Troparion other, tone 4
With the spirits of the righteous who have passed away, give rest to the soul of Your servant, O Savior, preserving it in the blessed life that belongs to You, O Lover of Mankind. In Thy chamber, O Lord, where all Thy saints rest, rest also the soul of Thy servant, for Thou art the only Lover of mankind. Glory: Thou art God, Who descended into hell and loosed the chains of the bound, and give rest to the soul of Thy servant. And now: One Pure and Immaculate Virgin, who gave birth to God without a seed, pray for the salvation of his soul. In the blessed dormition, grant eternal peace, O Lord, to Thy departed servant (name), and create for him eternal memory.
All Souls Days
Funeral service in Orthodoxy:
- On the 3rd, 9th and 40th day from the date of death and annually.
- Two Ecumenical* Saturdays.
- Parents' Saturdays (2nd, 3rd and 4th Saturdays of Lent).
- In worship on every Saturday**.
- In one form or another, commemoration of the dead is performed daily.
* Ecumenical Saturdays - before the week of the Last Judgment (1st, meat-free) and before the week of Pentecost (2nd, Trinity).
** An ordinary Saturday service contains few funeral texts - about the same as an ordinary daily service.
Ecumenical Parents' Saturday
Available about the universal meat-free parental Saturday (timing: five and a half minutes)
Archpriest Andrei Tkachev on the value of funeral prayers for the departed (timing: eight minutes)
Other troparia, tone 5
Chorus: (Blessed are you, Lord, teach me by your justification.) You have found the holy face of the source of life and the door of heaven, so that I may also find the path of repentance, I am the lost sheep, call me, O Savior, and save me. Blessed art thou, O Lord, teach me by thy justification. Having preached the Lamb of God, and having been slain like lambs, and having passed away to ageless, holy, and everlasting life, You diligently pray for Him, O martyrs, to grant us permission for our debts. Blessed art thou, O Lord, teach me by Thy justification. Having walked the narrow and sorrowful path, having carried the cross like a yoke in life, and having followed Me by faith, come and enjoy the honors and heavenly crowns that are in store for you. Blessed art thou, O Lord, teach me by thy justification. I am the image of Your ineffable glory, even if I bear the ulcers of sins: be generous with Your creation, Master, and cleanse with Your compassion, and grant me the desired fatherland, making me a paradise dweller again. Blessed art thou, O Lord, teach me by thy justification. For of old you created me from things that do not exist, and honor me in Your Divine image, but by transgressing the commandment, you returned me to the earth from which I was not taken, and raise me up in the likeness of a hedgehog, to be recreated with ancient goodness. Blessed art thou, O Lord, teach me by thy justification. Give rest, O God, to Thy servant, and place him in paradise, where the faces of the saints, O Lord, and the righteous women shine like a light: rest Thy fallen servant, despising all his sins. Glory: Tri-radiant One of the Divinity, we piously sing, crying out: Holy art thou, Father Without Beginning, Co-beginning with the Son and Divine with the Soul. Enlighten us, who serve You with faith, and snatch up the eternal fire. And now: Rejoice, Pure One, who gave birth to God in the flesh for the salvation of all, through whom the human race has found salvation, may we find paradise through Thee, O Pure Blessed Mother of God. Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia, glory to You, O God. Three times.
Prayer for the repose of all the departed
Rest in peace, O Lord, the souls of Your departed servants: Your most holy patriarchs, most Reverend metropolitans, archbishops and bishops, who served You in the priesthood, church and monastic ranks; the creators of this holy temple, the Orthodox forefathers, fathers, brothers and sisters, lying here and everywhere; leaders and warriors who laid down their lives for faith and fatherland; the faithful, killed in internecine warfare, drowned, burned, frozen to death, torn to pieces by beasts, suddenly died without repentance and did not have time to reconcile with their enemies; those for whom they commanded and asked us to pray, for whom there is no one to pray, and the faithful, deprived of Christian burial - in a brighter place, in a greener place, in a place of peace, from where sickness, sadness and sighing have escaped. And, as you are good and a lover of mankind, forgive all their voluntary and involuntary sins and deliver them eternal torment, as there is no man who will live and not sin, but You are the only one besides sin, Your truth is truth forever, and You are the only God mercy and generosity and love for mankind, and we send glory to You, Father and Son and Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen.
Prayer for the repose of loved ones and all the deceased
Remember, Lord, the Orthodox kings and queens, the faithful princes and princesses, the most holy patriarchs, the most reverend metropolitans, archbishops and bishops who departed from this life, who served You in the priesthood and in the parable of the church, and in the monastic rank, and in Your eternal villages with the saints rest in peace (Bow) Remember, Lord, the souls of Your departed servants, my parents (their names), and all relatives in the flesh; and forgive them all their sins, voluntary and involuntary, giving them the Kingdom and the communion of Your eternal good things and the pleasure of Your endless and blissful life. (Bow) Remember, O Lord, and all in the hope of resurrection and eternal life, the departed, our fathers and brothers and sisters, and those who lie here and everywhere, Orthodox Christians, and with Thy saints, where the light of Thy face shines, have mercy on us, as Good and Lover of Humanity. Amen. (Bow) Grant, O Lord, remission of sins to all who have previously departed in the faith and hope of resurrection, our fathers, brothers and sisters, and create for them eternal memory. (Thrice)
Tags: eternal Lord place to the monastics torment bow remember forgive your servant your repose of the departed the departed church man a lover of mankind as
What else you need to know
— There are no firmly established rules for how to place the coffin with the body of the deceased in the house during farewell. You can stand facing the icons, which are usually located in the front corner (right opposite the entrance); You can say goodbye facing those entering. Candles are lit near the coffin; if possible, you need to arrange them crosswise on four sides (or just at the head). The candle fire speaks of our hope for the transition of the deceased to the Kingdom of the True Light.
