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Prayer service for the feast of All Souls
In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen
Today we honour All Souls Day, a time to remember and celebrate our loved ones who have gone before us. Let us come together in prayer and reflection, cherishing their memories and the love that continues to live within us. May they rest in peace.
We remember the joy and love they brought us when they were alive and although we miss them terribly, we know that they are at peace and we live in the promise of God, that we will see them again, rejoicing in the Resurrection.
(If you wish to place the names of your loved ones on a piece of paper I will place them in the Holy Souls Box at Our Lady of Victories Church for you)
Jesus said – I am going to prepare a place for you. I will come back and take you to myself so that where I am you may be also. Where I am going, you know the way. (John 14:1)
A reading from St Paul to the Thessalonians
We believe that Jesus died and rose again, and that it will be the same for all those who love Jesus. When they die God will bring them to Him. When we die, we will meet the Lord in Heaven and we will stay with him forever.
The word of the Lord
Gospel for Holy Souls Feast Day
Prayers of Intercession
- For all of us gathered here today, that we may live our lives close to God.Lord hear us.
- For those grieving the loss of a family member that they may feel God’s love and comfort at this difficult time.Lord hear us.
- For those who care for the dying, especially doctors, nurses, family members and our care home staff, that God may work through them to touch others.Lord hear us.
- For those who have died and have no one to remember them. May they know the love of God.Lord hear us.
Our Father and Communion
Hymn
My Peace I leave You my peace I give you do not let your hearts be afraid, for I’m returning to my Father to prepare a home for you.
When I’m Gone I will send my spirit, who will guide and strengthen you and your joy will be found in giving with the peace and love he brings.
Come to me all you who labour and are burdened down with care, for I will give you comfort and rest for your weary hearts.
For the peace that I will give you is not the peace that the world expects in the world you will find sorrow, but have faith, I have conquered all.
The Autumn Leaves: A poem for the Resurrection
The Autumn leaves were laid to rest and now the leaves are green.And signs that God brings all to life, throughout the world and seen.And Jesus, is alive, they say and death is not the endWe will rise again in Heaven’s light, with Jesus as our friend.
We thank you Lord for bringing us together today to remember and celebrate the lives of our loved ones. We have loved them in life we will not forget them in death.
In the name of the Father…
Contemplative Walk
Prayers and Reflections to use at beginning or end of contemplative walk
Contemplation is a way of slowing down… So as to descend into the depths of yourself in the present moment where God [Unitive Love] lies waiting to grant you a deep experience of your eternal oneness with all creation and Creator.
James Finley
Christian spirituality proposes an alternative understanding of the quality of life, and encourages a prophetic and contemplative lifestyle, one capable of deep enjoyment free of the obsession with consumption…To be serenely present to each reality, however small it may be, opens us to much greater horizons of understanding and personal fulfilment…It is a return to that simplicity which allows us to stop and appreciate the small things, to be grateful for the opportunities which life affords us…
Laudato Si’ 222
Psalm 139:7–10
Where can I go from your spirit? Or where can I flee from your presence?If I ascend to heaven, you are there; if I make my bed in Sheol, you are there.If I take the wings of the morning and settle at the farthest limits of the sea,even there your hand shall lead me, and your right hand shall hold me fast.
O Creator God, open our hearts and our eyes to the wonder of your presence among us.May we see the signs of your beauty within us and about usAnd ever be in awe of the simple gifts of life.Help us reach beyond ourselvesAnd to give thanks for all your creation that shares this universe with us:Peoples of every nation, Animals of every species,All forms of vegetation, The planets, stars, and all the elements.We pray this in union with the Incarnate Word in whose image all was created.Amen
Inspire in us a spirit of awe
Divine Creator, God,We thank You for the wonder of the universeand its eons of time and life that has sustained us.We thank You for our sister mother earth, her beauty andthe bounty of her days and her sacred ground.
Sadly, we have abused earth’s sacred space and have misread its sacred story,claiming it as our own, opposing Your divine plan.Its gift of sustainability has been snatched away, diminishing its sustenance for the good of all.Yes, we can hear its anguished cries of pain and its resources stripped bare,its climate distorted its water and soil poisoned, its landscape unable to cope.
Creator God,Help us to care for sister mother earthwith loving attention to its sacred journey.As it gives of itself without measure.Inspire in us a spirit of awe for its beauty and many life forms.And may we be thankful knowing that it waits unceasinglyto refurbish itself for our sake.Amen.
Sr. Maura Fitzsimons, PBVM, Laudato Si’ Animator, Mississippi USA.
Contemplative Walk
- Slow down
- Be aware of your surroundings
- Look up
- Look down
- Be ‘present’
- Live in the “Mystery”
- ‘Be’ rather than ‘do’
- Be still
- Be quiet
- Surrender to the moment
- Feel the peace
- See nature at work
- Feel the earth beneath you
- Allow yourself to be at one with nature
- Be content with your own company
- Maybe sing a hymn in your head
Are there any outside noises that disturb you? Concentrate on your inner feelings and senses.
Focus on the moment rather than walk around too much – you might miss something!
Review: Contemplative Walk
(We are all in the same location but we share diverse experiences)
- What was it like for me today?
- What did I notice? Within me, around me?
- Is there something new here for me?
- Where did I encounter God / His Presence / Mystery?
- What action do I sense God calling me to?
Try this technique at home or anywhere at any time when you need to de-stress
- Build a picture or image in your mind of somewhere you have been that you loved
- Where do you go to find peace – physically or in your mind?
- Shut yourself off – just for a few minutes to re-energize
- Try yoga or meditation – music, poetry – go for a contemplative walk
Rearranged by Sylvia Mellish for CWLANZ © 2026
Hymns & Prayers
