Prayer for the Grieving
For the one who is left — for the empty chair, the quiet house, and the days that must somehow still be lived.
This prayer is not for the one who has died. It is for you, who loved them and remain. Grief has no deadline, and this shrine will not give it one. But some days of grief are urgent — the day of the funeral, the first day back at work, the day the house is silent again — and Saint Expedite is prayed to for the urgent day. Pray slowly. There is no need to be strong first.
The Prayer
Say the name of the one you have lost where the prayer leaves room for it:
Prayer to Saint Expedite for the Grieving
Saint Expedite, I come to you carrying a grief I did not choose. (Say their name) is gone, and the world asks me to keep moving as if nothing has changed. Everything has changed.
I do not ask you to take this love away — it is all I have left of them. I ask for strength for today. Just today. Help me do the next thing: to eat, to sleep, to answer the phone, to get through the hours that feel impossible. When the wave comes, stand with me until it passes. When I cannot pray, let this candle and this silence be my prayer.
Keep their memory gentle in me — more gratitude than bitterness, more love than regret. And on the days when I feel I cannot go on, remind me that going on does not mean leaving them behind. Saint Expedite, be swift to help me today, in my loss. Hodie. Amen.
Then Pray the Classic Prayer
Prayer to Saint Expedite for Urgent Help
Saint Expedite, you lay in rest.
I come to you and ask that this wish be granted.
(Here, clearly express what you want, and ask him to find a way to get it to you.)
Expedite now what I ask of you.
Expedite now what I want of you, this very second.
Don’t waste another day.
Grant me what I ask for.
I know your power, I know you because of your work.
I know you can help me.
Do this for me and I will spread your name with love and honor
so that it will be invoked again and again.
Expedite this wish with speed, love, honor, and goodness.
Glory to you, Saint Expedite!
Light a Candle in Their Memory
Light a free virtual candle in the shrine’s chapel — for them, and for yourself: a small light that says their name is still spoken here, and that you are not carrying this day alone.
Light a free candle for your most urgent need. And think of someone in your family, or in your circle, who could use a candle too — and light one for them as well.
In November, the shrine keeps a Book of Remembrance where the names of the departed are inscribed and prayed for — you are welcome to add their name there when the month comes. And if grief ever feels like more than you can carry alone, please reach out to someone you trust, or to a grief counselor or support line in your country — asking for help is also a way of going on.
More prayers are on the prayers page, including a prayer for healing and a novena for the sick for the illnesses that so often come before a loss.