Joseph Ralph's Inspired Dying Prayer
Published October 13, 2026 at 6:11 AM
Contributed by
Millennial Star Research
Joseph Ralph, an early convert to the Church in South Africa, gathered his family for their final morning devotion. He prayed fervently for the ongoing progress of the Latter-day work and the preservation of his children in the Gospel. His voice failed him exactly as he completed the 'Amen,' and he passed away shortly after.
In Their Own Words
“One family told me how their father died. He always read a chapter from the Bible or Book of Mormon before beginning the daily work, and had prayer and sang a hymn. The morning of his death they sang “How firm a foundation,” read the usual chapter and knelt in prayer. He prayed that the Latter-day work should roll on until it filled the whole earth. He prayed for Africa, its people, and his children. He commended them to the Lord, and asked that they might be preserved in the Gospel. His voice failed as he said ‘Amen.’ They put him on his bed, and in a few moments he passed away.”
— Warren H. Lyon, Millennial Star 67:38
Sources & References
The Latter-day Saints' Millennial Star (Manchester, later Liverpool, England, May 1840–1970), 21 September 1905 (Vol. 67, No. 38). https://archive.org/details/per_utah-and-the-mormons_the-latter-day-saints-millennial-star_1905-09-21_67_38 (account extracted verbatim from the issue's Internet Archive OCR text; research confidence: high) Full first-person account: The Latter-day Saints' Millennial Star, Vol. 67, No. 38, September 21, 1905, p. 602 https://archive.org/details/per_utah-and-the-mormons_the-latter-day-saints-millennial-star_1905-09-21_67_38
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