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- Prayers for Myasopustnaya Parental Saturday – 2026: what to read in church and at home
Prayers for Myasopustnaya Parental Saturday – 2026: what to read in church and at home
Myasopustnaya Ecumenical Parental Saturday is one of the main memorial days of the Orthodox calendar. In 2026, this day falls on February 14th. On this date, believers around the world offer special prayers not only for their loved ones of the deceased, but also for all Orthodox Christians who have ever lived on earth. Izvestia tells us more about which prayers to read in the temple and at home.
Why pray for the dead on Parental Sabbath?
In the Orthodox tradition, the human soul does not die with the body. After her death, she continues to exist in another dimension, needing the prayerful support of the living. The deceased himself is no longer able to pray to God for the remission of sins, so this role is assumed by relatives and the church. Parental Saturdays are established precisely for this purpose: every Saturday, according to the church charter, it is necessary to commemorate the dead, but on special memorial days prayers acquire an ecumenical character. Myasopustnaya Saturday, celebrated two days before Maslenitsa, opens a series of such days a year, reminding of the coming Last Judgment and the need to take care of the souls of all the deceased.
Divine services and prayers on Parents' Saturday
Solemn divine services begin on Friday evening in all Orthodox churches. The great memorial service, called the Parastas, lasts for several hours. The priests read out the names of the deceased from the submitted notes, uttering special petitions for the Kingdom of Heaven.
The next morning, on Myasopust Saturday itself, the funeral Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom is celebrated, followed by a general memorial service for all Orthodox Christians. Believers place candles on special memorial tables — Eve and leave lenten offerings — bread, cereals, butter, fruits.
If visiting the temple is not possible, the commemoration can be held at home. The priests emphasize that the main thing in prayer is the sincerity of the heart, not the external form or the number of words. You can light a lamp or candle and say short petitions that the church recommends for everyday reading. One of the simplest and most effective prayers is as follows:
"Rest, O Lord, the soul of Your departed servant (name). Forgive him all his sins, voluntary and involuntary, and grant him the Kingdom of God!"
It is repeated three times, remembering the good deeds of the deceased. A more detailed formula covers all loved ones:
"May God rest the souls of Your departed servants, my parents, relatives, benefactors (names) and all Orthodox Christians, and forgive them all their sins, voluntary and involuntary, and grant them the Kingdom of Heaven."
There is also a more detailed prayer that can be read both at home and in the temple.:
"Lord our God, let us remember the departed servant of the earth (name), who gave his soul to heaven. Forgive him for all the sinful deeds that he committed, for we repent and ask You, O God, for Your mercy in our prayers for his soul. Grant him deliverance from suffering and torment, grant him a better life. Don't let him go from you, may his soul be with You forever. May his soul be illuminated by the light of heaven. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Forever and ever. Amen to that."
For those who want to pray for specific relatives, there are rituals — special prayer texts.
The children's prayer for their deceased parents is as follows:
"O God, who accepted the sacrifice of Abraham and looked upon the burnt offering, who made it possible for Anna the prophetess to give birth to Samuel, accept kind parents, father and mother, remember, O Lord, what my mother did long ago: remember, O Lord, upbringing, remember, O Lord, tears, remember, O Lord, groaning, remember, O Lord, how they did not want to separate with me, and now they have parted from me in this world. But for their feeding and upbringing, and for their tears and lamentation, and for their separation from me, grant them eternal joy. Do not call them, O Lord, from torment to torment, from sorrow to sorrow, from suffering to suffering. But for the sacrifice of being born and brought to You, O Lord, make me worthy of them, Your unworthy servant (name) of the Kingdom of heaven. That Your venerable and majestic name, of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, may be blessed and glorified, now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen to that."
This prayer is said standing up, with a clear recollection of the parents' care.
A widow who has lost her spouse can turn to Jesus Christ like this:
"O Christ Jesus, Lord and Almighty! You are the consolation of the weeping, the intercession of the brave and widows. You have recited: call upon me in the day of your tribulation, and I will take you away. In the days of my tribulation, I run to You and pray to You: do not turn Your face away from me and hear my supplication, which is offered to You with tears. O Lord, Master of all, You have blessed me to be united with one of Your servants, so that we may have one body and one spirit; You have given me this slave, as a companion and protector. By Your good and wise will, be pleased to separate Your servant from me and leave me alone. Bow down to Your will, and I will run to You in the days of my tribulation: assuage my sorrow at separation from Your servant, my friend. If you have taken him away from me, do not take Your mercy away from me. Just as I once accepted two mites from a widow, so accept this prayer of mine. Remember, O Lord, the soul of Your departed servant, forgive him all his sins, voluntary and involuntary, whether in word, deed, knowledge or ignorance, do not destroy him with his iniquities and do not commit eternal torment, but by Your great mercy and the multitude of Your generosity weaken and forgive all sins. him and bind him with Your saints, for there is no sickness, no sorrow, no sighing, but an endless life. I pray and ask You, Lord, grant that all the days of my life I will not cease to pray for Your departed servant, and even before my departure, I will ask You, the Judge of the whole world, for the forgiveness of all his sins and his dwelling in the heavenly abodes that you have prepared for those who love You. For if you sin, do not depart from You, and unceasingly confess the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit Orthodox, even to your last breath; in the same way, his faith in You is imputed to him instead of works: for there is no man who lives and does not sin, You are One besides sin, and the truth is Yours is the truth forever. I believe, O Lord, and I confess that You will hear my supplication and not turn Your face away from me. When I saw the widow, I wept, and had mercy on her son, who was carried to the burial, you raised him up: so, have mercy, and calm my sorrow. For thou hast opened the doors of thy mercy to Thy servant Theophilus, who came to thee, and hast forgiven him his transgressions through the prayers of thy holy Church, hearkening to the prayers and alms of his wife: I beseech Thee, accept also my supplication for thy servant, and lead him into eternal life. For You are our hope, You are God, Who has mercy and salvation, and to You we ascribe glory, together with the Father and the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto the ages of ages. Amen to that."
