Liturgical Guide: Office of the Dead / Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed (All Souls)

The hymns selected for use in the Office of the Dead and the Feast of All Souls express the Church's hope in Christ’s victory over death and in each Christian’s share in that victory. Paragraph 958 of the Catechism of the Catholic Church explains Communion with the Dead in this way: "In full consciousness of this communion of the whole Mystical Body of Jesus Christ, the Church in its pilgrim members, from the very earliest days of the Christian religion, has honored with great respect the memory of the dead; and because it is a holy and a wholesome thought to pray for the dead that they may be loosed from their sins she offers her suffrages for them. Our prayer for them is capable not only of helping them, but also of making their intercession for us effective." The Office for the Dead is believed to have come into practice no early than the 7th or 8th century, but scholars are divided on it's exact origins. It is the proper Office for All Soul's Day (Nov. 2). It can also be used as a Votive Office, an optional devotion outside of the regular Liturgical calendar that can be prayed (except on Solemnities, Sundays in Advent, Lent, and Easter, Ash Wednesday, Holy Week, the Octave of Easter, and All Soul's Day) for a deceased loved one, religious, or member of community etc. at appropriate times, such as the day of death, funeral, or anniversary of death.


Reflection by the Apostleship of Prayer. See: Lumen Gentium (VII:49)

LITURGY OF THE HOURS (1975)
98. Keep in Mind
106. This I Ask (John 15)

113. In the Midst of Death (We Who Were Once Dead)

114. I Am the Bread of Life

120. Christ the Lord is Risen Today (Wesley)
139. Come to Me
172. For All the Saints
175. The King of Love My Shepherd Is
184. O Radiant Light, O Sun Divine
185. May Flights of Angels Lead You On Your Way

DIVINE OFFICE (1974)
61. Remember Those, O Lord
62. Merciful Saviour, Hear Our Humble Prayer

Remember Those, O Lord

For Them We Humbly Pray

Remember Those, O Lord was written by the Scottish Jesuit Priest, Fr. James J. Quinn (1919-2010). In the Divine Office (1974) it is sung at Morning Prayer in the Office for the Dead. It is set to the tune: Franconia, by the German composer Johann Balthasar König (1691-1758).


Tune: Franconia

Merciful Saviour, Hear Our Humble Prayer

Give Their Spirits Light and Endless Rest

Merciful Saviour, Hear Our Humble Prayer was written by the Sulpician Priest and author, Fr. Melvin L. Farrell. It is sung to the tune, Old 124th by the French Renaissance composer Louis Bourgeois (c.1510–1560). It is just one of several settings of the Psalms he wrote for John Calvin's Genevan Psalter of 1551. The words to Merciful Saviour, Hear Our Humble Prayer can be found in this example of the Liturgy for the Anglican Vespers for the Dead.


Tune: Old 124th

May Flights of Angels Lead You On Your Way

To Paradise and Heavens Eternal Day

May Flights of Angels Lead You On Your Way is a 1969 paraphrase by the Scottish theologian and hymnwriter, Fr. James Quinn S.J. (1919-2010) of the ancient Latin hymn, In Paradisum (Into Paradise). In Paradisum was traditionally used as an antiphon sung by a choir as the body is taken out of the Church in a Requiem Mass or at the burial. The text has been used by many composers, most famously by Gabriel Fauré. May Flights of Angels Lead You On Your Way is set to a variation of the 1875 tune, Unde Et Memores by William Henry Monk (1823-1889). The following video is sung to an alternative tune which I have been unable to identify. In the Liturgy of the Hours it is used in the Office of the Dead.

