To thee, the everlasting Father, before whom stand the spirits of the living and the dead, we offer hearty thanks for all fair and noble memories; for all who have witnessed a good confession for the faith; for all who have laid down life for their friends; for all the unknown dead whose forgotten labors have made earth better for their presence; humbly beseeching thee that we may live worthily as becometh those who are bought with a great price; that, being sanctified by their influence through all our earthly days, we may greet them in the land of the living with faces unashamed, and souls triumphant in the God of our salvation; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Also attributed to: Unknown
The point
A memorial prayer of thanks for the faithful witness and sacrifice of those who have gone before.