Upon Visiting A Grave

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When you visit a person’s grave -

Do you say prayers for the person …

Or do you more just think of the person…

Does our Catechism say anything upon visiting ?

Some older people ask - that you NOT visit their grave ( when alive)

What’s your take…any thoughts, in general…
 
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I doubt the catechism has anything specific to say on it- but every time I pass a cemetery, I pray for all of the people buried there.
 
I always pray in cemeteries–for all there. I also pray while reading the daily obits in the paper. It is a pious and efficacious Catholic custom to pray for the dead. I say the “Eternal rest grant unto them O God,…”
 
When driving by a grave yard I make a sign of the cross and pray a glory be. If visiting a grave I pray for their repose and maybe three Hail Marys
 
Eternal rest grant unto N., O Lord. And let perpetual light shine upon him/her.
May he/she rest in peace. Amen.
And may his/her soul, and souls of all the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen.
 
I didn’t visit my dad’s grave for 25 years because I didn’t want to be reminded he was dead and also I knew he wasn’t “in” the grave, so there didn’t seem to be much point.

Now that mom is in there with him, and I have taken up praying for the dead every day, I try to go more often. It’s still hard when it’s their graves. I am also going to have to get used to seeing husband’s grave. My other deceased loved one was cremated by his family and I do not know if he was interred anywhere, but I doubt it as Find a Grave has nothing. The situation between me and his family was such that I could not ask and I was a mess anyway.

I pray for these folks and many others all the time without needing to be near their graves. When at their grave I would say a prayer and then just talk to them or stand there or sit, but like I said I don’t think of them as being in the grave, it’s just their empty shells down there.

I do go to cemeteries to pray during the November days when you can earn a plenary for it, and I pray when passing a cemetery at other times, usually the Eternal Rest prayer.
 
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Curious. I always make the sign of the cross around non-Catholic churches and pray for their conversion. Considering the state of the Church today, I guess I should be doing it for us as well.
 
I remember a girlfriend of mine - brought me to her parents grave -
I thought it was quite the honor for her to do so.

She told me a story - how her dad appeared from behind a tree -
she pointed to a near by tree - (about 60 feet away from the family grave -)
and - she said - that he told her - to stop coming there -
(she used to walk her dog in there, daily, for exorcise - etc -)

And I believed her.
Looking over at the tree…I had no doubts…
 
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