Funeral & Memorial Prayer Writer
Add your loved one’s name and we’ll help you find the words: a short prayer for the back of a prayer card, or a gentle one to read at the service.
Short prayers for funeral cards
A prayer card has room for a few short lines. These prayers for funeral cards fit the back of a wallet-size card. Put your loved one’s name where you see the highlight.
Loving God, we thank You for the gift of Name’s life, for every kindness, every laugh, every year. We entrust Name to Your keeping, and ask Your comfort for all who mourn. Amen.
Lord, hold Name safely in Your love, and hold us too, as we learn to say goodbye. Amen.
Thank You, Father, for Name, for a faithful heart and a generous hand. We place Name in Your care, and we carry Name’s love with us. Amen.
Write a prayer card for your mother ›For your father ›
Catholic funeral prayer cards
Most Catholic funeral cards carry the Eternal Rest prayer, a traditional Catholic prayer for the dead. It is prayed at funerals, at gravesides, and on All Souls’ Day.
Eternal rest grant unto him/her, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon him/her. May he/she rest in peace. Amen.
The words come from the opening of the traditional Latin Mass for the dead, Requiem aeternam. Catholics pray it to ask God’s mercy and peace for those who have died. When you choose the Catholic tone, the writer adds it, word for word, below the prayer it writes for you.
A prayer for a deceased loved one
A prayer for a loved one who passed away gives thanks for their life and places them in God’s care. Pray it at the graveside, at a memorial, or quietly at home.
Father, we come to You missing Name, and missing the life we shared.
Thank You for every year You gave us: for the voice we still listen for, the hands that worked and gave, the love that made a home.
We entrust Name to Your keeping, Lord. You know Name better than we ever could, and Your love is wider than our grief.
Comfort everyone who mourns today. Help us carry Name’s kindness forward, and keep us in Your peace.
In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Write a prayer to read at the service ›
For the service itself, you may also want our short funeral prayers and prayers for a memorial service, or our free funeral speech writer for the eulogy.
Prayers for memorial cards
Memorial prayer cards are often handed out at a memorial or a celebration of life, sometimes long after the funeral. A prayer of thanks fits them well.
We give thanks for Name, for a life that blessed so many, and a love that stays with us still. Amen.
God of every season, thank You for the years we shared with Name. Comfort us in our sorrow, and fill our remembering with gratitude. Amen.
Memorial card verses and funeral card sayings
A single verse or a short saying is all a card needs. These memorial card verses are in the public domain, so you can print them freely.
“Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.”
Matthew 5:4 (KJV)
“I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live.”
John 11:25 (KJV)
“The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.”
Psalm 23:1 (KJV)
“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.”
Revelation 21:4 (KJV)
“I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith.”
2 Timothy 4:7 (KJV)
“To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven: a time to be born, and a time to die.”
Ecclesiastes 3:1–2 (KJV)
“Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of his saints.”
Psalm 116:15 (KJV)
Funeral card sayings
- In loving memory.
- Forever in our hearts.
- Loved beyond words, missed beyond measure.
- A life well lived, a love that lives on.
- Gone from our sight, but never from our hearts.
- Your love will light our way.
Put the prayer on a prayer card
Choose a design, add their photo and dates to the front, and paste the prayer on the back. You download the cards ready to print at home or at a print shop, as a keepsake for everyone at the service.
See funeral prayer card designsFrequently asked questions
What do you write on a funeral prayer card?
Most prayer cards have the person’s photo, full name and dates of birth and death on the front, and a short prayer or verse on the back. Keep the prayer to six or eight short lines, so it prints at a size everyone can read.
How long should a prayer card prayer be?
About 40 to 70 words fits the back of a wallet-size card at a size everyone can read. A prayer read aloud at the service can be longer, but a minute or two is plenty.
What prayer is on Catholic funeral cards?
Most often the Eternal Rest prayer: “Eternal rest grant unto him, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon him.” Some families choose a favorite psalm instead, or a prayer their loved one knew by heart.
How does the prayer writer work?
It uses AI to write a short prayer from the details you give. Bible verses come from a fixed list of public-domain verses, checked word for word, so they are never made up. Read the prayer through, and change any word so it sounds like your family.
Can I print these prayers?
Yes. Every prayer on this page, and every prayer the writer gives you, is free to print, share and change. The Bible translations we quote, the King James Version and the World English Bible, are in the public domain.
Does the writer save the name I type?
No. Their name and anything you share about them are used once, to write the prayer, and are never stored or published.
Writing the rest? Our free obituary writer and funeral speech writer can help with those too.