A Requiem Mass is a Mass offered for the dead, above all the funeral Mass; it takes its name from the first word of its opening chant, “Requiem aeternam dona eis, Domine,” “Eternal rest give to them, O Lord.” In the traditional Latin form it has its own chants and customs: black vestments, no Gloria or Creed, the great sequence Dies Irae, and, after Mass, the Libera me sung at the coffin and In Paradisum as the body is carried out. Below are the meaning of the Requiem Mass, its parts with their texts from a 1916 missal, how it differs from today’s funeral Mass, and the famous musical Requiems.
Requiem aeternam: the Introit
The Mass begins with the entrance chant from which it takes its name. In Latin:
Réquiem ætérnam dona eis, Dómine,
et lux perpétua lúceat eis.
Requiéscant in pace. Amen.
In English, with the verse of Psalm 64 (65), from a 1916 missal:
Eternal rest give to them, O Lord; and let perpetual light shine upon them. Psalm 64. Praise becometh thee, O God, in Sion; and unto thee shall the vow be performed in Jerusalem. Hear my prayer; unto thee shall all flesh come.
Eternal rest give to them, O Lord; and let perpetual light shine upon them.
The parts of the traditional Requiem Mass
| Part | Text | What it says |
|---|---|---|
| Introit | Requiem aeternam | “Eternal rest give to them, O Lord” |
| Kyrie | Kyrie eleison | “Lord, have mercy” |
| Collect | for the dead | prayer for the soul of the departed |
| Epistle | 1 Thessalonians 4, 1 Corinthians 15, 2 Machabees 12 or Apocalypse 14 | the hope of the resurrection |
| Gradual and Tract | Requiem aeternam; Absolve, Domine | “Absolve, O Lord, the souls of all the faithful departed” |
| Sequence | Dies Irae | the Day of Judgment and a plea for mercy |
| Gospel | John 5, 6 or 11 | “I am the resurrection and the life” |
| Offertory | Domine Jesu Christe | “deliver the souls of all the faithful departed” |
| Agnus Dei | dona eis requiem | “grant them rest” instead of “have mercy on us” |
| Communion | Lux aeterna | “May light eternal shine upon them” |
| Dismissal | Requiescant in pace | “May they rest in peace” |
| Absolution | Libera me, Domine | sung at the coffin |
| Procession | In Paradisum | “May the angels lead you into paradise” |
The Dies Irae
The 13th-century sequence “Day of wrath” was sung after the Tract. Its first verses in the translation of William J. Irons (1849):
Day of wrath! O day of mourning!
See fulfilled the prophets’ warning,
Heaven and earth in ashes burning!
See the full Latin and English text of the Dies Irae.
The Offertory: Domine Jesu Christe
O Lord Jesus Christ, King of glory, deliver the souls of all the faithful departed from the pains of hell and from the deep pit: deliver them from the mouth of the lion, that hell may not swallow them up, and they may not fall into darkness; but may the holy standard-bearer Michael introduce them to the holy light; which thou didst promise of old to Abraham and to his seed. We offer to thee, O Lord, sacrifices and prayers: do thou receive them in behalf of those souls whom we commemorate this day. Grant them, O Lord, to pass from death to that life which thou didst promise of old to Abraham and to his seed.
The Communion: Lux aeterna
May light eternal shine upon them, O Lord: With thy Saints for ever, because thou art merciful. Eternal rest give to them, O Lord: and let perpetual light shine upon them.
The Requiem Mass today
Since the liturgical reform after the Second Vatican Council, the funeral Mass in the ordinary form is usually called the Mass of Christian Burial or the Funeral Mass. Its tone is one of Easter hope: the priest wears white, violet or black; the Paschal candle stands by the coffin; the Dies Irae is no longer part of the Mass; and the rite ends with the Final Commendation, at which In Paradisum may still be sung. The traditional Requiem Mass is still celebrated where the older Latin form is offered. Both pray for the soul of the departed and proclaim the resurrection. See the Catholic funeral Mass order.
Famous musical Requiems
Many composers set the texts of the Requiem Mass to music, among them Tomás Luis de Victoria (1605), Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1791, left unfinished at his death), Hector Berlioz (1837), Giuseppe Verdi (1874), Gabriel Fauré (1888–1900) and Maurice Duruflé (1947). Fauré and Duruflé end with In Paradisum. Brahms’s A German Requiem uses Bible texts in German instead of the liturgy.
Frequently asked questions
What is a Requiem Mass?
A Mass offered for the dead, especially a funeral Mass, named after its opening words Requiem aeternam.
Can a Requiem Mass be offered on the anniversary of a death?
Yes. Masses for the dead may be offered on the anniversary, on All Souls’ Day and at other times. See Mass intentions.
What does “requiem” mean?
It is Latin for “rest.”
More for funerals
- Catholic funeral Mass order
- Catholic funeral hymns
- Catholic funeral readings
- Prayers of the faithful for a funeral Mass
- Dies Irae
- All Souls’ Day
Texts and sources
- Introit, Offertory and Communion: The Mass Every Day of the Year (1916), Mass for the Dead, public domain (archive.org).
- Dies Irae, trans. William J. Irons (1849), public domain.