Recite This Prayer for a Deceased Mother

If you are Roman Catholic, then for you, it was likely your mother who first taught you to pray, brought you up in the Church, and helped you understand the Christian faith. At your mother's time of death, you can repay your mother for her gifts by praying for the repose or peaceful rest of her soul with "A Prayer for a Deceased Mother."

This prayer is a good way to remember your mother. You can pray it as a novena on the anniversary of her death; or during the month of November, which the Church sets aside for prayer for the dead; or simply anytime that her memory comes to mind.

"A Prayer for a Deceased Mother"

O God, who hast commanded us to honor our father and our mother; in Thy mercy have pity on the soul of my mother, and forgive her her trespasses; and make me to see her again in the joy of everlasting brightness. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Why You Pray for the Deceased

In Catholicism, prayers for the deceased can help your loved ones ascend to a state of grace. At the time of your loved one's death, if your mother was living in a state of grace, then doctrine dictates they will enter heaven. If your loved one was not in a state of grace but had lived a good life and had at one time professed a belief in God, then that person goes to purgatory, which is like a temporary holding spot for those in need of purification before they can enter heaven.

The Catholic Church teaches that those who have died are separated from you physically, though spiritually they remain connected to you. The Church states it is possible for people to assist those who have gone before you by way of prayer and works of charity.

You can ask God in your prayers to be merciful to the deceased; to forgive them their sins, to welcome them into heaven and to comfort those in grief. Catholics believe that Christ is not deaf to your prayers for your loved ones and all those in purgatory.

This process of praying for your loved one to be released from purgatory is referred to as obtaining an indulgence for the deceased.

Loss of a Mother

The loss of a mother is something that strikes at the primal part of your heart. For some, the loss can feel like a giant, gaping hole, a loss that seems insurmountable.

Grief is necessary. It helps you process what is happening, what changes will occur, and will help you grow in the painful process.

There isn’t a grieving method that works for everyone. Death is always unexpected; so too are the ways you heal. Most people may find solace in the Church. If you were religious in your youth but moved away from the Church, a loss of a parent may bring you back to the fold to consume the comfort food of your faith.