The faith of our fathers - Carmel Apologetics

"PURGATORY, ETC. 259Amid all their wanderings and vicissitudes of life,though dismembered and dispersed, like sheep without a shepherd, over the surface of the globe, thechildren of Israel have never forgotten or neglected the sacred duty of praying for their deceasedbrethren.Unwilling to make this assertion without thestrongest evidence, I procured from a Jewish convert an authorized Prayer-Book of the Hebrewchurch, from which I extract the following formulaof prayers which are prescribedfor funerals : Departed brother ! rnayest thou find open the gates ofheaven, and see the city of peace and the dwellingsof safety, and meet the ministering angels hasteningjoyfully toward thee. And may the High Prieststand to receive thee, and go thou to the end, restin peace, and rise again into life. May the reposeestablished in the celestial abode ... be the lot,dwelling, and the resting-place of the soul of ourdeceased brother (whom the spirit of the Lord mayjruide into Paradise) who departed from this world,according to the will of God, the Lord of heavenand earth. May the supreme King of Kings,through His infinite mercy, hide him under theshadow of His wings. May He raise him at theend of his days, and cause him to drink of thestream of His delights."lI am happy to say that the more advanced andJewish Prayer-Book.by Siote & Mooney, Philadelphia.Edited by Isaac Leeser, published