A reading from Ecclesiasticus with the remembrance of the dead

Lector: Let us now sing the praises of famous men and women, our ancestors in their generations. God apportioned to them great glory, and majesty from the beginning. Some were rulers, and made a name for themselves by their valor:

Congregation: Alfred the Great ~ Elizabeth of Hungary ~ George Washington ~ Abraham Lincoln ~ Emma and Kamehameha

Lector: Some led the people by good council, by their knowledge of the people's lore, by their wise words of instruction:

Congregation: Mother Teresa ~ Benedict of Nursia ~ William Wilberforce ~ Oscar Romero ~ Evelyn Underhill

Lector: Some spoke in prophetic oracles:

Congregation: Julian of Norwich ~ Martin Luther King, Jr. ~ Sojourner Truth ~ Mahatma Ghandi

Lector: Some composed musical tunes or put verses in writing:

Congregation: Hildegard of Bingen ~ James Weldon Johnson ~ George Herbert ~ Walt Whitman ~ Charles & John Wesley ~ Madeline L'engle

Lector: All these were honored in their generation, and were the glory of their times. There are some of them who have left a name, so that we all declare their praise. And there are some who have left no memorial, who have perished as though they had not lived.

A brief silence is observed. The people remember their own beloved departed, silently or aloud.

Lector: And there were people of mercy, whose righteous deeds have not been forgotten. Their prosperity will remain with us, and with their descendants, and the inheritance of their good lives will trickle down to their children's children. Their followers stand by the covenant with God, as do their children, also, for their sake.

Here are read the names of all who have died in the past year.

Lector: Their posterity will continue forever, and their glory will not be blotted out. Their bodies were buried in peace and their names live to all generations. Peoples will declare their wisdom, and the congregation will proclaim their praise.

Congregation: Amen.

Lector: Here ends the reading.