The third typical edition of the Roman Missal contains 42 formularies, or sets of prayers, in the section “Masses for the Dead.” Among them are prayers for the funerals of those who had received holy orders. In this article, we will examine collects or opening prayers for deceased priests, as well as those for bishops and deacons. What we shall see is an emphasis on eternal joy as the hoped-for fulfillment of a priestly life faithfully lived. These prayers can be a source of comfort for us.

Oftentimes, the liturgical reforms after the Second Vatican Council are accused of being too positive, bordering on “warm and fuzzy.” However, these joy-centered prayers for the deceased members of those in holy orders are not post-Vatican II inventions but are ancient orations dating to at least the Middle Ages. Their restoration in the Missal today emphasizes the link between priests’ joy in this life and the eternal gladness in the life to come.

Collects for a Deceased Priest

The Roman Missal provides two formularies (A and B) for the funeral of a priest. The Opening Prayer for set A reads:

Grant, we pray, O Lord,
that the soul of N., your servant and Priest,
whom you honored with sacred office
while he lived in this world,
may exult for ever in the glorious home of heaven.
Through our Lord … (Roman Missal).

The content of this collect is fairly straightforward. Basically, it acknowledges that in the past God honored (in Latin: decorasti — as in to decorate, adorn, or distinguish) this person with the sacred office of priesthood, and so now the Church is asking the Lord for this priest to exult eternally in heaven. The word used in the original Latin is exsultet (“may he exult/rejoice”) — the same word as the beginning of the Paschal Proclamation sung at the Easter Vigil. Far from being an automatic reward, this never-ending exultation (not to be confused with “exaltation”) is a gift that the Church requests for the priest’s vocation faithfully and obediently lived.

This prayer appears in the 1962 Missal under the heading “[Oratio] altera pro defuncto sacerdote” (“Another [Prayer] for a Deceased Priest”) but goes much further back in history, appearing in the so-called Veronese Sacramentary of the mid- to late-sixth century. Some variations of this collect also appear in medieval sources as a prayer for a deceased bishop, perhaps underscoring the close bond between priesthood and the episcopacy.

The Opening Prayer for set B reads:

Hear with favor our prayers,
which we humbly offer, O Lord,
for the salvation of the soul of N., your servant and Priest,
that he, who devoted a faithful ministry to your name,
may rejoice in the perpetual company of your Saints.
Through our Lord … (Roman Missal).

We can summarize the content this way: This priest was devoted to God in his ministry. Now the Church is humbly praying for this priest’s salvation so that he may rejoice forever with the holy ones. Instead of exsultet, this oration uses the word laetetur (“may he rejoice”). Despite the difference in wording, both prayers ask God to grant unceasing joy to the deceased priest in connection to his faithful ministry.

This collect is not present in the 1570 or 1962 Missals, but it dates back to at least the mid-eighth century, appearing in the Gelasian Sacramentary under the heading “Item Missa pro defuncto sacerdote” (“Additional Mass for a Deceased Priest”).

For Deceased Bishops and Deacons

The current Roman Missal offers two formularies for a deceased bishop: set A (“For a Diocesan Bishop”) and set B (“For Another Bishop”). The collect for set A does not appear in the pre-conciliar Missal, but the one for set B does, under the heading “Pro defuncto episcopo” (“For a Deceased Bishop”). The latter also appears in altered forms as prayers for deceased cardinals and priests. We will focus here on Collect A because of its reference to joy.

The opening prayer for set A reads:

Grant, we pray, almighty God,
that the soul of your departed servant Bishop N.,
to whom you committed the care of your family,
may, with manifold fruit of his labors,
enter into the eternal gladness of his Lord.
Who lives and reigns … (Roman Missal).

Its structure can be summarized thus: In the past, God placed the care of his family (the Church) to this bishop. This bishop labored fruitfully in this task, and so the Church is now asking the Lord to grant “eternal gladness” for the bishop. The Latin text uses the word gaudia, which literally translates to “joys” or “gladnesses” in the plural form.

