Do you not know that your body is a temple…and that you are not your own?…Therefore glorify God in your body.
—1 Corinthians 6:19-20
Befriend the dead.
Those who die in Christ shall never die, but live forever. Pray for the souls of the deceased, even and especially those who have no confidence in Christ. Such souls need the supplication of our prayers. Befriend the saints, especially your patron, and petition them to assist you in this endeavor. Always keep in your intentions those in most need of mercy, those in purgatory, those we expect to be damned, and those who have no one to pray for them.
Help pay for burials.
Burying a loved one is always a frightful and difficult thing to do, and is often financially burdensome. If you know of deaths in the community, offer financial assistance to neighbors, family members, or fellow parishioners who have lost loved ones. Get in touch with local funeral homes and establish a connection between them and your parish for the purpose of aiding their poorer clients pay the bill. If you, your family, or your friends own a funeral service or related establishment, create a business charity for this purpose. If you are employed by such an establishment, urge them to do likewise.
Send cards.
Find out about recent deaths in your community, whether you ask your parish office or read the obituaries. Send cards to the families with your condolences, and perhaps monetary aid or some gifts to help alleviate the circumstances. Pray for the repose of the souls who have died, and for their families.
Visit cemeteries.
Take some time to visit a cemetery. Pray for those you have lost. Pray for those laid to rest there. Pray for those in purgatory. Contemplate death, the meaning of your existence, the afterlife, and our hope in the Resurrection. It is especially good to visit protestant and non-christian cemeteries, as their traditions often do not pray for the dead. Do so charitably in the place of their own communities.
Gain Indulgences
Do works and say prayers with indulgences attached and offer them up to the souls in purgatory, especially those who have no one to pray for them. Learn more about indulgences. Do so in your parish, your family, or your other communities.
Plan ahead.
Spend time planning your own funeral mass, read through the Order of Christian Funerals, and find hope in the Resurrection. Practice Memento Mori, the constant remembrance of death, that you will be prepared to offer an account of your life when it comes.