O Radiant Light, O Sun Divine / Phôs Hilaròn

That Fills the Heavenly Dwelling Place

O Radiant Light, O Sun Divine was written in 1973 by author William G. Storey, Professor Emeritus of Liturgy and Church History at the University of Notre Dame. It is a translation of Phos Hilaron, a 3rd century Greek hymn which is one of the oldest songs of the early Church still in use today (see 2nd video). In the Eastern Orthodox Church the ancient text along with original melody is sung at Vespers and is associated with the lighting of the lamps or candles, which symbolize the light of Christ. O Radiant Light, O Sun Divine is set to the Gregorian plainsong, Jesu, Dulcis Memoria. In the Liturgy of the Hours it is used in the Office for the Dead.


Tune: Jesu, Dulcis Memoria

PHOS HILARON

Phôs hilaròn haghías dóxēs, athanátou Patrós,
ouraníou, haghíou, mákaros, Iēsoû Christé,

elthóntes epì tḕn hēlíou dýsin, idóntes phôs hesperinón,
hymnoûmen Patéra, Hyión, kaì Hághion Pneûma, Theón.

Áxión se en pâsi kairoîs hymneîsthai phōnaîs aisíais,
Hyiè Theoû, zoḕn ho didoús, diò ho kósmos sè doxázei.

The King of Love My Shepherd Is

Your  Cross Will Ever Guide Me

The King Of Love My Shepherd Is, is an Anthony G. Petti (1932-1985) adaption of the 1868 Sir Henry W. Baker (1821-1877) paraphrase of Psalm 23. Baker took Holy Orders in the Church of England in 1844. He was closely associated with hymnody in the Church. Besides writing, translating, and composing a number of hymns, his most notable role was as Ed­it­or-in-Chief of the first edition of Hymns An­cient and Mo­dern (1861) which sold over 60 million copies. The King of Love My Shepherd Is has proven to be his most enduring work. It is said that as he lay dying his final words were those of the 3rd stanza: "Perverse and foolish, oft I strayed, but yet in love he sought me; and on his shoulder gently laid, and home, rejoicing, brought me." It is sung to the tune: St. Columba, a traditional Irish melody. In the Liturgy of the Hours it is used in the Common of Pastors and with the Office for the Dead.



THE KING OF LOVE MY SHEPHERD IS by Henry Baker, 1868 (Public Domain)

1. The King of love my Shepherd is,
Whose goodness faileth never,
I nothing lack if I am His
And He is mine forever.

2. Where streams of living water flow
My ransomed soul He leadeth,
And where the verdant pastures grow,
With food celestial feedeth.

3. Perverse and foolish oft I strayed,
But yet in love He sought me,
And on His shoulder gently laid,
And home, rejoicing, brought me.

4. In death’s dark vale I fear no ill
With Thee, dear Lord, beside me;
Thy rod and staff my comfort still,
Thy cross before to guide me.

5. Thou spread’st a table in my sight;
Thy unction grace bestoweth;
And O what transport of delight
From Thy pure chalice floweth!

6. And so through all the length of days
Thy goodness faileth never;
Good Shepherd, may I sing
Thy praise Within Thy house forever.

For All the Saints

O Blest Communion, Fellowship Divine

For All the Saints was written by William W. How (1823-1897), the first Anglican Bishop of Wakefield, England. It was composed in 1864 as a processional hymn. It is sung to the tune, Sine Nomine (literally 'without name') by Ralph Vaughan Williams (1872-1958). It was first published in 1906, and was composed specifically for Bishop How's text. In the Liturgy of the Hours, For All the Saints, Who From Their Labor Rest is used in the Common of One Martyr, the Office for the Dead, and the Common of  Several Martyrs.



FOR ALL THE SAINTS by William W. How, 1864 (Public Domain)

1. For all the saints, who from their labors rest,
Who Thee by faith before the world confessed,
Thy Name, O Jesus, be forever blessed.
Alleluia, Alleluia!

2. Thou wast their Rock, their Fortress and their Might;
Thou, Lord, their Captain in the well fought fight;
Thou, in the darkness drear, their one true Light.
Alleluia, Alleluia!

3. For the Apostles’ glorious company,
Who bearing forth the Cross o’er land and sea,
Shook all the mighty world, we sing to Thee:
Alleluia, Alleluia!