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‘Progress and Joy in the Faith’

“For to me life is Christ, and death is gain. If I go on living in the flesh, that means fruitful labor for me. And I do not know which I shall choose. I am caught between the two. I long to depart this life and be with Christ, [for] that is far better. Yet that I remain [in] the flesh is more necessary for your benefit. And this I know with confidence, that I shall remain and continue in the service of all of you for your progress and joy in the faith, so that your boasting in Christ Jesus may abound on account of me when I come to you again.” — Philippians 1:21-26

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Since this collect does not appear in the 1570 or 1962 Missals, it is tempting to see it as a new, post-Vatican II prayer. However, instruments such as the Corpus Orationum (a concordance of liturgical prayers) can confirm its ancient origins. It appears in at least five medieval sources, including variants of the Gregorian Sacramentary and the Ambrosian Sacramentarium Triplex.

While there are two sets of Mass prayers for both the funerals of bishops and priests, there is only one collect for a deceased deacon. It states:

Grant, we pray, O merciful God,
a share in eternal happiness
to the soul of N., your servant and Deacon,
on whom you bestowed the gift of ministering in your Church.
Through our Lord … (Roman Missal).

We can sum up this prayer this way: God granted the gift of ministry to this deacon, and so now the Church is asking God to give him “a share in eternal happiness.” The word used in the Latin source is felicitates, or, literally, “happinesses.”

Interestingly, the pre-conciliar Missal does not provide a prayer for a deceased deacon, but this does not mean that the collect above is a new composition. In fact, it can be traced back to medieval books such as the Fulda Sacramentary and variants of the Gregorian Sacramentary.

Some of these sources include this prayer in Masses for deceased deacons, priests and even bishops.

A Focus on Joy

In sum, there are two collects for a deceased bishop, two for a priest, and one for a deacon in the third edition of the Roman Missal. All but one (set B for a bishop) contains words of joy. In the original Latin texts, they involve variations of exsultatio, laetitia, gaudium and felicitas — all denoting happiness. Among the 42 formularies in the “Masses for the Dead” section, only 13 collects feature words of joy, and four of these can be found in those for the deceased who had received holy orders.

Although it is easy to dismiss them as a reflection of excessive optimism after the Second Vatican Council, these prayers actually date back to at least the Middle Ages, appearing in some of the earliest surviving sacramentaries. By restoring these lost and forgotten prayers and reinserting them in the Roman Missal, the post-Vatican II liturgical reformers intended to bring a sense of consistency — a structure involving an acknowledgment of what the Lord has done to the person in holy orders in this life and the Church’s supplication for God to grant permanent happiness in the life to come. Rather than being an automatic reward, this complete joy is something we ask for with humility as an extension of the joy felt by the person in his faithful ministry here on earth.

In the end, this gladness is not just something we have to wait for in heaven. As my confrere Father Harry Hagan, OSB, wrote in the August 2022 issue of The Priest, “I wanted to say to the new seminarians that it is good to be a priest — that I know many happy priests.” Indeed, despite many challenges, the life of priestly ministry can and should be fulfilling. And yet, with hope, we await the ultimate and eternal fulfillment of this happiness. May we one day hear the words: “Well done, my good and faithful servant. Since you were faithful in small matters, I will give you great responsibilities. Come, share your master’s joy.” (Mt 25:23).

FATHER LORENZO PENALOSA, OSB, is the assistant vocation director and custodian of Mass intentions and prayer requests at Saint Meinrad Archabbey in St. Meinrad, Indiana.

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Joy and Vocations

“Many places are experiencing a dearth of vocations to the priesthood and consecrated life. This is often due to a lack of contagious apostolic fervor in communities which results in a cooling of enthusiasm and attractiveness. Wherever there is life, fervour and a desire to bring Christ to others, genuine vocations will arise. Even in parishes where priests are not particularly committed or joyful, the fraternal life and fervor of the community can awaken in the young a desire to consecrate themselves completely to God and to the preaching of the Gospel. This is particularly true if such a living community prays insistently for vocations and courageously proposes to its young people the path of special consecration.

— Evangelii Gaudium, No. 107

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