The Last Rites

for a Catholic

Sacramentum Exeuntium

Commendatio Anime

Recommendation of a Soul Departing

The Priest, vested in a surplice and violet stole, enters the room of the dying person and says:

“Peace be unto this house.”
℟. “And to all who dwell therein.”
He then the sprinkles the dying person, the bed, and the bystanders, with Holy Water in the form of a Cross, saying the Asperges:

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“Asperges me, Domine, hyssopo et mundabor,
Lavabis me, et super nivem dealbabor.
Miserere mei, Deus, secundum magnam misericordiam tuam.” (Psalm 50)

“Thou shalt sprinkle me with hyssop, and I shall be cleansed:
Thou shalt wash me, and I shall be made whiter than snow.
Have mercy on me, O God, according to thy great mercy.”
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He next presents a Crucifix to the dying person to be kissed, and exhorts him to look forward with hope to the attainment of eternal life, placing the Crucifix before his eyes to encourage him to have confidence in his eternal salvation. The priest then lights a candle, and kneeling, with the bystanders devoutly recites the LITANY OF THE DYING, as follows:

“Lord, have mercy.
Christ have mercy.
Lord, have mercy.
Holy Mary, pray for him/her”
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(“pray for him/her” is to be recited after each of the following invocations, following the first invocation to Mary)

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“All ye holy angels and Archangels,
Holy Abel,
All ye choirs of the just,
Holy Abraham,
Saint John the Baptist,
Saint Joseph,
All ye holy Patriarchs and Prophets,
Saint Peter,
Saint Paul,
Saint Andrew,
Saint John,
All ye holy Apostles and Evangelists,
All ye holy Disciples of the Lord,
All ye holy Innocents,
Saint Stephen,
Saint Lawrence,
All ye holy Martyrs,
Saint Sylvester,
Saint Gregory,
Saint Augustine,
All ye holy bishops and confessors,
Saint Benedict,
Saint Francis,
Saint Camillus,
Saint John of God,
All ye holy monks and hermits,
Saint Mary Magdalen,
Saint Lucy,
All ye holy virgins and widows,
All ye holy saints of God, intercede for him/her
Be merciful, spare him/her, O Lord!
Be merciful, deliver him/her, O Lord!
Be merciful,
From Thy anger, deliver him (or her), O Lord”

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(repeat “deliver him (or her), O Lord” after each of the following lines)

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“From death’s dangers,
From an unholy death,
From the punishments of Hell,
From every evil,
From the power of the devil,
Through Thy birth,
Through Thy Cross and Passion,
Through Thy Death and Burial,
Through Thy glorious Resurrection,
Through Thy wonderful Ascension,
Through the grace of the Holy Ghost, the Comforter,
In the Day of Judgment.”

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“We who are sinners, we implore Thee, hear us.
That Thou spare him/her, we beseech Thee, hear us.”

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“Lord, have mercy on us.
Christ, have mercy on us.
Lord, have mercy on us.”
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(When the last agony begins, the following prayers are said:)

“Let us pray.”

“Depart, O Christian soul, out of this sinful 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 and died for thee,
in the name of the Holy Ghost, Who sanctified thee,
in the name of the Glorious and Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God;
in the name of Blessed Joseph, the illustrious spouse of the same Virgin,
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 peace come to thee this day, and let thy abode be in holy Sion: through the same Christ our Lord.”
     ℟. Amen.

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“O, good and merciful God! Who according to Thy mercy and loving kindness, forgives the sins of such as repent, and graciously remittest the guilt of their past offenses. Mercifully regard this Thy servant N. and grant him/her full remission of his/her sins, who most earnestly begs it of Thee.
Renew, O most loving Father, whatsoever hast been corrupted in him/her through the frailty of human nature, or violated through the deceits of the devil, 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 who hath no hope but in Thee, to the Sacrament of Thy reconciliation.
Through Christ our Lord.”
       ℟. Amen.

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“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 of nature giving up thy soul, thou mayest return to thy Maker, Who formed thee out of the earth. May, therefore, the noble company of Angels meet they 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 surround 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 Saint Joseph, the sweet Patron of the dying, inspire thee with great confidence, may the Blessed Virgin Mary, the holy Mother of God, turn her eyes in gentle mercy upon thee, and 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 forever. 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 reproach, encircled by Angels, may the infernal spirits tremble and retire into the horrid confusion of eternal night. May God arise, and put His enemies to flight.
May all who hate Him fly before His face, let them; 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 demons 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, Son of the Living God, place thee in the ever-blooming garden of His Paradise, and may He, the true Shepherd, own thee for one of His flock. May He wash away all thy sins, and place thee at His right hand, in the company of His elect. Oh, may it be thy happiness to behold thy Redeemer face to face; to be ever in His presence, in the vision of that Eternal Truth which is the joy of the elect. And thus placed among those happy spirits, mayest thou be forever filled with heavenly delights.”
     ℟. Amen.
Receive Thy servant, O Lord, into the place of salvation which he/she hopes to attain though Thy mercy.
     ℟. Amen.

