Template
Catholic Prayer Card Template
The Catholic holy card is one of the oldest forms of printed remembrance. For generations, Catholics have left the funeral home with a small card in hand, a saint or the Sacred Heart on the front, a prayer for the soul of the departed on the back. This guide covers the tradition, the prayers most often used, and when the cards are given out.
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The holy card tradition
Holy cards, also called prayer cards or funeral cards, grew out of centuries of Catholic devotional printing. A funeral holy card joins the person's name and dates to a prayer for their soul, and it asks something of the person who receives it. It is an invitation to pray for the dead, which in Catholic teaching is a work of mercy.
This is why Catholic cards tend to be kept so faithfully. They live in wallets, missals, and Bibles, and they surface again on anniversaries and All Souls' Day. Many Catholics can open a drawer and find the cards of everyone they have buried.
A traditional card carries the words Please pray for the soul of, or In Loving Memory of, above the name, and often closes with a short petition such as May he rest in peace.
The Eternal Rest prayer
The most fitting text for a Catholic funeral card is the Church's own prayer for the dead, prayed for centuries in the Requiem Mass and at the graveside. In English it reads,
"Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon them. May the souls of the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen."
On a card for one person, the traditional form shifts to the singular, Eternal rest grant unto him, O Lord, or unto her. Some families print the opening line in Latin as well, Requiem aeternam dona eis, Domine, which many older Catholics know by heart.
The Prayer of Saint Gertrude
Another prayer long used on funeral cards is the one traditionally attributed to Saint Gertrude the Great, a thirteenth century mystic. Its attribution is devotional tradition rather than settled history, but the prayer itself has circulated in Catholic devotion for a very long time and is freely used,
"Eternal Father, I offer Thee the Most Precious Blood of Thy Divine Son, Jesus, in union with the Masses said throughout the world today, for all the Holy Souls in Purgatory, for sinners everywhere, for sinners in the universal Church, those in my own home and within my family. Amen."
Because it is a prayer for all the holy souls, it suits a card meant to keep the receiver praying long after the funeral.
Psalm 23 for a Catholic card
Scripture also belongs on a Catholic card, and no passage is used more often than the Twenty Third Psalm. The King James wording, which is in the public domain and familiar to nearly everyone, begins,
"The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul."
The full psalm fits comfortably on the back of a standard card. If space is short, the opening verse alone, or the verse beginning Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, carries the whole psalm with it in the reader's memory.
Saint imagery and what belongs on the front
The front of a Catholic card traditionally carries either a photograph of the person or a devotional image. Common choices are the Sacred Heart of Jesus, Our Lady of Guadalupe or the Immaculate Heart of Mary, the person's patron saint or confirmation saint, Saint Joseph for a happy death, and Saint Michael for veterans, police, and those who served.
Choosing the saint the person actually loved matters more than choosing the most famous one. A card for a woman who prayed to Saint Anthony all her life should probably carry Saint Anthony.
Many modern cards put the photograph on the front and the devotional image small on the back, above or beside the prayer. Both arrangements are traditional at this point, and neither is more correct.
When the cards are handed out
Cards are usually available at every gathering, not just one. At the vigil or wake, they sit in a basket or tray near the guest book, and this is where most are taken. At the funeral Mass, they may be placed in the pews, tucked into the order of worship, or handed out by ushers at the door. At the repast or luncheon afterward, a small stack on the tables lets anyone who missed one take a card home.
It is wise to bring cards to all three, and to set aside a reserve for the family itself. The people closest to the loss are often the ones who forget to take one.
Questions, answered plainly
Does a Catholic prayer card need to be approved by the parish?
No. The card is a private devotional keepsake, not a liturgical text, so no approval is needed. If you want the card to match the funeral Mass, you can ask the parish which readings were chosen and echo one of them on the card.
Should the prayer be in Latin or English?
Either is traditional. Many families print the Eternal Rest prayer in English with the opening line in Latin, Requiem aeternam dona eis, Domine, as a nod to the older form. Choose whatever the person who died would have prayed.
Can a Catholic card use a photograph instead of a saint image?
Yes. Photograph on the front with the prayer and a small devotional image on the back is now the most common arrangement, and funeral homes have printed cards this way for decades.
What do people do with holy cards after the funeral?
They keep them. Holy cards are tucked into missals, Bibles, and wallets, and are brought out on anniversaries and All Souls' Day as a prompt to pray for the person's soul. It is common to send a card to relatives who could not attend.