The commemoration of living and departed souls at the Divine Liturgy is a great spiritual benefit to those we love. In addition to submitting our regular list of family and friends, it is important for us to remember those with special needs and illnesses, as well as those who have recently died - and to make sure to give their names to the priest to pray for them before each Liturgy.

In Orthodox parishes, the faithful complete and submit a Proskimedia List - a list of names for the Prayers of the Service of Preparation (Proskimedie in Greek), served by the priest just prior to each Liturgy. The following rules of thumb should be followed when preparing such a list:
• A separate list is prepared for the living and the departed;
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• Separate sections are given for Orthodox and non-Orthodox individuals, to allow the priest to commemorate the Orthodox with a particle of the prosphora bread on the diskos (non-Orthodox can be prayed for separately from the Proskimedia);
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• For the list, one should use appropriate titles (Bishop, Priest, Abbot, Archimandrite, Nun), and avoid "Father" or "Mother";
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• Avoid the use of surnames, using only the Baptismal Name of each individual listed;• Avoid unnecessary terms and titles (Dad, Mom, Child, etc.)
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• Print clearly (i.e. do not use handwriting): the priest has to read the names in order to remember them in prayers, along with hundreds of others. This is not possible if they are not legible.