Funeral readings
Prayers and blessings for a funeral service
The prayers a lay officiant leads at a funeral are the opening prayer, the prayer of thanksgiving for the life, the committal words at the graveside, and a closing blessing. The Book of Common Prayer 1662 texts are public domain in the United States, and each carries its full wording on its own page.
The committal is the shortest and hardest part of the day — a few sentences said at the graveside, often without a microphone, while a family watches. It is worth having the words on a card rather than in your memory.
Where a piece needs ordained clergy rather than a lay officiant, the page says so before you choose it rather than after. That boundary is real in some traditions and it is not yours to cross on the day.
14 prayers and blessings for a funeral service, shortest first
- 10 secondsEternal Rest (Requiem aeternam)Traditional Catholic prayer · Short, said together, and expected at a Catholic vigil.
- 15 secondsThe Priestly Blessing (Numbers 6:24–26)King James Bible · Fifteen seconds, three thousand years old, and it closes anything.
- 20 secondsMay the Road Rise Up to Meet YouTraditional Irish · Ends warm and ends fast. Works at both a wedding and a funeral.
- 20 secondsWords of Committal (Book of Common Prayer, 1662) — short formBook of Common Prayer · The words most people are waiting to hear at a graveside.
- 20 secondsNunc Dimittis (Luke 2:29–32)King James Bible · The prayer of someone who is ready. Fits a death at the end of a long life.
- 25 secondsDeep Peace (from the Invocation of Peace)Fiona Macleod (William Sharp) · Barely religious, deeply calming. The real Gaelic-revival poem, not the choral version.
- 30 secondsIn the Midst of Life (Book of Common Prayer, 1662)Book of Common Prayer · Bleak and very old. Some families want exactly this; check before you use it.
- 30 secondsWords of Committal — no religious framingOfficiantScript · Ours, for a burial with no religious content. Swap "the earth" for cremation.
- 30 secondsA Closing, with no prayerOfficiantScript · Ours. Closes a service without a blessing, and gives the room a job.
- 40 secondsThe Lord's PrayerMatthew 6, King James Bible · Say the first line alone, then let the room carry it. Warn them it is coming.
- 50 secondsMake Me an Instrument of Your PeaceAttributed to St Francis of Assisi · First printed in 1912 and not actually by St Francis — but it is the one people want.
- a minute and a halfEl Malei RachamimTraditional memorial prayer · The memorial prayer. Ask about the Hebrew name before you plan on leading it.Words not set here
- a minute and a halfMourner's KaddishTraditional, Aramaic · Led by the mourners, needs a minyan. Not yours to lead — arrange it.Words not set here
- 5 minutesSalat al-Janazah — the Islamic funeral prayerTraditional · Led by an imam. Your job here is to put the family in touch, not to lead.Reader brings a copy
Questions
Prayers and blessings for a funeral service: what is usually chosen?
The prayers a lay officiant leads at a funeral are the opening prayer, the prayer of thanksgiving for the life, the committal words at the graveside, and a closing blessing. The Book of Common Prayer 1662 texts are public domain in the United States, and each carries its full wording on its own page.
Which of these can be printed in the script?
11 of the 14 readings on this page carry their full text on their own page, so they can go straight into a ceremony script or an order of service. 1 is still in copyright: we name it with its author and point you at a copy rather than reprinting the words. 2 are public domain and still not set out here — each one's page says why, and what to bring instead.
Texts last checked .
The reading is two minutes. The service is the rest of it.
Answer some questions about them and get the whole service written out — the welcome, the account of their life, the remembrances, the committal — with your chosen readings in place and a run-sheet that knows how long each one takes.