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“Deliver, O Lord, the soul of Thy servant from all the pains of Hell, and from all trials and tribulations.
     ℟. Amen.
Deliver, O Lord, the soul of Thy servant, as Thou didst deliver Enoch and Elias from the common death of the world.
     ℟. Amen.
Deliver, O Lord, the soul of Thy servant, as Thou didst deliver Noe in the flood.
     ℟. Amen.
Deliver, O Lord, the soul of Thy servant, as Thou didst deliver Abraham from the midst of the Chaldeans.
     ℟. Amen.
Deliver, O Lord, the soul of Thy servant, as Thou didst deliver Job from his afflictions.
     ℟. Amen.
Deliver, O Lord, the soul of Thy servant, as Thou didst deliver Isaac from the sacrificing hand of his father.
     ℟. Amen.
Deliver, O Lord, the soul of Thy servant, as Thou didst deliver Lot from Sodom and the flames of fire.
     ℟. Amen.
Deliver, O Lord, the soul of Thy servant, as Thou didst deliver Moses from the power of Pharoah, king of Egypt.
     ℟. Amen.
Deliver, O lord, the soul of Thy servant, as Thou didst deliver Daniel from the lion’s den.
     ℟. Amen.
Deliver, O Lord, the soul of Thy servant, as Thou didst deliver the three children from the fiery furnace and from the power of an unmerciful king.
     ℟. Amen.
Deliver, O lord, the soul of Thy servant, as Thou didst deliver Susanna from her false accusers.
     ℟. Amen.
Deliver, O lord, the soul of Thy servant, as Thou didst deliver David from the hands of Saul and Goliath.
     ℟. Amen.
Deliver, O lord, the soul of Thy servant, as Thou didst deliver Peter and Paul out of prison
     ℟. Amen.
And as Thou didst deliver that blessed Virgin and Martyr Thecla, from most cruel torments, so vouchsafe to deliver the soul of this Thy servant, and bring it to the enjoyment of Thy Heavenly bliss.”
     ℟. Amen.

“We commend to Thee, O Lord, the soul of this Thy servant N. and beseech Thee, O Jesus Christ, Redeemer of the world, that, as in Thy love for 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 true God but Thee, and none can work Thy wonders. Let his/her soul find consolation in Thy sight, and remember not his/her 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 still retains 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 tender mercy, be mindful of him/her in the eternal glory. Open the Heavens to him/her and let the Angels rejoice with him/her Into Thy kingdom, O Lord, receive Thy servant. May Saint Michael the Archangel, the chief of the Heavenly host, meet him/her, and carry him/her conduct him/her, let the holy Angels come out to meet him/her, and carry him/her to the city of the heavenly Jerusalem; 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 Saint John, the Beloved Disciple, to whom the secrets of Heaven were revealed, intercede for him/her; may all the holy Apostles, to whom were given the power of binding and loosing, pray for him/her; may all the Saints and Elect of God, who, on earth, suffered torments for the sake of Christ, intercede for him/her; so that, being freed from the prison of his/her body, he/she may be admitted into the kingdom of Heaven: through the merits of our Lord Jesus Christ, Who liveth and reigneth, with the Father and the Holy Ghost, world without end.”
     ℟. Amen.
“May the most clement Virgin Mary, Mother of God, the most loving consoler of the afflicted, commend to her Son, the soul of this servant N. so that through her maternal intercession he/she may not fear the terrors of death, but in her company may joyfully enter the desired Heavenly home.”
     ℟. Amen.
“I have recourse to Thee, Saint Joseph, Patron of the dying, who departed this life under the watchful care of Jesus and Mary, and by these dear pledges I earnestly commend to Thee the soul of this servant N., in his/her last agony, that through Thy protection he/she may be delivered from the snares of the devil and eternal death, and may deserve to attain to everlasting happiness, though the same Christ or Lord.”
     ℟. Amen.
[If the sick person continues in distress of agony, it is proper for the assistants to continue in prayer, repeating the preceding prayers, or saying the Gospel according to Saint John — chapters17.1-26, chapter 18, and chapter 19, or Psalm 117 and 118.1-32]