Praying to deceased family members?

[Kyle2253]

I don’t know if this is in the correct category so I apologize if it’s not.

I’m wondering what the Church teaches about praying to and asking deceased relatives for their intercession? Would this be similar to praying to the saints or is this against church teachings?

This is just something that popped into my head while attending my great grandpa’s funeral today.

Thank you and God bless!

 

[JanR]

Of course we can! If the canonized saints can intercede for us, and if our deceased loved ones are in heaven, they are also saints even if not officially canonized, so they can intercede, too.

God permitting, of course.

 

[Tis_Bearself]

You are free to privately ask for the intercession of any deceased person whom you reasonably believe is in Heaven.
This could be a Servant of God who is not yet canonized, it could be some non-Catholic who lived a generally good life such as Billy Graham, or it could be your deceased great-grandpa.

I frequently ask my deceased loved ones, including spouse, parents, other relatives and friends, to pray for me.

It is a nice thing also to remember to pray for the soul of the deceased person, just in case they are in Purgatory and in need of prayers. If you pray for a soul in Purgatory, then that soul will certainly return the favor by praying for you as soon as they are able to do so. (Some theologians believe they can pray for us from Purgatory, others believe they must make it to Heaven first, but since they are outside earthly time, God can apply their prayers to us whenever they are made.) If the person is a Servant of God or a Venerable on the path to sainthood, you can also pray for their sainthood cause.

 

[Anesti33]

Yes, it is exactly like praying to the saints. In fact, this is how saints are canonized. Every saint with approved miracles was the object of intercessory prayer for that miracle. A bona fide miracle by the intercession of your grandpa may not go to the Holy See for approval, but it still might be personal evidence for you that he is in Heaven, answering your prayers.