Prayer for the deseased

What Prayer Should Be Read for the Repose of the Departed?

The Akathist for the Departed is a prayer offered for the repose of souls of those who have passed away. This Akathist is recited both for the newly departed (before the 40th day after death) and for those who have been deceased for a longer period. Praying for the departed is essential because their souls can no longer repent or confess their sins on their own.However, the Lord desires to forgive every sinner, to release them from their sins, and to grant them a better life in eternity. Our faith and our supplications to God for the forgiveness of the departed, whether offered in church or privately at home, bring relief and peace to their souls. Before God, no prayer goes unheard. Praying for departed children, parents, spouses, sons, daughters, and other loved ones, as well as offering acts of charity in their memory, is not just a beautiful Orthodox tradition—it is a great act of love for their salvation and our sacred duty as Christians.The Akathist for the Departed can also be recited collectively for "all departed relatives by blood." The lives of our ancestors often remain a mystery to their descendants, but prayerful remembrance is the best expression of gratitude for the faith of our family and a plea to God for forgiveness and the healing of generational sins.

We pray fervently for the repose of the departed on Saturdays in 2:30, 8:30, 14:30 or 20:30 Moscow time.

O God of spirits and all flesh, Who hast trampled down death, overthrown the devil, and given life to Thy world: Give rest, O Lord, to the souls of Thy servants who have fallen asleep, Patriarchs, Metropolitans, Archbishops, Bishops, Priests and Deacons, Monks and Nuns, and all who have served Thee in Thy Church; the founders of all Churches and Monasteries, and all Orthodox forefathers, fathers, brothers and sisters who lie here and everywhere; officers and men of the armies and navies who have laid down their lives for their Faith and country, all the faithful killed in civil wars, all who were drowned, burned, frozen to death, torn by wild beasts, all who died suddenly without repentance and had no time to be reconciled with the Church and with their enemies; all who took their own lives in a moment of mental unbalance; all who have asked us to pray for them, and those who have no one to pray for them, and all who died without a Christian burial, [names of the departed], in a place of light, in a place of refreshment, in a place of repose, whence all suffering, sorrow, and sighing have fled away. Forgive every sin committed by them in thought, word and deed, for Thou art the good God and Lover of men. For there is no one who lives without sinning. Thou alone art without sin, and Thy righteousness in eternal righteousness, and Thy Word is Truth. For Thou art the Resurrection, the Life, and the Repose of Thy servants who have fallen asleep [names of the departed], O Christ our God, and to Thee we send up glory, with Thy Eternal Father, and Thy Holy and Good and Lifegiving Spirit, both now and ever and to the ages of ages. Amen.

The undying Psalter

Round-the-Clock Prayerful Protection with the Words of the Ancient Prayer Book of the Old Testament – Psalm 90 from the Psalter.

Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, ‘He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.’ Surely he will save you from the fowler’s snare and from the deadly pestilence. He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart. You will not fear the terror of night, nor the arrow that flies by day, nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness, nor the plague that destroys at midday. A thousand may fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand, but it will not come near you. You will only observe with your eyes and see the punishment of the wicked. If you say, ‘The Lord is my refuge,’ and you make the Most High your dwelling, no harm will overtake you, no disaster will come near your tent. For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways; they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone. You will tread on the lion and the cobra; you will trample the great lion and the serpent. ‘Because he loves me,’ says the Lord, ‘I will rescue him; I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name. He will call on me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honour him. With long life I will satisfy him and show him my salvation.’