A widower can recite this prayer on Parental Saturday:
"O Christ Jesus, Lord and Almighty! In the contrition and contrition of my heart, I pray to You: rest, O Lord, the soul of Your departed servant (name) in Your heavenly kingdom. O Lord Almighty! You were pleased with the marital union of husband and wife, when you said: it is not good for a single person, let us create a helper for him. You have sanctified this union in the image of the spiritual union of Christ with the Church. I believe, O Lord, and I confess that You have blessed me to join this holy union with one of Your female servants. By Thy good and wise will, be pleased to take away from me this Thy servant, whom thou hast given me, as a helper and companion of my life. I bow down before Your will, and I pray to You with all my heart, accept this prayer of mine for Your servant (name), and forgive her if you sin in word, deed, thought, knowledge, and ignorance; if you love earthly things more than heavenly; if you take care of clothing and adornment of your body more than enlightenment the garments of your soul; or if you neglect your children; if you rebuke someone in word or deed; if you murmur in your heart against your neighbor or condemn someone or something that you have done evil from such. Forgive her all this, for you are kind and humane.: For there is no man who lives and does not sin. Do not enter into judgment with Your servant, as Your creation, do not condemn her to eternal torment by her sin, but spare and have mercy according to Your great mercy. I pray and ask You, O Lord of Hosts, grant me, for all the days of my life, not to cease to pray for Your departed servant, and even before the end of my life, to ask her of You, the Judge of the whole world, for the remission of her sins. May You, O God, place on her head a crown of precious stone, crowning her on earth; so crown her with Your eternal glory in Your heavenly kingdom, with all the saints rejoicing there, so that together with them Your All-holy Name may eternally sing praises with the Father and the Holy Spirit. Amen to that."
Parents who have lost their children can recite the following prayer:
"Lord Jesus Christ, our God, Lord of life and death, Comforter of the sorrowful! With a contrite and tender heart, I run to You and pray to You: remember. O Lord, in Thy kingdom is Thy departed servant (thy servant), my child (name), and grant him (her) eternal memory. You, Lord of life and death, have given me this child. By Your good and wise will, be pleased and take it away from me. Blessed be Thy name, O Lord. I pray to You, Judge of heaven and earth, by Your infinite love for us sinners, forgive my departed child all his sins, voluntary and involuntary, in word, deed, knowledge and ignorance. Forgive, O Merciful One, our parental transgressions, so that they may not be upon our children: we have sinned against You in abundance, have not observed You in abundance, have not done what you commanded us. But if our departed child, for our own sake or his own, lives in this life, working for the world and his flesh, and no less for You, your Lord and God: if you love the delights of this world, and no less for Your Word and Your commandments, if you give yourself up to the pleasures of everyday life, and no less for the contrition of your sins and in intemperance, I commit vigil, fasting and prayer to oblivion — I fervently pray You, Most gracious Father, forgive my child all such transgressions, forgive and weaken, if you do any evil in this life. Jesus Christ! You have raised up the daughter of Jairus through the faith and prayer of her father. Thou didst heal the daughter of a Canaanite wife by faith and at the request of her mother: therefore hear my prayer, and do not despise my supplication for my child. Forgive, O Lord, forgive all his transgressions, and having forgiven and cleansed his soul, take away the eternal torments and lead with all Your saints who have pleased You from time immemorial, so that there may be no sickness, no sorrow, no sighing, but an endless life.: For there is no man who lives and does not sin, but You are One besides all sin: that when you judge the world, my child may hear Your exalted voice: Come, you blessed of my Father, and inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the end of the world. For You are the Father of mercies and bounties. You are our life and resurrection, and to You we ascribe glory, together with the Father and the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto the ages of ages. Amen to that."
In addition to personal prayers, believers order church memorial services. A note for the proskomedia is submitted in advance with the clear names of the baptized deceased in the genitive case — "about the servant of God John." Notes are not accepted in the temple for unbaptized and suicidal people, but it is not forbidden to pray in one's own words at home with the blessing of the confessor.
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