All Souls' Day: Prayers and Simple Ways to Remember Someone (Nov 2)

The short answer: All Souls' Day is November 2 — in 2026, a Monday. It is the day many Christians, Catholics above all, pray for everyone who has died, and especially for their own family. The simplest way to mark it: write your loved one's name in your parish's book or envelope of the dead before the day, go to Mass if you can, say the short prayer "Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord," and, if you are near, visit the grave and light a candle. If you are not religious, the day still works as a set time each year to remember someone out loud.

If this is the first November since a death, the day can arrive harder than expected. It is fine to keep it small.

What All Souls' Day Is

The day before, November 1, is All Saints' Day, for the saints in heaven. November 2 is for everyone else who has died — ordinary people, the ones we knew. Its formal Catholic name is the Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed. The Church of England and other Anglican churches keep it under the same name, and many Lutheran and Methodist churches remember the year's dead on the Sunday nearest All Saints' Day instead.

In Catholic tradition the whole month of November is set aside for praying for the dead, so if you miss November 2 itself, you have not missed it.

Having Their Name Remembered at Mass

Most parishes collect names in the weeks before. Look for:

• A Book of the Dead or Book of Remembrance, often near the entrance or the altar, where families write the names of those who died. It usually stays out all November.
• All Souls envelopes, handed out or left in the pews in late October. You write the names on the envelope and return it; the names are remembered at the Masses that month. An offering is often included, but it is not required.
• A reading of names: some parishes read aloud the names of everyone from the parish who died in the past year, sometimes with a candle lit for each. If your person died this year, call the parish office and check they are on the list.

You do not need to be a regular at the parish to do any of this. If the person who died belonged to a different parish, you can ask that parish, or your own.

For wording if your parish has a written book, see Book of Remembrance examples.

Prayers for All Souls' Day

Eternal Rest — the shortest and most widely used prayer for the dead:

Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon them. May they rest in peace. Amen.

For one person, say "him" or "her" instead of "them," and you can add their name: "Eternal rest grant unto Maria, O Lord…"

Psalm 130 (the De Profundis), traditionally prayed for the dead, begins:

Out of the depths I cry to you, O Lord; Lord, hear my voice.

The Prayer of St. Gertrude, popular in Catholic families:

Eternal Father, I offer Thee the Most Precious Blood of Thy Divine Son, Jesus, in union with the Masses said throughout the world today, for all the holy souls in purgatory, for sinners everywhere, for sinners in the universal Church, those in my own home and within my family. Amen.

A simple family prayer, if you would rather use your own words:

God of all comfort, today we remember [name]. Thank you for the years we had. Hold them in your peace, and hold us in ours. Amen.

Visiting the Grave

November 2 is one of the busiest days of the year in cemeteries in much of the Catholic world. Families clean the headstone, pull weeds, bring flowers — often chrysanthemums — and light candles.

In Catholic practice there is also an indulgence attached to the season: praying for the dead while visiting a cemetery on any day from November 1 to 8, under the usual conditions (confession, Communion and prayer for the Pope's intentions). If that matters to your family, your parish can explain it.

If you have not been to the grave since the funeral, visiting a grave has practical advice on what to bring and what to do once you are there.

How Other Traditions Mark the Same Days

Several of the best-known customs around the dead fall on November 1 and 2:

• Mexico — Día de Muertos. Families build home altars (ofrendas) with photos, marigolds, candles and the person's favourite food and drink, and many spend the night at the cemetery.
• The Philippines — Undas. Families travel home to visit graves together, often bringing food and staying for hours.
• Poland — Zaduszki. Cemeteries fill with thousands of small glass candles left on graves.
• Ireland and parts of Europe. A candle is left burning in the window, and families visit and tidy graves on the days around All Souls.

If your family comes from one of these traditions, you may already know what to do. If you married into it, ask. People are usually glad to be asked.

Ways to Remember Someone at Home

You do not have to go to church to mark the day. Some families:

• Light a candle at dinner and say the person's name before eating.
• Set out their photo with one thing that was theirs — a watch, a cup, a pair of glasses.
• Cook one of their recipes.
• Write to them. A short letter, kept or burned. Writing a letter to someone who died has prompts if you are stuck.
• Call someone who also misses them, and tell one story you have not told before.

If you cannot be at the grave, an online memorial gives the wider family somewhere to go. On GetMemorial, relatives in other cities can light a virtual candle and leave a message on the same day.

The First All Souls' Day After a Death

The first one often comes only weeks or months after the funeral, and the parish reading of names can catch people off guard. A few things that help:

• Tell someone you are going so you are not alone when the name is read.
• Sit near the back or near an aisle in case you need to step out.
• Plan something small afterwards — coffee, a walk — so the day has an end.

Then November gives way to the rest of the holiday season. If that is coming next, the first holiday without them and grief at Christmas are written for exactly that. For Catholic families who also mark the month's mind, see month's mind Mass.

Quick Answers

What date is All Souls' Day in 2026? Monday, November 2. All Saints' Day is Sunday, November 1.

Is All Souls' Day a holy day of obligation? No. Catholics are not required to attend Mass on November 2, though many do.

Can you pray for someone who was not Catholic? Yes. All Souls' Day is for all the dead, and you can name anyone in your prayers or in the parish book.

What do you say to someone on All Souls' Day? Something simple: "I'm thinking of you and of [name] today." Using the person's name matters more than the exact words.

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Light a candle on November 2, and every day you think of them. GetMemorial gives your family one place to keep photos, stories and tributes. Start an online memorial when you are ready.