Talk:Eternal Rest

[Untitled]
Could someone cite where the 'current' form is from? Because the traditional form is the one quoted in the 1991 published "Handbook of Indulgences" ...Andy120... 23:08, 2 January 2007 (UTC)

I've rewritten this article
I came across this article earlier, it was decidedly rubbish, it was this this version. I therefore rewrote it.

I have so far included the Latin and English texts and a short but, I think, informative introduction. I also intend to add current uses of this prayer in the Roman Catholic Church. Alan162 (talk) 00:57, 23 February 2010 (UTC)

English Translation
The correct translation into English of "requiescant in pace" is "[may] they rest in peace", not "may the souls of the faithful departed rest in peace", which would be, I believe, "animæ fidelium defunctorum requiescant in pace". This correct translation is also the one used by most English speakers (the only one I've ever heard used, in fact). Alan162 (talk) 00:16, 10 November 2010 (UTC)

Addition to the prayer
I work for a funeral parlor that has a large Catholic clientele and therefore the "Eternal Rest" prayer is often used. Usually the form used in NJ is "Eternal rest grant unto him/her O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon him/her. May he/she rest in peace.  May his/her soul and the souls of all the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace." — Preceding unsigned comment added by Wwacmilltown (talk • contribs) 03:32, 9 March 2011 (UTC) Wwacmilltown (talk) 04:11, 9 March 2011 (UTC)


 * The ejaculation "[May his/her soul and] the souls of [all] the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace" is something often added on to the end of prayers - for example, the following is often said at the end of a Rosary: "May the divine assistance remain always with us, and may the souls of the faithful departed rest in peace." - however, it is not part of the 'Eternal Rest' prayer. Alan162 (talk) 00:55, 2 May 2011 (UTC)

I might be able to help with this confusion. I am a Roman Catholic seminarian (2 years from being a priest), and I'm pretty good at the books. (=P) Anyway, according to the current English translation of the funeral rite (1989 edition), "Eternal rest gran unto him/her, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon him/her" appears during the funeral Mass as a verse in the Song of Farewell (para. 292). However, a longer form ("Eternal rest grant unto him/her, O Lord, and let perpetually light shine upon him/her. May he/she rest in peace. Amen. May his/her soul and the souls of the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen") appears at the end of the committal (i.e. graveside) service (para. 326). My recommendation would be to publish the longer version on this page, since it is this graveside version that is so familiar to so many people. I would also publish it exactly as it appears in the liturgical book, which I have included below. (Please forgive my lack of HTML know-how.)

[(R) here represents the "response" symbol, indicating a response of the people.]

Eternal rest grant unto him/her, O Lord. (R) And let perpetual light shine upon him/her.

May he/she rest in peace. (R) Amen.

May his/her soul and the souls of all the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. (R) Amen.

Finally, a note on the old rite: the same pattern is followed in the old rite (I am looking at a 1966 funeral rite, in English and Latin, which would be post-conciliar but before the liturgical revisions). "Eternal rest grant unto him (her), O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon him (her)" is used in many placed during the Mass, but never with the added "May he (she) rest in peace." The additional responses occur at the graveside, in exactly the same verse/response format found in the new rite. For the curious, the Latin looks like this (I have removed the rubrics designating celebrant vs. chanters).

(V) Requiem aeternam dona ei, Domine. (R) Et lux perpetua luceat ei.

(V) Requiescat in pace. (R) Amen.

(V) Anima eius et animae omnium fidelium defunctorum, per misericordiam Dei requiescant in pace. (R) Amen.

Jhm718 (talk) 22:53, 25 January 2015 (UTC)