A Prayer for the Dying

When someone we love is dying, we want to do something — and the holiest thing we can do is pray at the bedside. The Church gives us tender, ancient words for exactly this moment: prayers for a dying person that beg God to receive the soul, that summon the saints to its side, and that turn the last hours into a road home rather than a slow defeat. Below are the prayers we say for someone who is dying, drawn from the traditional Roman Ritual, with their Latin where it is loved and known. Pray them aloud, slowly. The dying often hear long after they can no longer answer.

A short prayer for the dying you can say now

If you have only a moment, say this with the dying person, or for them if they can no longer speak:

Jesus, Mary and Joseph, I give you my heart and my soul.
Jesus, Mary and Joseph, assist me in my last agony.
Jesus, Mary and Joseph, may I breathe forth my soul in peace with you. Amen.

This is the traditional ejaculation for a happy death, enriched by the Church for the moment of passing. Whisper the holy Name of Jesus into the ear of the dying as often as you can: "My Jesus, mercy." No prayer is too simple at the end.

The Commendation of a Departing Soul

The great prayer for someone dying is the Commendatio animae — the Commendation of a Departing Soul — from the Roman Ritual. The priest prays it at the bedside, but the faithful may pray its heart aloud for any dying Christian:

Go forth, O Christian soul, out of this 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 was poured forth upon thee; in the name of the glorious and holy Mother of God, the Virgin Mary; in the name of the Angels and Archangels; in the name of the Patriarchs and Prophets; in the name of the holy Apostles and Evangelists; in the name of all the Saints of God: may thy place be this day in peace, and thy abode in holy Sion. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

It continues with the prayer of release: "Receive, O Lord, thy servant into the place of salvation, which he hopes to obtain through thy mercy." This is the Church marshalling all of heaven to escort one soul across the threshold. It is a beautiful thing to read at a deathbed.

St Joseph, patron of a happy death

No saint is more fitting to invoke for the dying than St Joseph. He died, by the constant belief of the Church, in the arms of Jesus and Mary — the very definition of a happy death — and the Church honours him as the patron of the dying and of a holy passing.

O glorious St Joseph, behold I choose thee today for my special patron in life and at the hour of my death. Preserve and increase in me the spirit of prayer and fervour in the service of God. Obtain for me a happy death, and the special protection of heaven in my last struggle with the powers of evil. Amen.

O St Joseph, foster-father of Jesus Christ and true spouse of the Virgin Mary, pray for us and for the dying of this day (or night). Amen.

For more, see our prayer to St Joseph and the Litany of St Joseph, which titles him "Patron of the dying."

The Hail Mary: "now and at the hour of our death"

We do not pray to Mary by accident at the deathbed. Every Hail Mary we have ever said has rehearsed this moment: "Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen." When a soul is dying, those final petitions come due.

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee; blessed art thou amongst women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen.

Say the Rosary slowly at the bedside, or simply repeat the second half over and over: "Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for him now and at the hour of his death." The Memorare is also a powerful cry for those who feel helpless: "Never was it known that anyone who fled to thy protection... was left unaided."

Latin for the moment of death

The traditional Latin invocations have consoled the dying for centuries:

In manus tuas, Domine, commendo spiritum meum. — Into thy hands, O Lord, I commend my spirit. (Psalm 30:6; the last words of our Lord, Luke 23:46)

Iesu, Maria, Ioseph, vobis cor et animam meam dono. — Jesus, Mary, Joseph, I give you my heart and my soul.

The first is the dying word of Christ Himself, and the Church places it on the lips of every Christian who follows Him through death.

Prayer for someone dying of cancer or a long illness

A long illness gives time the deathbed does not — time to suffer and time to offer that suffering. We pray both for the body's relief and for the soul's surrender:

O Lord Jesus Christ, who in Thy own agony didst sweat blood, look with mercy on Thy servant (name), worn down by sickness. Lighten the pain Thou dost permit, and unite what remains of it to Thy Cross, that nothing be wasted. Grant patience to bear, peace to accept, and at the last a holy death in Thy embrace. Amen.

Teach the dying to make a simple offering when the pain comes: "My Jesus, I offer this for love of Thee and for my sins." Suffering joined to Christ's is never barren. See also our prayer for the sick and prayer for healing.

Prayer for a dying mother, father or loved one

To pray over a parent or a loved one is its own grief. Pray for them by name, and entrust them to the Mother who stood by her own dying Son:

Holy Mary, Mother of God, you watched your Son die and did not turn away. Stand now beside (my mother / my father / name). Take their hand where I cannot, and lead them home. Holy Mary, pray for them now and at the hour of their death. Amen.

It is good to thank God aloud for the one who is dying — for their love, their faith, the years given. The dying are consoled to hear they are loved and to be released to God. Tell them it is well to go to Him.

Prayer for the sick and dying together

Where many are sick or near death, the Church prays for them as one body. This petition may be added to family prayers or said for the dying of a hospital or home:

Almighty and everlasting God, the eternal salvation of those who believe, hear us on behalf of Thy servants who are sick (and dying). Grant them the help of Thy mercy, that, restored to health, they may render thanks to Thee in Thy Church; or, if Thou callest them, that they may pass to Thee in peace. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

This is adapted from the Roman Ritual's prayers for the sick, which always hold together the two outcomes God may will: recovery or a holy passing. We ask for healing without presuming it, and for a good death should God decide otherwise.

