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Prayers for funeral prayer cards belong on the back of the card, in a length guests can read at a glance. Choose a Catholic prayer, a Bible verse, a non-religious line, or a short poem, then use it in the card builder above.
These Catholic prayers for funeral prayer cards are traditional public-domain texts. Eternal Rest is the prayer most Catholic families put on a funeral card. Families also print the Hail Mary, the Our Father, the Memorare, and the Prayer of St. Francis. If you want a psalm instead, the Douay-Rheims translation below is public domain. If the parish uses another translation, copy the wording from the parish worship aid.
Traditional Catholic prayer · public domain
Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon them. May they rest in peace. Amen. May their soul, and the souls of all the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen.
Traditional Catholic prayer · public domain
Remember, O most gracious Virgin Mary, that never was it known that anyone who fled to thy protection, implored thy help, or sought thy intercession, was left unaided. Inspired by this confidence, I fly unto thee, O Virgin of virgins, my Mother. To thee do I come, before thee I stand, sinful and sorrowful. O Mother of the Word Incarnate, despise not my petitions, but in thy mercy hear and answer me. Amen.
Traditional English wording · public domain
Lord, make me an instrument of your peace: where there is hatred, let me sow love; where there is injury, pardon; where there is doubt, faith; where there is despair, hope; where there is darkness, light; and where there is sadness, joy. O divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console, to be understood as to understand, to be loved as to love. For it is in giving that we receive, it is in pardoning that we are pardoned, and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.
Traditional Catholic prayer · public domain
Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee; blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen.
Traditional Catholic wording · public domain
Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name; thy kingdom come; thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. Amen.
Douay-Rheims, 1899 Challoner · public domain
The Lord ruleth me: and I shall want nothing. He hath set me in a place of pasture. He hath brought me up, on the water of refreshment: He hath converted my soul. He hath led me on the paths of justice, for his own name's sake. For though I should walk in the midst of the shadow of death, I will fear no evils, for thou art with me. Thy rod and thy staff, they have comforted me. Thou hast prepared a table before me against them that afflict me. Thou hast anointed my head with oil; and my chalice which inebriateth me, how goodly is it! And thy mercy will follow me all the days of my life. And that I may dwell in the house of the Lord unto length of days.
A Bible verse for a funeral card back should stay short enough to read at a glance. The scripture below uses the King James Version, which is in the public domain. Psalm 23 is the verse most families choose, and the shorter quotes work well when the back of the card also carries a name and dates. Modern translations such as NIV, NRSV, ESV, NLT, and the Catholic NABRE are under copyright and are not printed here. If your parish uses a different translation, copy the wording from the parish's own worship aid.
King James Version · public domain
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: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever.
King James Version · public domain
Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.
King James Version · public domain
And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.
King James Version · public domain
Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.
King James Version · public domain
I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith.
King James Version · public domain
But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.
Use these short prayers for memorial cards when the family wants comfort wording and no deity reference. They are original sample wording written for this site, not published poems. Edit names and details before you print.
Original sample wording for this site
Those we love remain with us in the stories we tell, the habits we keep, and the care we give one another.
Original sample wording for this site
May the life we remember bring quiet strength when words are hard to find.
Original sample wording for this site
Gone from our sight, never from our hearts. We carry you with us.
Original sample wording for this site
In the still moments, may love be the thing that stays.
A poem for memorial card backs has to fit a small panel. The public-domain verses below are complete texts. The last item is original sample wording written for this site, not a published poem. Copyrighted modern poems are not printed here.
Mark Twain, after Robert Richardson · public domain
Warm summer sun, Shine kindly here, Warm southern wind, Blow softly here. Green sod above, Lie light, lie light. Good night, dear heart, Good night, good night.
Christina Rossetti · public domain
When I am dead, my dearest, Sing no sad songs for me; Plant thou no roses at my head, Nor shady cypress tree: Be the green grass above me With showers and dewdrops wet: And if thou wilt, remember, And if thou wilt, forget. I shall not see the shadows, I shall not feel the rain; I shall not hear the nightingale Sing on, as if in pain: And dreaming through the twilight That doth not rise nor set, Haply I may remember, And haply may forget.
Robert Louis Stevenson · public domain
Under the wide and starry sky, Dig the grave and let me lie. Glad did I live and gladly die, And I laid me down with a will. This be the verse you grave for me: Here he lies where he longed to be; Home is the sailor, home from sea, And the hunter home from the hill.
Original sample wording for this site
A life is held in ordinary things: a laugh we still hear, a chair by the window, a kindness we learned to copy. We remember you in those places, and we will keep them tended.