4. For the Evangelists, by whose blest word,
Like fourfold streams, the garden of the Lord,
Is fair and fruitful, be Thy Name adored.
Alleluia, Alleluia!

5. For Martyrs, who with rapture kindled eye,
Saw the bright crown descending from the sky,
And seeing, grasped it, Thee we glorify.
Alleluia, Alleluia!

6. O blest communion, fellowship divine!
We feebly struggle, they in glory shine;
All are one in Thee, for all are Thine.
Alleluia, Alleluia!

7. O may Thy soldiers, faithful, true and bold,
Fight as the saints who nobly fought of old,
And win with them the victor’s crown of gold.
Alleluia, Alleluia!

8. And when the strife is fierce, the warfare long,
Steals on the ear the distant triumph song,
And hearts are brave, again, and arms are strong.
Alleluia, Alleluia!

 9. The golden evening brightens in the west;
Soon, soon to faithful warriors comes their rest;
Sweet is the calm of paradise the blessed.
Alleluia, Alleluia!

 10. But lo! there breaks a yet more glorious day;
The saints triumphant rise in bright array;
The King of glory passes on His way.
Alleluia, Alleluia!

 11. From earth’s wide bounds, from ocean’s farthest coast,
Through gates of pearl streams in the countless host,
And singing to Father, Son and Holy Ghost:
Alleluia, Alleluia!

Come to Me

The Lord is my Shepherd

Come to Me is written by composer and author, Gregory Norbet (b.1940). It was first published 1971 as part of the collection, Locusts and Wild Honey sung by the Benedictine Monks of Weston Priory, Vermont. Over his 21 years as a monk at the Priory, Gregory Norbet composed, sang, and performed on 12 albums. Some of his best known songs from that period include: Hosea (Come Back to Me), Something Which is Known, and Go Up to the Mountain. He remains active today as a composer and recording artist with OCP, as well as serving the Hosea Foundation, a not-for-profit ministry which he founded. In the Liturgy of the Hours, Come to Me is used with the Common of Pastors, the Office of the Dead, and on the Feast of the Sacred Heart.

Christ the Lord is Risen Today (Wesley)

Lives Again Our Glorious King

Christ the Lord is Risen Today was written by Charles Wesley (1707-1788). First published in 1739, it is based upon the 14th cen­tu­ry anonymous La­tin hymn, Surrexit Christus Hodie. Wesley's work was sung during the first worship service of a London Wesleyan Chapel. It is set to the tune Lianfair by the blind Welsh singer, Robert Williams (1781-1821). He make a living weaving baskets. Tunes he composed were eventually written down and compiled in a manuscript around 1817. Wesley's hymn is similar to Hymn #118 of the Office. In the Liturgy of the Hours, Christ the Lord is Risen Today is used with the Office for the Dead and during Easter.

Tune: Lianfair

CHRIST THE LORD IS RISEN TODAY by Charles Wesley, 1739 (Public Domain)

1. Christ, the Lord, is risen today, Alleluia!
Sons of men and angels say, Alleluia!
Raise your joys and triumphs high, Alleluia!
Sing, ye heavens, and earth, reply, Alleluia!

2. Love’s redeeming work is done, Alleluia!
Fought the fight, the battle won, Alleluia!
Lo! the Sun’s eclipse is over, Alleluia!
Lo! He sets in blood no more, Alleluia!

3. Vain the stone, the watch, the seal, Alleluia!
Christ hath burst the gates of hell, Alleluia!
Death in vain forbids His rise, Alleluia!
Christ hath opened paradise, Alleluia!

4. Lives again our glorious King, Alleluia!
Where, O death, is now thy sting? Alleluia!
Once He died our souls to save, Alleluia!
Where thy victory, O grave? Alleluia!

5. Soar we now where Christ hath led, Alleluia!
Following our exalted Head, Alleluia!
Made like Him, like Him we rise, Alleluia!
Ours the cross, the grave, the skies, Alleluia!

