Prayers for a Dying Protestant

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sacristan1

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I hope I am on the right thread for this question. There are so many very wise people on this forum that have been so helpful to me and now Ihave another question that I pray you will be able to assist me with. Yesterday I visited the hospice home that I have been seeing resident Catholics who are dying and on the way back to our merciful Father. I was asked to meet with a lady who had just been brought into the facility dying of stomach cancer. She has no family here and gets no visitors and I was asked if I could come to see her and pray for and with her. When I met her I fell in love with her immediately. I will definitely stand by her throughout the end of her jorrney here. My question is this: Besides the “Our Father”, what prayers can I offer for her in her presence. I don’t know yet what her religious affiliation is but I only know Catholic prayers. I will certainly offer up a Rosary for her and a Divine Mercy Chaplet but if I say them in her presence I’m afraid she will not know their power or perhaps become offended (Dear Lord, I hope not since they are so powerful). If anyone has had this situation arise that could shed some light on it for me, please let me know.

And thank you for all your continued help and most valuable advice.
 
You could always say prayers from the heart. Pray whatever comes into your mind. Heartfelt prayers are helpful for anyone, no matter what religion.
 
Pray the Rosary & Chaplet silently, after that, maybe you can read the Psalms to her, like Ps. 23 and the Penitential Psalms 6, 32, 38, 51, 102, 130, 142

From FishEaters (quasireputable in the “For Catholics section” but “Being Catholic” whence this is taken is solid):

Ways of Comforting the Dying and Encouraging Him to Focus on Christ and His Passion

Throughout the dying person’s time in his sick bed, it is good to offer to him short acclamations that encourage the focus on Christ and the prayers of the Saints. Periodically whisper these prayers into the dying person’s ears:

Into Thy hands, Lord, I commend my spirit.

O Lord Jesus Christ, receive my spirit.

(—Maybe not these: Holy Mary, pray for me.

Holy Mary, Mother of grace, Mother of mercy, do thou defend me from the enemy, and receive me at the hour of death. )

It is recommended, too, to read the 18th and 19th chapters of the Gospel according to St. John to the dying, helping him to focus on Christ.
 
Also, this is for someone more at the moment of death: I know it’s Catholic but you might print it out anyways and use it if the Spirit moves you:

“Commending the Soul to God” on this page (the prayer is too long to paste here)
fisheaters.com/dying.html
 
Would it be possible for you to simply tell your new friend, that you are a Catholic… and that you’d like to share some Catholic prayers with her? She might surprise you with a very positive response. I have several Protestant friends… who have been very curious about Catholic prayers; One of them even wanted to learn how to say the Rosary. God bless… you and her.🙂
 
Surely the ‘Glory Be’ can’t be objected to by anyone of any (trinitarian) Christian denomination? Pray a few Glory Be’s with your friend.

Reading the Psalms might be a nice idea.

Especially the seven Penitential Psalms - best known being the ‘Miserere’ (Have mercy on me, LORD - Psalm 50 or 51) and the ‘De Profundis’ (Psalm 130 or 131, begins 'Out of the depths I cry to you O LORD).

And a few others - ‘The LORD is my shepherd’ (Psalm 23/24) or Psalm 90/91 (begins ‘You who dwell in the shelter of the LORD’)
 
Why not inform your friend that, as a Catholic, you would like to recite some Catholic prayers for their comfort? Most Protestants I know are open minded about this.

If they say “yes”, the Chaplet of Divine Mercy would be perfect. It has one “Hail Mary”, but the rest should be no problem. And it traditional to recite this Chaplet in the presence of the dying
 
Our former pastor celebrated a Mass for his friend, the city’s Southern Baptist minister. This man was popular throughout the community and was supportive of many of our parish activities, always making sure to buy a ticket for Knights of Columbus dinners.
His theology did not get in the way of his Christian brotherhood.
 
Protestants tend to shy away from formula prayers, some more than others. Better to ad lib with them.
 
Thanks to all of you and as usual you have all been a tremendous help to me. She know I am Catholic in answer to one of the responses. The Psalms is a great idea and they are in my EMHC book and please pray that the Holy Spirit will guide me through this as he usually does. May God bless each of you for sharing your wisdom with me.
 
Thanks to all of you and as usual you have all been a tremendous help to me. She know I am Catholic in answer to one of the responses. The Psalms is a great idea and they are in my EMHC book and please pray that the Holy Spirit will guide me through this as he usually does. May God bless each of you for sharing your wisdom with me.
Yes, the 23rd Psalm is traditional to read to the dying, Protestants and Catholics. It’s very comforting. It’s one Bible passage that sounds better in the older language.

Listen to the 23d Psalm

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 enemes; thou annointest my headwith 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 forever.
 
Lord of the Powers be with us, for in times of distress we have no other help but You.
Lord of the Powers, have mercy on us.