Funeral holy cards, Roman Catholic funeral prayer cards, and custom prayer cards for funeral guests are the same kind of keepsake: a small two-sided card handed out at the wake or Mass. Catholic funeral cards of this size are holy cards, not Mass cards. This site makes the design and a print-ready PDF for $9.99. You print the cards yourself or at a local shop. We do not sell, stock, laminate, or ship physical cards.
A holy card is a small Catholic devotional card. The front usually shows a saint, the Blessed Mother, Christ, or another sacred image. The back holds a prayer. At a Catholic funeral or wake, the cards are given to guests as a keepsake they can keep in a missal, a wallet, or a prayer book. Catholic memorial prayer cards go by several names, but they all fill this same role at the service. The Catholic-style designs in the builder above are made for that keepsake. You still print them at home, at a funeral home that offers printing, or at a shop nearby.
Funeral Mass cards are easy to confuse with holy cards, and the difference matters. A Mass card tells a family that a Mass will be offered for the person who died. It normally comes from a parish, shrine, or religious order, and an offering is made there. A prayer card or holy card is the printed keepsake given out at the service. We make the keepsake, not the Mass offering. If you want a Mass card, contact the parish. If you also need the printed order for the Mass itself, use the Catholic funeral Mass program template.
Laminated prayer cards for funeral guests last longer because the film protects the card in a wallet or missal. Lamination is optional finishing done after the card is printed. It takes extra time at the shop. Most local print shops can laminate a 2.5 x 4.25 inch card if you ask. Get a quote from the shop for the stock, the quantity, and whether lamination can be done the same day. We do not laminate cards here.
| Print detail | What to plan |
|---|---|
| Finished size | 2.5 x 4.25 inches, the standard prayer-card size this page produces. |
| Layout | Two-sided. Keep the front quiet and place the full prayer or verse on the back. |
| Bleed and trim | The print-ready PDF includes 0.125 inch bleed around the trim. Do not shift artwork to the cut edge without that bleed. |
| Paper | Ask the shop for a heavy cover-weight cardstock so the card feels like a keepsake rather than copy paper. Confirm the stock they have in the 2.5 x 4.25 size. |
| How many to print | Start with one card for each expected guest, plus a small extra stack for family who cannot attend and for later keepsakes. |
After you download the PDF, take the file to a local printer. FedEx Office, Staples, Office Depot, The UPS Store, and independent copy shops can usually print a two-sided 2.5 x 4.25 inch card. To find funeral prayer cards near you, start with the printing guide, enter your ZIP code in a shop locator, and call the exact location about card size, cardstock, lamination, and pickup time. This site has no storefront and no shipping.
Short answers about wording, size, holy cards, Mass cards, printing, and lamination.
The front usually holds a portrait or sacred image, the person's name, and the years of birth and death. The back holds a short prayer, Bible verse, or remembrance line. Catholic families often print the Eternal Rest prayer. Keep the wording short enough to read on a 2.5 x 4.25 inch card.
The standard funeral prayer card size is 2.5 x 4.25 inches. That is the finished size this template produces. It is smaller than a 5 x 7 memorial card and is meant to be held, placed in a pew, or kept in a wallet or missal.
A holy card, also called a prayer card, is a printed keepsake given out at a wake or funeral, with a sacred image on the front and a prayer on the back. A Mass card notifies a family that a Mass will be offered for the person who died. Mass cards come from a parish, shrine, or religious order, and an offering is made there. This site makes the keepsake, not the Mass offering.
The prayer most often printed on a Catholic funeral prayer card is the Eternal Rest prayer, also known by its Latin name Requiem aeternam. Hail Mary and Our Father are also common. Confirm with the parish if a specific wording is expected.
Yes. Short psalms and Gospel verses are often used as scripture for a funeral card. Modern translations such as NIV, NRSV, ESV, NLT, and the Catholic NABRE are under copyright, so they are not reproduced here. Use a public-domain translation, or copy the exact wording from the parish worship aid if the parish uses a different translation.
A practical starting point is one card for each expected guest, plus a small extra stack for family who cannot attend and for later keepsakes. Confirm the guest count with the funeral home before you send the file to a printer.
Yes. Most local print shops can laminate a 2.5 x 4.25 inch card after printing. Lamination is what helps a holy card survive in a wallet for years. It adds finishing time, so ask the shop for a quote and whether same-day lamination is available. This site does not laminate or ship cards.
Place a stack in a basket on the memory table, beside the register book, or near the casket at the wake. At Mass, ushers may set cards at the end of each pew or hand them to guests as they arrive. Remaining cards can go home with the family.