6. Hail, the Lord of earth and Heaven, Alleluia!
Praise to Thee by both be given, Alleluia!
Thee we greet triumphant now, Alleluia!
Hail, the resurrection, thou, Alleluia!

7. King of glory, Soul of bliss, Alleluia!
Everlasting life is this, Alleluia!
Thee to know, Thy power to prove, Alleluia!
Thus to sing and thus to love, Alleluia!

8. Hymns of praise then let us sing, Alleluia!
Unto Christ, our heavenly King, Alleluia!
Who endured the cross and grave, Alleluia!
Sinners to redeem and save. Alleluia!

9. But the pains that He endured, Alleluia!
Our salvation have procured, Alleluia!
Now above the sky He’s King, Alleluia!
Where the angels ever sing. Alleluia!

10. Jesus Christ is risen today, Alleluia!
Our triumphant holy day, Alleluia!
Who did once upon the cross, Alleluia!
Suffer to redeem our loss. Alleluia!

I Am the Bread of Life

He Who Comes to Me Shall Not Hunger

I Am the Bread of Life, first published in 1970, was written by Sr. Suzanne Toolan, RSM (b.1927). A Religious Sisters of Mercy, Sr. Toolan wrote the well known hymn in 1966 for an upcoming event in the Archdiocese of San Francisco. She related in a recent interview with the National Catholic Reporter how she had been working on the piece in an unoccupied room of a girls school. Frustrated with the results, she had thrown the working copy in the garbage. But a when a 6 year old student came in asking what that beautiful music was that she had overheard, Sr Toolan retrieved the song from the trash and continued working. It has gone on to become one of the most widely known, and enduring Catholic hymns of the Vatican II era. Though admitting, it can be a challenge for congregational singing, Sr. Toolan attributes the song's popularity to the strong scriptural nature of the lyrics, drawn mainly from the 'Bread of Life Discourse' of John 6. In the Liturgy of the Hours, I Am the Bread of Life is used with the Office for the Dead and at Easter.

Singing starts at the 1:15 mark.

Original Recording from 1970

In the Midst of Death

Jesus, Be Our Light

In the Midst of Death, first published in 1961, was written by Dutch poet and linguist Klaas Hanzen Heeroma (1909-1972) under the pen name Muus Jacobse. The tune was written by Rik Veelenturf (b.1936). A Dutch language sample of the tune is featured in the following video. It was originally intended for Maundy Thursday worship service in the Lutheran Liturgy, but was later adopted for use in many Roman Catholic parishes in Holland. The hymn was adapted for use in English by David Smith. In the Liturgy of the Hours, We Who Once were Dead (In the Midst of Death) is used at Easter and in the Office for the Dead.


"Midden in de Dood" - Dutch lyrics can be found here.

John 15 (This I Ask)

Love Each Other as I Have Loved You

John 15 (This I Ask) was written by Enrico Garzilli. It was first published in 1970 as part of the collection, For Those Who Love God. He is a Roman Catholic Priest, but rather than taking on pastoral work, his vocation within the Church has been as a composer, writer, and performer. As a young seminarian, he was assistant to cathedral organist and liturgical composer, Alexander Peloquin (1919 - 1997), who is noted for having composed the first Roman Catholic Mass sung in English. In the Liturgy of the Hours, This I Ask (John 15) is used with the Office of the Dead and during Holy Week.

Keep in Mind

He is Our Saving Lord

Keep in Mind was written by Fr. Lucien Deiss C.S.Sp. (1921-2007). It was first published in 1965 as part of the collection: Biblical Hymns and Psalms, Volume 1. It was during this time period that Fr. Deiss accepted the request by Pope Paul VI to coordinate the revision of the Lectionary Psalter in accordance with the Second Vatican Council. Keep in Mind remains one of his most enduring works. In the Liturgy of the Hours it is used with the Office for the Dead, and during Lent and Easter.