Lord, Jesus Christ, Who suffered and died for our sins that we may live, if during our life we have sinned in word, deed or thought forgive us in Your goodness and love. All our hope we put in You; protect your servant (name) from all evil. We submit to Your will and into Your hands we commend our souls and bodies. For a Christian end to our lives, peaceful, without shame and suffering, and for a good account before the awesome judgment seat of Christ, we pray to you O Lord. Bless us, be merciful to us and grant us life eternal. Amen.
 
Also, from the Pieta Prayer Book
THREE VERY BEAUTIFUL PRAYERS
Code:
Which are very useful to a dying person, and should be prayed often as an   act of mercy.
There once was a Pope in Rome who was surrounded by many sins. The Lord God struck him with a fatal illness. When he saw that he was dying, he summoned Cardinals, Bishops and learned persons and said to them: “My dear friends! What comfort can you give me now that I must die, and when I deserve eternal damnation for my sins?” No one answered him. One of them, a pious curate named John, said: “Father, why do you doubt the Mercy of God?” The Pope replied: “What comfort can you give me now that I must die and fear that I’ll be damned for my sins?” John replied: “I’ll read these prayers over you; I hope you’ll be comforted and that you will obtain Mercy from God.” The Pope was unable to say more. The curate and all those present knelt and said an Our Father, then the following Prayers:
Code:
1.  Prayer
Lord Jesus Christ! Thou Son of God and Son of the Virgin Mary, God and Man, Thou who in fear sweated blood for us on the Mount of Olives in order to bring peace, and to offer Thy Most Holy Death to God Thy Heavenly Father for the salvation of this dying person…
If it be, however, that by his sins, he merits eternal damnation, then may it be deflected from him. This, O Eternal Father through Our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Dear Son, Who liveth and reigneth in union with The Holy Spirit now and forever. Amen
  1. Prayer
    Lord Jesus Christ! Thou Who meekly died on the trunk of the Cross for us, submitting Thy Will completely to Thy Heavenly Father in order to bring peace and to offer Thy Most Holy Death to Thy Heavenly Father in order to free… (this person) …and to hide from him what he has earned with his sins; grant this O Eternal Father! Through Our Lord Jesus Thy Son, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee in union with the Holy Spirit now and forever. Amen.
Code:
3.  Prayer
Lord Jesus Christ! Thou Who remained silent to speak through the mouths of the Prophets: I have drawn Thee to me through Eternal Love, which Love drew Thee from Heaven into the body of the Virgin, which Love drew Thee from the body of the Virgin into the valley of this needful world, which Love kept Thee 33 years in this world, and as a sign of Great Love, Thou hast given Thy Holy Body as True Food and Thy Holy Blood as True Drink, as a sign of Great Love, Thou hast consented to be condemned to death, and hast consented to die and to be buried and truly risen, and appeared to Thy Holy Mother and all Thy Apostles and the hearts of all who hope and believe in Thee. Through Thy Sign of Eternal Love, open Heaven today and take this dying person …and all his sins into the Realm of Thy Heavenly Father, that he may reign with Thee now and forever. Amen.

Meanwhile, the pope died. The curate persevered to the third hour, then the Pope appeared to him in body and comforting him; his countenance as brilliant as the sun, his clothes as white as snow, and he said: "My dear brother! Whereas I was supposed to be a child of damnation I’ve become a child of happiness. As you recited the first Prayer, many of my sins fell from me as rain from Heaven, and as you recited the second Prayer, I was purified, as a goldsmith purifies gold in a hot fire. I was still purified as you recited the third Prayer. Then I saw Heaven open and the Lord Jesus standing on the Right Hand of God the Father, Who said to me: “Come, all thy sins are forgiven thee, you’ll be and remain in the Realm of My Father forever. Amen!”
Code:
With these words, my soul separated from my body and the Angels of God led it to Eternal Joy.
As the curate heard this he said: “O Holy Father! I can’t tell these things to anyone, for they won’t believe me.” Then the Pope said: “Truly I tell thee, the Angel of God stands with me and has written the prayers in letters of gold for the consolement of all sinners. If a person had committed all the sins in the world, but that the three Prayers shall have been read (over him) at his end (death), all his sins will be forgiven him, even though his soul was supposed to suffer until the Last Judgement, it will be redeemed (freed).”

The person who hears them read, he won’t die an unhappy death, also in whose house they shall be read. Therefore, take these prayers and carry them into St. Peter’s Basilica and lay them in the Chapel named the Assumption of Mary, for certain consolation. The person who will be near death, who reads them or hears them read, gains 400 years indulgence for the days he was supposed to suffer in Purgatory because of his guilt. Also, who reads this Prayer or hears it read, the hour of his death shall be revealed to him. Amen!
olrl.org/pray/pieta/
 
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