| From the pains of hell, deliver him [her], O Lord! |
| From all evil, deliver him [her], O Lord! |
| From the power of the devil, deliver him [her] O Lord! |
| Through thy nativity, deliver him [her], O Lord! |
| Through thy cross and passion, deliver him [her], O Lord! |
| Through thy death and burial, deliver him [her], O Lord! |
| Through thy glorious resurrection, deliver him [her], O Lord! |
| Through thy admirable ascension, deliver him [her], O Lord! |
| Through the grace of the Holy Ghost, the Comforter, deliver him [her], O Lord! |
| In the day of judgment, deliver him [her] , O Lord! |
| We sinners, beseech thee to hear us. |
| That thou spare him [her], 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, O Christian soul, out of this miserable world, in the name of God the Father Almighty, who created thee; in the name of Jesus Christ, the 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, 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 clemency, 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 [her] a full discharge from all his [her] sins, who most earnestly begs it of thee. Renew, O most merciful Father! whatever is corrupt in him [her] through human frailty, or by the snares of the enemy; make him [her] a true member of the Church, and let him [her] partake of the fruit of thy redemption. Have compassion, O Lord! on his [her] tears, and admit him [her] to the sacrament of thy reconciliation, who has no hope but in thee: Through Christ our Lord. Amen.
I RECOMMEND thee, dear brother [sister], to Almighty God, and commit 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. May, therefore, the noble company of Angels meet thy soul at its departure; may the court of the Apostles receive thee; may the triumphant army of glorious martyrs conduct thee; may the crowd of joyful confessors encompass thee; may the choir of blessed virgins go before thee; and may a happy rest be thy portion in the company of the patriarchs. May Jesus Christ appear to thee with a mild and cheerful countenance, and give thee a place among those who are to be in his presence for ever. Mayest thou be a stranger to all who are condemned to darkness, chastised with flames, and punished with torments. May God command thy wicked enemy with all his evil spirits, to depart from thee. At thy approach, encompassed by Angels, may the infernal spirits tremble 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; or as wax before the fire, so let sinners perish in the sight of God. But as to 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 thy course to heaven. May Christ Jesus, who was crucified for thee, deliver thee from torments; may he deliver thee from eternal death, who for thy sake vouchsafed to die. May Christ Jesus, the 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. Oh! may it be thy happy lot to behold thy Redeemer face to face; to be ever in his presence, in the beatific vision of that Eternal Truth, which is the joy of the blessed. And thus placed among those happy spirits, mayest thou be for ever filled with heavenly sweetness. Amen.
Receive thy servant, O Lord! into that place, where he [she] may hope for salvation from thy mercy. Amen.
Deliver, O Lord! the soul of thy servant from all the dangers of hell, and from all pain and tribulation. Amen.
Deliver, O Lord! the soul of thy servant, as thou deliveredst Enoch and Elias from the common death of the world. Amen.
Deliver, O Lord! the soul of thy servant, as thou deliveredst Noah in the flood. Amen.
Deliver, O Lord! the soul of thy servant, as thou deliveredet Abraham from the midst of the Chaldeans. Amen.
Deliver, O Lord! the seal of thy servant, as thou deliveredst Job from all his afflictions. Amen.
Deliver, O Lord! the soul of thy servant, as thou deliveredst Isaac from being sacrificed by his father. Amen.
Deliver, O Lord! the soul of thy servant, as thou deliveredst Lot from Sodom, and the flames of fire. Amen.
Deliver, O Lord! the soul of thy servant, as thou deliveredst Moses from the hands of Pharaoh, king of Egypt. Amen.
Deliver, O Lord! the soul of thy servant, as thou deliveredst Daniel from the lions' den. 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. Amen.
Deliver, O Lord! the soul of thy servant, as thou deliveredst Susanna from her false accusers. Amen.
Deliver, O Lord! the soul of thy servant, as thou deliveredst David from the hands of Saul and Goliah. Amen.
Deliver, O Lord! the soul of thy servant, as thou deliveredst Peter and Paul out of prison. 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. Amen.
LET US PRAY.
WE commend to thee, O Lord, the soul of this thy servant, and beseech thee, O Jesus Christ, Redeemer of the world! that, as in thy mercy to him [her], thou becamest man, so now thou wouldst vouchsafe to admit him [her] into the number of the blessed. Remember, O Lord! that he [she] 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, and none can work thy wonders. Let his [her] soul find comfort in thy sight, and remember not his [her] former sins, nor any of those excesses which he [she] has fallen into, through the violence of passion and corruption. For although he [she] has sinned, yet he [she] has still retained a true faith in thee, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost; he [she] has had a zeal for thy honor, and faithfully adored thee, his [her] God, and the Creator of all things.
REMEMBER not, O Lord! the sins and ignorances of his [her] youth; but according to thy great mercy, be mindful of him [her] in thy eternal glory. Let the heavens be opened to him [her], and let the Angels rejoice with him [her]. May St. Michael, the Archangel, the chief of the heavenly host, conduct him [her]; may blessed Peter, the Apostle, to whom were given the keys of the kingdom of heaven, receive him [her]; may holy Paul, the Apostle, and chosen vessel of election, assist him [her]; may St. John, the beloved disciple, to whom the secrets of heaven were revealed, intercede for him [her]; may all the holy Apostles, to whom was given the power of binding and loosing, pray for him [her], may all the chosen servants and blessed martyrs of God, who, in this world, have suffered torments for the sake of Christ, intercede for him [her]; that being delivered from this body of corruption, he [she] may be admitted into the kingdom of heaven; Through the assistance and merits of our Lord Jesus Christ who liveth and reigneth with the Father and the Holy Ghost, world without end. Amen.
If the sick person continues in distress of agony, it may be proper for the assistants to continue in prayer, repeating the preceding prayers, or saying the Penitential Psalms.
When the soul has departed, the following Responsory it to be said:
COME to his [her] assistance, all ye Saints of God; meet him [her], all ye Angels of God; receive his [her] soul, and present it now before its Lord. May Jesus Christ receive him [her], and the Angels conduct him [her] to his [her] place of rest; may they receive his [her] soul, and present it now before its Lord.
V. Eternal rest grant him [her], O Lord! and let perpetual light shine upon him [her]. May the Angels present him [her] now before the Lord.
Lord, have mercy on us
Christ, have mercy on us.
Lord, have mercy on us.
Our Father, &c.
V. And lead us not into temptation.
R. But deliver us from evil.
V. Eternal rest grant him [her], O Lord!
R. And let perpetual light shine upon him [her]
V. From the gates of hell,
R. Deliver his [her] soul, O Lord!
V. May he [she] rest in peace.
R. Amen.
V. O Lord, hear my prayer;
R. And let my cry come unto thee.
LET US PRAY.
To thee, O Lord, we recommend the soul of thy servant N., that being dead to this world, he [she] may live to thee; and whatever sins he [she] has committed through human frailty, we beseech thee, in thy goodness, mercifully to pardon: Through Christ our Lord. Amen.
THEN THE FOLLOWING PRAYER FOR THE ASSISTANTS MAY BE ADDED.
GRANT, O Lord! that, while we here lament the departure of thy servant, we may ever remember, that we are most certainly to follow him [her] . Give us grace to prepare for that last hour, by a good life, that we may not be surprised by a sudden death; but be ever watching when thou shalt call, that so with the Spouse, we may enter into eternal glory: Through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.