Rosary for the Dead

A rosary for the dead is the ordinary Rosary, prayed for the repose of someone’s soul, with one prayer added after each decade:

Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord,
and let perpetual light shine upon them.
May they rest in peace. Amen.

For one person you can say “him” or “her.” That’s the only change. Pray any mysteries you like; the Glorious Mysteries, which are about the Resurrection, are the usual choice. Our Glorious Mysteries pray-along for the dead adds the Eternal Rest after each decade for you.

When Catholics pray for the dead, the Church’s Directory on Popular Piety says the Eternal Rest “often accompanies” the Rosary (no. 260). Everything else you’ll read about a rosary for the dead (special mysteries, extra prayers, a four-decade version) is local custom. Customs are good, but none of them is required.

What does it mean to have a rosary for someone who passed away?

When people say “there’s a rosary tonight,” they usually mean a gathering at the funeral home, church or family home the evening before the funeral, where everyone prays the Rosary together for the person who died. In some families it continues for nine nights.

It comes from a very old instinct. Catholics have always prayed for the dead, trusting that “it is therefore a holy and wholesome thought to pray for the dead, that they may be loosed from sins” (2 Maccabees 12:46). The Church teaches that our prayers help those still being purified after death (CCC 1032).

How the rosary for the dead differs from the regular Rosary

	What it is
The prayers	The same as always: Creed, Our Father, Hail Marys, Glory Be, Fatima Prayer, Hail Holy Queen
The mysteries	Your choice. Glorious is most common; some pray Sorrowful, or the mysteries of the day
The added prayer	The Eternal Rest after each decade (Directory, no. 260)
Where it goes	Most often after the Fatima Prayer. Some parish guides put a short Eternal Rest before each Our Father instead. Either is fine
Optional extras	Psalm 129 (130), the De Profundis, at the end; a closing prayer for the person

The Eternal Rest also carries a partial indulgence for the souls in purgatory each time it’s said (Manual of Indulgences, grant 29), so ten repetitions over a Rosary aren’t wasted words.

How to pray the rosary for the dead, step by step

If you’ve never led one, this is the whole thing. For the bead-by-bead basics, see how to pray the Rosary.

1. Name the person. Begin with the Sign of the Cross and say who you’re praying for: “We offer this Rosary for the soul of John.”
2. Opening prayers. On the crucifix, the Apostles’ Creed. Then an Our Father, three Hail Marys and a Glory Be.
3. First decade. Announce the first mystery (for example, “The first Glorious Mystery, the Resurrection”). Pray an Our Father, ten Hail Marys and a Glory Be.
4. Close the decade. Pray the Fatima Prayer, then the Eternal Rest.
5. Four more decades, the same way, each ending with the Eternal Rest.
6. Closing prayers. The Hail Holy Queen, then the Eternal Rest one last time, adding: “May his soul and the souls of all the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen.”
7. Optional: Psalm 129, the De Profundis (read it here), and a minute of silence.

If you’re leading a group, the leader says the first half of each prayer and everyone answers with the second half. People who aren’t Catholic can simply join in the parts they know, or sit with the family. Nobody needs to explain themselves.

Which mysteries do you pray for the dead?

There’s no rule. Three common choices:

• The Glorious Mysteries. The Resurrection, the Ascension and the Coronation of Mary are about what we hope for the person who died. This is the most common choice.
• The Sorrowful Mysteries. Some families pray these at wakes, joining their grief to Christ’s Passion.
• The mysteries of the day. Many parish novena guides simply follow the weekday schedule. If you’re not sure, our Today’s Rosary for the dead picks them for you.

How many mysteries of the rosary are there for a funeral?

A full Rosary is five decades, one set of five mysteries, and that’s what is prayed at most wakes. You may see a “rosary for the dead” sold as a four-decade chaplet. That’s a private devotion some people use, not a form the Church has given. If your family or parish has a custom, follow it.

How long does it take to pray the rosary for the dead?

About 20 minutes, the same as an ordinary Rosary. The Eternal Rest adds a few seconds per decade. Prayed aloud by a group at a wake, with a pause between decades, plan on about 25 minutes.

The nine-day rosary novena for the dead

Many families pray the Rosary for nine days after a death, often starting the day of the funeral or the day after. It’s a custom in many families and parishes, not a Church requirement. Parish guides (for example the Diocese of Raleigh’s) usually follow the weekday mysteries and end the novena with a Mass for the person. See what a novena is if you’re new to them.

Other customs follow the same idea: a rosary on the 40th day, and on each anniversary. The Church itself recommends Masses for the dead on the third, seventh and thirtieth day after death and on anniversaries (Directory, no. 255). If you can only do one thing, have a Mass offered. Our page on prayers for the souls in purgatory explains how.

Does the rosary replace the funeral vigil?

No. The Church’s funeral rites have three parts: the Vigil for the Deceased (often held at the funeral home the evening before), the funeral Mass, and the committal at the grave. The Vigil has its own readings and prayers. In many places the family’s rosary is prayed alongside it or folded into it, and if the person loved the Rosary, that’s a fitting way to honor them. Ask the parish when you plan the funeral.

What to do with a rosary when someone dies

Families do one of three things, and all are fine:

• Bury it with them. Placing a rosary in the hands of the deceased is a common Catholic custom.
• Keep it. Many people pray with a parent’s or grandparent’s rosary for years.
• Pass it on to a child or grandchild who’ll use it.

You may hear that a rosary buried with someone should be broken first, or that it’s bad luck to keep one. Those are folk customs, not Church teaching, and nothing requires either.

Can I pray the rosary for someone who wasn’t Catholic?

Yes. The Church’s prayer for the dead reaches everyone whose faith is known to God (Directory, no. 251). You can pray for a non-Catholic relative, someone who left the Church, or someone who died by suicide; the Church says plainly that “we should not despair of the eternal salvation” of those who took their own lives, and that it prays for them (CCC 2283).

For more ways to keep praying through the weeks ahead, see the Eternal Rest prayer and, in November, our All Souls Day page. When you’re ready, open the Glorious Mysteries for the dead and begin.