— The coffin is carried by relatives and friends, dressed in mourning clothes. Since ancient times, Christians participating in funeral processions have carried lighted candles. In front is a cross or icon. In some villages, the custom of a funeral procession with a cross and banners is still preserved. An orchestra is inappropriate at the funeral of Orthodox Christians.
— Sometimes difficulties arise with determining the days of remembrance. The days for commemoration are counted as follows: the beginning of the second day is considered to be the time from 12 o'clock on the first night after death; therefore, if death occurred on the 1st, then the third day will be the 3rd, the ninth day will be the 9th, etc.
- If it happens that a person goes missing, you cannot remember him for his repose. It is customary to think of a person as living exactly as long as a human life can last.
— A Christian invited to the funeral of a loved one by an unbelieving family on fast days should not decline the invitation. Since love is higher than fasting, you need to be guided by the words of the Savior: Eat what is offered to you (Luke 10 :8), but observe moderation in food and conversation.
Text of the prayer “Alive in the help of the Most High”
Living in the help of the Most High, he will settle in the shelter of the Heavenly God.
Says the Lord: Thou art my Protector and my Refuge, my God, and I trust in Him.
Yako Toy will deliver you from the snare of the trap, and from rebellious words.
His cloak will cover you and you will hope under His wing: His truth will surround you with weapons.
Do not be afraid from the fear of the night, from the arrow flying in the days.
From things that pass away in the darkness, from clots and the midday demon.
Thousands will fall from your country, and darkness will fall at your right hand; he won't come close to you.
Look at your eyes and see the reward of sinners.
For You, O Lord, are my hope. You have made the Most High your refuge.
Evil will not come to you. And the wound will not come close to your body.
As His Angel commanded you, keep you in all your ways.
They will take you in their arms, but not when you dash your foot against a stone.
Tread on the asp and the basilisk, and cross the lion and the serpent.
For I have trusted in Me, and I will deliver; I will cover, and because I have known My name.
He will call to Me, and I will hear him: I am with him in sorrow, I will destroy him, and I will glorify him. I will fill him with long days, and show him My salvation.
How to behave in a cemetery
Cemeteries are sacred places where the bodies of the dead are buried until a future resurrection. The grave is the place of future resurrection, so it is necessary to keep it clean and orderly. When regularly visiting your deceased relative, clean the grave and generally try to keep it clean and tidy. It is necessary to ensure that the graves are not torn apart for robbery and desecration. This crime is strictly punishable by civil law and is considered by the Church as blasphemy.
During burial, it is not forbidden to line the inside of the grave with bricks, but it is not necessary to erect special structures on the surface of the grave.
If you want to write an epitaph on a monument, then it is best, according to tradition, to use words from the Holy Scriptures or from well-known prayers, and not phrases invented by yourself.
Arriving at the cemetery, you can light a candle or lamp and pray for the deceased. It is very good to invite a priest to the grave at least once a year to serve a memorial service for the deceased (in cemeteries, according to the current new legislation, it is allowed to perform funeral services, serve memorial services and litias). If this is not possible, perform the litia with the so-called “lay rite”, in which all priestly exclamations are omitted. You can also pray for the repose of the deceased in your own words, read an akathist for the repose of the departed, or read the Psalter. You can just be silent and remember the deceased.
Before visiting the cemetery, it is very good to pray during the Divine Liturgy, take communion on this day and order a memorial service if you were unable to invite a priest to the cemetery for this.
If you invite a priest to serve a memorial service or litia, you can bring some kutia with you to honor the memory of the deceased. But in no case should you leave it on the grave “for the birds” or for any other purposes, like any other food. In some places, there is a custom in Radonitsa to bring colored eggs and sweets to the cemetery and leave them there, as if symbolically communing with the dead. It's better not to do this either.
There is no need to organize a funeral feast at the grave of the deceased: apart from the kutia, you should not eat or drink at all in the cemetery, pour vodka on the grave mound or leave a glass of vodka with black bread on the grave - this foolishness only insults the memory of the deceased, since it is a relic of paganism and an act that reprehensible for a Christian.
An excessively long stay in a cemetery in a state of intense grief can harm the soul and instill despondency and despair in it. Measurement is also necessary here.
Basic rules for prayer requests for the dead
Funeral prayers for a deceased relative are considered the duty of any Orthodox believer. According to the canons of the Orthodox Church, it is necessary to pray especially diligently during the first forty days after death. The Christian Church commands a widow to offer a prayer for her deceased husband, children, parents, or just a loved one every day.
The Orthodox Church also commands that names be read according to a special memorial. This is a small book in which the names of deceased and living relatives are preserved. There is even a pious custom according to which family memorials are offered. By reading the names of all recorded relatives, Orthodox believers can remember many generations of relatives who died a long time ago.
Remember that prayers read at home before 40 days for the deceased have a much better effect than after 40 days. In addition, it is worth considering that you can read all the prayers at home. Even those that cannot be mentioned at church services. For example, in church it is forbidden to read a prayer for the unbaptized deceased or for suicides. The main thing is to accurately reproduce the entire text of the prayer book, maintain all intentions and concentration. And under no circumstances should you be distracted by anything.
