Prayer · Catholic devotion

Eternal Rest (Requiem Aeternam)

The Catholic prayer for the dead, "Eternal rest grant unto them", in Latin and English, with the form for one person, from the 1889 Baltimore Manual of Prayers.

The Litany of the Saints. V. Let us pray for the faithful departed. R. Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord; and let perpetual light shine upon them. V. May they rest in peace. R. Amen. V. Oremus pro fidelibus defunctis. R. Requiem æternam dona eis, Domine; et lux perpetua luceat eis. V. Requiescant in pace. R. Amen. The Burial of the Dead. Grant, O Lord, we beseech Thee, this mercy unto Thy servant deceased, that, having in desire kept Thy will, he may not suffer in requital of his deeds: and as a true Faith joined him unto the company of Thy faithful here below, so may Thy tender mercy give him place above, among the Angel choirs. Through Christ our Lord. R. Amen. V. Eternal rest grant unto him, O Lord. R. And let perpetual light shine upon him. V. May he rest in peace. R. Amen. V. May his soul, and the souls of all the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. R. Amen.

Editorial reflection

"Eternal rest" is short enough to say at a graveside or whenever someone who has died comes to mind. The first form prays for all the faithful departed; the burial form prays for one person, and the book prints he, him and his in italics to show they change for a woman. The 1909 Catholic Encyclopedia traces the words to the second chapter of 4 Esdras, a book the Douay–Rheims prints in an appendix, outside the canon: "perpetual light shall shine to you for time everlasting" (4 Esdras 2:35).

Text: A Manual of Prayers for the Use of the Catholic Laity (Third Plenary Council of Baltimore, 1889), The Litany of the Saints, pp. 265–266, and The Burial of the Dead, p. 586. Source page: archive.org · Eternal Rest (Requiem Aeternam) ↗.