An Irish prayer for the dying

The Catholic faith of Ireland left us tender deathbed blessings that commend the soul on its journey home:

May the road rise to meet you on your way to God. May Christ go before you and the angels behind you. May Mary take you by the hand, and may the saints of Ireland welcome you home. Into the hands of God we give you; into the heart of Christ we send you. Amen.

Such blessings are not magic words but acts of love and faith, naming the truth that the soul does not travel alone. They sit well alongside the Church's own Commendatio animae above.

What does the Bible say about dying?

Scripture is the deepest comfort at a deathbed, and the Church draws her prayers for the dying straight from it. A few verses to read aloud:

"Yea, though I should walk in the midst of the shadow of death, I will fear no evils, for thou art with me." (Psalm 22:4)

"Into thy hands I commend my spirit: thou hast redeemed me, O Lord, the God of truth." (Psalm 30:6)

"I am the resurrection and the life: he that believeth in me, although he be dead, shall live." (John 11:25)

"For to me, to live is Christ; and to die is gain." (Philippians 1:21)

The Bible does not pretend death is small; it calls it an enemy. But it promises that enemy is conquered: "O death, where is thy victory?" (1 Corinthians 15:55). We read these words to the dying so that the last thing they hear is a promise, not a fear.

How to pray with a dying person

Be present and be calm. Read the Act of Contrition with them if they can join, so the soul departs sorrowing for sin and trusting in mercy. Above all, send for a priest while there is time, so the dying may receive the Last Rites — Confession, the Anointing of the Sick, and Holy Viaticum. These sacraments are the surest help the Church can give, far surpassing any prayer we say on our own. Pray, but do not pray instead of calling the priest.

We hold firmly that nothing about death is hopeless for one who dies in the friendship of God. Death is the gate of life. We weep at it justly, but we do not weep as those who have no hope, for our hope is in the Resurrection.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the best prayer for a dying person?

The traditional Commendation of a Departing Soul ("Go forth, O Christian soul...") is the Church's own prayer for someone dying. If that is too long for the moment, repeat the short act "Jesus, Mary and Joseph, assist me in my last agony" and the second half of the Hail Mary, "pray for him now and at the hour of his death."

What can I do if I am not Catholic but want to pray for a dying Catholic?

Pray any of the prayers above; God hears every sincere prayer. Most importantly, help the dying person receive a priest, for only a priest can give absolution and the sacraments. Your love is best shown by making sure the Church is called in time.

Why do Catholics pray to St Joseph for the dying?

St Joseph died in the presence of Jesus and Mary, which the Church holds to be the model of a happy death. He is therefore venerated as patron of the dying, and we ask him to obtain for the soul the same peaceful passing he received.

Should I keep praying after the person has died?

Yes. After death we begin praying for the soul, that God may purify and admit it to heaven. Say the Eternal Rest prayer and consider the Novena for the Dead. Prayer for the departed is one of the highest acts of Christian charity.

What is a powerful prayer for someone dying?

The most powerful prayer is not the longest but the one that names Christ and asks His mercy. The Commendation of a Departing Soul is the Church's greatest, but the short act "Jesus, Mary and Joseph, assist me in my last agony" and the dying words of our Lord, "Into thy hands, O Lord, I commend my spirit," carry the whole faith in a breath. Repeat the holy Name of Jesus — there is no more powerful word at the end.

How do I pray for a dying person who is unconscious?

Pray aloud anyway. Hearing is the last sense to fade, and the dying often perceive far more than they can show. Speak slowly into the ear: the Hail Mary, the Act of Contrition on their behalf, and the holy Name of Jesus. Even when the body cannot respond, the soul can still turn to God, and a priest can still anoint and absolve.

Is there a Catholic prayer for the dying I can pray if I'm not a priest?

Yes. The full sacramental help — Confession, Anointing, Viaticum — needs a priest, but any baptised person may pray the Commendation of a Departing Soul, the Hail Mary, the prayers to St Joseph, and the Scriptures above. The laity have prayed at deathbeds for as long as the Church has existed. What you cannot do is supply the sacraments, so call the priest first.

Does a deathbed conversion still count?

It does. As long as there is life there is the possibility of repentance, and God's mercy is never exhausted. The good thief was promised paradise from the cross. Never despair of a dying soul; keep praying and keep calling on the holy Name of Jesus.

Iter Fidei serves the prayers, psalms and devotions, in Latin and English with audio. Download it here.

Sources. The Roman Ritual (Rituale Romanum), order for the Commendation of a Departing Soul (Commendatio animae); the Litany of St Joseph and traditional prayer to St Joseph for a happy death; the Hail Mary and the Memorare; the Roman Ritual's prayers for the sick; Holy Scripture in the Douay-Rheims version (Psalm 22:4; Psalm 30:6; Luke 23:46; John 11:25; Philippians 1:21; 1 Corinthians 15:55).