chosen Apostle of God, to whom were revealed the secrets of heaven, intercede for him. Let all the holy Apostles, to whom the Lord gave the power of binding and loosing, pray for him. Let all the Saints and Elect of God, who in this world have suffered torments for the name of Christ, intercede for him, that loosed from the bonds of the flesh, he may attain unto the glory of the heavenly kingdom, through the grace of our Lord Jesus-Christ, who, with the Father and the Holy Ghost, liveth and reigneth for ever and ever. R. Amen.

The Last Agony.

When the soul is about to depart from the body, then more than ever ought they who are by to pray earnestly upon their knees around the sick man's bed; and if the dying man be unable to speak, the name of Jesus should constantly be invoked, and such words as the following again and again repeated in his ear: Into thy hands, O Lord, I commend my spirit. O Lord Jesus Christ, receive my spirit.

Holy Mary, pray for me.

Holy Mary, mother of grace, mother of mercy, do thou defend me from the enemy, and receive me at the hour of death.

The soul being departed, the following Responsory may be said:

R. Come to his assistance, ve Saints of God; come forth to meet him, ye Angels of the Lord, receiving his soul, offering it in the sight of the Most High.

y. May Christ receive thee, who hath called thee, and may the Angels conduct thee to Abraham's bosom. Ry. Receiving his soul, offering it in the sight of the Most High.

. Eternal rest give unto him, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon him.

Ry. Offering it in the sight of the Most High.

. Lord have mercy.

R. Christ have mercy.

. Lord have mercy. Our Father.

y. And lead us not into temptation.

B. But deliver us from evil.

. Eternal rest give unto him, O Lord. Ry. And let perpetual light shine upon him. Y. From the gate of hell.

B. Deliver his soul, O Lord.

. May he rest in peace.

R. Amen.

. O Lord, hear my prayer.

R. And let my cry come unto thee.

Let us pray.

To thee, O Lord, we commend the soul of thy servant N., that being dead to the world he may live to thee; and the sins he hath committed, through the frailty of his mortal nature, do thou, in thy most merci ful goodness, forgive and wash away. Amen.

The body is then decently laid out, and a light placed before it. A small Crucifix is put in the hands of the deceased, upon his breast, or the hands are themselves placed crosswise, while the body is sprinkled with holy

PRAYERS FOR THE DEAD.

THE Psalm Miserere and the Psalm De profundis may be used, saying at the end of each, instead of " Glory be to the Father," &c., the versicle:

V. Eternal rest give unto them, O Lord.
R. And let perpetual light shine upon them.

A Prayer for the Faithful departed.

O God, the Creator and Redeemer of all the faithful, grant to the souls of thy servants departed the remission of all their sins, that, through pious supplications, they may obtain the pardon which they have always desired. Who livest and reignest with God the Father, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, world without end. Amen.

On the day of a person's decease or burial.

O God, whose property is always to have mercy and to spare, we humbly beseech thee for the soul of thy servant N., which thou hast this day commanded to depart out of this world, that thou wouldst not deliver it into the hands of the enemy, nor forget it unto the end, but wouldst command it to be received by thy holy angels, and conducted to Paradise, its true country; that, as in thee it hath hoped and believed, it may not suffer the pains of hell, but may take possession of eternal joys. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

For one lately deceased.

Absolve, we beseech thee, O Lord, the soul of thy servant N. from every bond of sin, that, being raised in the glory of the resurrection, he may be refreshed among thy saints and elect. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

For Father and Mother.

O God, who hast commanded us to honour our father

and mother, have compassion, in thy mercy, on the souls of my father and mother; forgive them their sins, and grant that I may see them in the joy of eternal brightness. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

For Friends and Benefactors.

O God, bountiful in forgiving, and lovingly desirous of man's salvation, we humbly beseech thy mercy in behalf of our friends, relations, and benefactors, who have passed from this world, that, through the intercession of blessed Mary ever virgin and all the Saints, thou wouldst permit them to come to the full participation of everlasting happiness. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

For the deceased.

We offer to thee, O Lord, our most humble supplications in behalf of the souls of thy servants; beseeching thee, that whatever defilements they have contracted in this mortal life, thou wouldst mercifully pardon, and wouldst set them in the abode of thy redeemed and blessed ones. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, who liveth and reigneth with thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, for ever and ever. Amen.

PRAYERS THAT MAY BE USED BY
SURVIVING FRIENDS.

Grant, O Lord, we beseech thee, that while we lament the departure of thy servant, we may always remember that we are most certainly to follow him. Give us grace to prepare for that last hour by a good and holy life, that we may not be taken unprepared by sudden death, but may be ever on the watch, that, when thou shalt call, we may go forth to meet the bridegroom, and enter with him into glory everlasting. Through the same Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

O most wise and merciful Lord, who hast ordained this life as a passage to the future, confining our repents ance to the time of our pilgrimage here, and reserving for hereafter the state of punishment and reward; vouch safe to us who are yet alive, and have still the opportunity of reconciliation with thee, the grace so to watch over all our actions, and to correct every slightest wandering from the true way to heaven, that we may not be surprised with our sins uncancelled, or our duties unful filled; but when our bodies shall go down into the grave, our souls may ascend to thee, and dwell with thee for ever in the mansions of eternal bliss. Through Jesus Christ our Lord and only Saviour. Amen.

An Invocation of the Most Holy Trinity for the Souls in Purgatory.

O God of all goodness, Father of mercies, who, at the prayers and fastings of thy faithful people, didst vouchsafe to send thy angels to break asunder the fetters of thy holy apostle Peter, and to open the doors of his prison hear even also on this day the prayers and suppli cations of thy Church, and send thy angels to the souls for whom we pray, that, the doors of their prison being opened wide, they may be happily received into the bosom of thy mercy. Pater, Ave, Gloria.

O Son of God, Saviour of souls, who didst refresh the three children in the burning fiery furnace, pour down upon the souls that cry to thee from the flames thy heavenly dew. Thy precious blood alone can quench the flames of purgatory; O, let it now flow down upon these suffering souls, and do thou, O Lord, have mercy upon them. Pater, Ave, Gloria.

O Spirit of love, have compassion on the cruel tor ment which these souls endure, that are filled with the purest charity, and, aspiring without ceasing towards their God, cry aloud in their distress, "I thirst: I thirst after my God!" and yet cannot attain unto the object