Goodie Bag for All Souls: What is the Office of the Dead?
Below the fold: some more spiritual help from our resident Benedictine superior and a drawing challenge
At the feast of All Souls, the Church turns her heart to those who have passed from this life but have not yet reached the fullness of heavenly glory. This is a feast of solemn reflection on the reality of death and earnest prayer for the souls in Purgatory. And one of the Church’s most ancient and beautiful ways of doing so is through the Office of the Dead.
The great Catholic prayer for souls: the Office of the Dead
It is, of course, perfectly correct and efficacious to pray a private devotion like the Rosary for the dead on the feast, but the ancient liturgy of the Office of the Dead elevates our prayers to a participation with the whole Church, past and present.
The Office of the Dead has been prayed since the early Middle Ages by monks, nuns, and the faithful, each generation adding its voice to a great chorus of intercession for departed loved ones. The psalms of this office go deep into themes of repentance, divine mercy, and the hope of eternal glory. The readings and prayers are sombre yet filled with the expectation of resurrection, expressing the Church’s faith in Christ’s victory over death.
In the Traditional Latin Rite this office has deep historical roots, going back to the 8th or 9th centuries. The structure of the Divine Office developed gradually from the prayer practices of early Christian communities, which were themselves influenced by Jewish traditions of praying - depending heavily on the Psalms - at set hours of the day and night. It was from earliest times, and remains today, the cornerstone of monastic life. By the early Middle Ages, especially with the wide adoption of the Rule of St. Benedict, the Divine Office had become a formalized series of psalms, readings and prayers organized to sanctify the hours of the day.
The Office of the Dead became a standard part of Christian liturgical and devotional practice, largely through the pan-European influence of the Benedictine monastics. By the time of the High Middle Ages (11th-13th centuries), the Office of the Dead was widely celebrated in monasteries, cathedrals, and parish churches, a normal part of the liturgical life of all Christians, lay and religious.
The Office of the Dead in the traditional Latin rite for Vespers includes a specific set of psalms, each chosen to reflect themes of repentance, divine mercy, and the hope of eternal rest for the souls of the departed. Here are the psalms and prayers used for Vespers:
Vespers of the Office of the Dead
Psalm 114 (113) – In exitu Israel de Aegypto: This psalm recalls the miraculous deliverance of Israel from Egypt, symbolizing the soul’s journey from the bondage of sin and death to the hope of eternal life.
Psalm 120 (119) – Ad Dominum cum tribularer: A cry for deliverance from distress, expressing the soul's longing for salvation and freedom from the struggles of this life.
Psalm 121 (120) – Levavi oculos meos in montes: This psalm is a song of trust and hope, where the soul lifts its eyes to the Lord, the true source of help and protection.
Psalm 130 (129) – De profundis clamavi: One of the most famous penitential psalms, De profundis is a cry from the depths, pleading for God’s mercy and forgiveness—a central theme for prayers for the dead.
Psalm 137 (136) – Super flumina Babylonis: A psalm of exile and longing for the heavenly Jerusalem, expressing the sorrow of being separated from God and the hope of ultimate return and rest.
Prayers and Conclusion
After the psalms, Vespers continues with the following:
The Magnificat (Luke 1:46-55), the canticle of the Blessed Virgin Mary, followed by the antiphon: “Omne quod dat mihi Pater, ad me veniet, et eum qui venit ad me non ejiciam foras.” (“All that the Father gives to me shall come to me, and him who comes to me, I will not cast out.”)
The service concludes with the prayer: “Requiem aeternam dona eis, Domine, et lux perpetua luceat eis.” (“Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon them.”), and the final supplications for the dead.
Death Illuminated
Medieval manuscripts often illustrated the Office of the Dead with striking imagery: scenes of the Last Judgment, angels lifting souls toward heaven, and skeletal reminders of mortality, as well as the charitable, the great spiritual work of mercy, of praying for the dead in the liturgical rites.
As we pray and remember our departed loved ones on this Feast of All Souls, we participate in a great tradition of mercy and hope, trusting that our prayers ascend to heaven and bring comfort and light to those who await the fullness of God’s glory.
Of your charity…
Please pray today for the repose of
My mum, Judy d. 2007
My dad, Adrian
My grandparents, Norman and Wynn, Eileen and Herbert
My friend John Muggeridge
My friend Giancarlo
Shop updates:
I fell in love with this painting many years ago and used it as the banner for my very first-ever blog. It was at the peak of my Oratorian period in the early ‘00s, and I was all about all things Philip.
A nice bit of news: My friend in London who owns the original of this painting (and wickedly steadfastly refuses to give it to me for some reason) has said he’s got a friend who is very good with photography and will photograph it properly, and send me the file. At least 300 dpi, which will be more than enough to make it available as a good quality high resolution canvas print. I’m very excited.
New stuff
For all the years I worked for various news outlets, there was this thing you did when you couldn’t face your actual work, “work related”. I’ve been doing “work related” things, namely finding wonderful high resolution images of works of art that are not famous enough, and turning them into nice Christmas-related things for the shop.
These are Christmas tree ornaments, standing panel pictures for your desk, full size panel prints for walls and cards.
You can browse the full shop for Hilary White; Sacred Art here:
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I’ve been restocking the online shop with some of the printed items for this year’s Sacred Images Project Christmas market. People tell me all the time - and I’ve found this myself - how difficult it can be to find really nice religious cards and decorations for Christmas. So I’m focusing this year on cards and tree ornaments that will bring some medieval imagery into your holidays.
Subscribe to join us below the fold for more spiritual reflections from our resident Benedictine mother superior, Mother Marie, and a fun drawing challenge with a downloadable image!