When you’re grieving the loss of a loved one, you never know what to say. You want to comfort the bereaved, but what do you say? How do you know if it’s appropriate to talk about the deceased?
One thing is for sure: when someone has died, they need your support more than ever. They need to know that your love for them is strong and lasting. That’s why we created [product name]. It’s a prayer that lets people know exactly how much their loved one meant to you—no matter how long you knew them or how well.
The loss of a loved one is a difficult thing to bear. Loved ones are often gone far too soon, with no rhyme or reason why. For many, the anniversary of their loved one’s death can be especially hard.
But there is hope! We want to help you find peace during this time by offering some prayers for your loved one that you can say during their death anniversary or any other time you feel the need for them.
Novena Prayer for Death Anniversary
As we commemorate the anniversary of our loved one’s passing, we turn to the power of prayer to seek solace and comfort. Below are nine prayers to guide us through this difficult time of remembrance and reflection. Let us lift up our hearts and minds to the Lord in prayer.
1
Dear Lord, on this anniversary of our loved one’s passing, we ask for Your presence and Your peace to be with us. May we find comfort in Your everlasting love and the hope of eternal life. Grant us the strength to carry on and the courage to face each day with faith and grace.
2
Heavenly Father, as we remember our dearly departed on this solemn occasion, we are reminded of Your promise in Isaiah 41:10, “Do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God.” May we find solace in Your words and trust in Your divine plan for our loved one and for us.
3
Lord Jesus, in Your infinite mercy, we entrust our beloved departed into Your loving care. May their soul rest in peace and may they experience the joy and bliss of Your heavenly kingdom. Grant us the serenity to accept Your will and the hope of reunion in Your eternal presence.
4
Almighty God, as we gather to commemorate the anniversary of our loved one’s passing, we lift up our prayers for their eternal rest and for our own healing and comfort. May Your light shine upon us and Your grace sustain us in our time of need. Bless us with Your peace that surpasses all understanding.
5
Heavenly Father, in Your boundless compassion, we seek Your solace and Your strength as we remember our dearly departed. May Your presence be a source of comfort and Your love a source of healing. Grant us the courage to face this day with faith and the hope of eternal life in Your presence.
6
Lord Jesus, on this anniversary of our loved one’s passing, we offer our prayers for their eternal peace and for our own consolation. May Your grace surround us and Your love uphold us in our grief. Give us the strength to carry on and the faith to trust in Your divine plan for our lives.
7
Almighty God, as we mark this solemn occasion of our loved one’s passing, we turn to You in prayer for Your comfort and Your guidance. May Your presence be our refuge and Your peace our solace. Grant us the assurance of Your unfailing love and the hope of eternal life in Your eternal kingdom.
8
Heavenly Father, we lift up our hearts to You on this anniversary of our loved one’s passing, seeking Your comfort and Your strength. May Your light shine upon us and Your peace reign in our hearts. Grant us the courage to face each day with faith and the trust to know that You are with us always.
9
Lord Jesus, in Your mercy and compassion, we offer our prayers for the eternal rest of our departed loved one and for our own healing and comfort. May Your presence be our refuge and Your love our solace. Grant us the grace to trust in Your divine providence and the hope of eternal life in Your heavenly kingdom.
Novena Prayer for 1st Death Anniversary
“Yizkor” from Judaism
Judaism centers around honor for parents. The mourning period for parents is long and intense. This prayer reflects your wish for a parent:
“May God remember the soul of my father, my teacher who has gone to his world because I will — without obligating myself with a vow — donate charity for his sake. In this merit, may his soul be bound up in the bond of life with the souls of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and with the other righteous men and women who are in Gan Eden and let us say Amen.”
“Yizkor” from Judaism
Replace “Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob” to read “with the souls of Sarah, Rebecca, Rachel, and Leah” for your mother. The Yizkor prayer continues at length. Here is an excerpt:
“May the all-merciful Father who dwells in the supernal heights, in his profound compassion, remember with mercy the pious, the upright and the perfect ones, the holy communities who gave their lives for the sanctification of the divine name. They were beloved and pleasant in their lives, and [even] in their death were not parted from him…”
“Death Anniversary Prayer” from Christianity
Taking time to care for yourself is important. This prayer gives you a moment to pray for your own strength.
“Loving heavenly Father, you know how troubled I am thinking about my loved one who has departed from this world. On this memorial day of my beloved one, I plead for your new strength and new grace which alone can carry me through the rest of my life.”
“Prayers on the Anniversary of a Deceased Person” from Catholicism
This prayer asks for everything you may want on this day: peace, rest, and light.
“O Lord, the God of mercies, grant unto the souls of thy servants the anniversary day of whose burial we are keeping, a place of solace, of peaceful rest, of glorious light. Through Christ our Lord, Amen.”
