Invitation to Prayer

The Bishop invites the congregation to pray:

With faith in Jesus Christ,
we reverently bury the body of our brother, Dominic.
Let us pray with confidence to God, in whose sight all creation lives,
that he will raise up in holiness and power the mortal body of our brother
and command his soul to be numbered among his saints and faithful ones,
to delight with them in the glory no tongue can describe
and in the undying happiness bestowed by our Lord Jesus Christ.

 

Song of Farewell

As the body of Fr Dom. is honoured with holy water (recalling his baptism) and incense (a mark of honour and symbol of our rising prayer), we will sing:

Saints of God, come to his aid!                    CWB 162a
Come to meet him, angels of the Lord!
Receive his soul and present him to God the Most High.
May Christ who called you take you to himself:
may angels lead you to Abraham’s side.
Receive his soul and present him to God the Most High.
Give him eternal rest, O Lord,
and may your light shine on him forever.
Receive his soul and present him to God the Most High.

Prayer of Commendation

Bishop      O God, in whose sight all creation lives,
and by whose power our bodies do not perish utterly in death
but are transformed and changed for the better:

listen to our earnest prayer for your servant, Dominic William..
Merciful and gracious as you are,
kindly forgive our brother whatever he may have done
contrary to your will by reason of his human weakness.
Command him to be taken by the hands of your holy angels
and carried safely to the bosom of the patriarchs,
there to enjoy the happiness of your faithful ones,
with Abraham your friend, Isaac your beloved, and Jacob your chosen one.
And on that great and final day of judgment,
grant that his portion may be among your saints and your elect,
and that he may share in that eternal glory
which no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the human heart conceived,
the glory you have prepared for those who love you.
We ask this through Christ our Lord.

All   Amen.

Bishop   Let us take our brother to his place of rest.