“For those who have died” from Anglicanism
This prayer focuses on the one constant through life and death: Christ’s love.
“Almighty and eternal God, from whose love in Christ we cannot be parted, either by death or life: hear our prayers and thanksgivings for all whom we remember this day; fulfill in them the purpose of your love; and bring us all, with them, to your eternal joy; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.”
Death Anniversary Prayers for a Spouse or Partner
Losing a spouse is a painful experience — here are a few prayers if you’ve found yourself grieving for your significant other.
“At a bereavement anniversary” from Anglicanism
This prayer acknowledges all the emotions you may feel right now: pain, loss, grief. It asks to be allowed to achieve hope again.
“Father, you know our hearts and share our sorrows. We are hurt by our parting from those whom we loved: when we are angry at the loss we have sustained, when we long for words of comfort, yet find them hard to hear, turn our grief to truer living, our affliction to firmer hope in Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.”
“Duas for the deceased” from Islam
This is a prayer for the deceased’s afterlife. It’s a request for forgiveness and mercy.
“O Allah, forgive [name of the person] and elevate his station among those who are guided. Send him along the path of those who came before, and forgive us and him, O Lord of the worlds. Enlarge for him his grave and shed light upon him in it.”
“The ceremony of Bhog” from Sikhism
In the Sikh religion, death anniversary celebrations aren’t completed. This prayer, though, comes from a special ceremony and it’s a prayer that you can repeat at any time.
“All that we see must pass on and be gone from us / Slipping away like the shadows of clouds. / Such is the world a mere vision that perishes. Leaving the Lord our sole refuge and friend. Death must sever all family ties / With parents, brothers, wife, and sons / All relations must be severed. / This world is unreal, a deceitful mirage, / Reflect on this truth in your heart…”
“Prayer for the Deceased” from Buddhism
This prayer focus on the circle of life and how the world, and the people in it, are transient.
“The Buddha said, ‘Life is a journey. Death is a return to earth. The universe is like an inn. The passing years are like dust. Regard this phantom world as a star at dawn, a bubble in a stream, a flash of lightning in a summer cloud, a flickering lamp — a phantom — and a dream.’”
“Prayer for Mercy on the Souls in Purgatory” from Catholicism
This prayer focuses on how Jesus is a companion in your suffering because of his pain during the crucifixion.
“My Jesus, by the sorrows thou didst suffer in thine agony in the garden, in thy scourging and crowning with thorns, in the way to calvary, in thy crucifixion and death, have mercy on the souls in purgatory, and especially on those that are most forsaken. Do thou deliver them from the dire torments they endure; call them and admit them to thy most sweet embrace in paradise.”
Short Prayer For Death Anniversary
Losing a friend can feel like losing a family member. Here are a few prayers you can rely on to remember a close friend.
“A Buddhist Prayer for the Dead and Dying” from Buddhism
The power of prayer is a major tenet of Buddhism. This prayer references the power of the community.
“Oh, Buddhas and Bodhisattvas abiding in all directions, endowed with great compassion, endowed with foreknowledge, endowed with the divine eye, endowed with love, affording protection to sentient beings, please come forth through the power of your great compassion. Please accept these offerings, both actually presented and mentally created…”
“For Departed Loved Ones” from Catholicism
This one asks God to accept prayers offered on behalf of the deceased if they are in purgatory.
“Almighty God, who by the love which you have for men, have willed to take our humanity to live a life of hard work, to suffer a most cruel passion, and finally to die on the cross, I beseech you, by the infinite merits purchased for us with your precious blood, look mercifully on the suffering which is endured by the holy souls in purgatory. Accept, merciful God, the prayers which I offer for them, and call them to the glory of heaven…”
“Prayer after Death” from Islam
This prayer asks that the afterlife be better than the deceased’s current life on earth.
“O Allah, ease upon him his matters and make light for him whatever comes hereafter, and honor him with your meeting and make that which he has gone to better than that which he came out from.”
“Deep Peace to You” from Paganism
A focus on peace from nature and the cycle of life is a huge part of Paganism.
“Deep peace of the running wave to you, deep peace of the flowing air to you, deep peace of the quiet earth to you, deep peace of the shining stars to you, deep peace of the infinite peace to you.”
“A Prayer for Personal Loss” from Christianity
This prayer focuses on emotions and how it feels like the pain will never end.
“Lord, thank you for being my rock and my strength. I don’t know why this happened. I know you have a plan for each of us. But right now I’m hurting, and that hurt runs deep. Lord, I know that you are a comfort for me, and I pray that you continue to be by my side through this time. It feels right now like this hurt will never go away. It feels right now like I’ll never come out of this pain…”