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Catholic Chaplet

Chaplet of the Holy Face of Jesus

Beads: 33 beads in groups of 6 and 3; crucifix

When to pray: Tuesdays and Thursdays (traditional days of the devotion); Lent; feast of the Holy Face (Shrove Tuesday in the traditional calendar).

Revealed to Sr. Mary of St. Peter (1816-1848), Carmelite of Tours; approved by Pope Leo XIII, 1885

About this Devotion

The Chaplet of the Holy Face is rooted in the revelations received by Sister Mary of St. Peter (1816-1848), a Carmelite sister of Tours, France. Between 1844 and 1848 she reported receiving interior locutions from Our Lord asking for the establishment of a work of reparation for blasphemy and the profanation of Sunday. The instrument of this reparation was to be the Holy Face of Jesus — the face disfigured in the Passion — as an antidote to the face of blasphemy. The devotion received the personal approbation of Pope Leo XIII in 1885, who also established the Archconfraternity of the Holy Face.

The devotion is particularly linked to the Shroud of Turin and the image of Veronica's Veil. St. Therese of Lisieux, who called herself 'Therese of the Holy Face,' found in this devotion the heart of her spirituality of the 'little way.' The texts were published by the Carmelite Order and summarized by EWTN with source citations from the writings of Sr. Mary of St. Peter.

How to Pray Chaplet of the Holy Face of Jesus

You will need: 33 beads in groups of 6 and 3; crucifix

1
Begin with the Sign of the Cross. Pray the opening prayer of reparation: 'O Lord, we believe that You are truly present here. We adore You, and we offer You, through the Immaculate Heart of Mary, the sacrifice of your Holy Face in reparation for the sins committed against You.'
2
On the first large bead, pray the Our Father.
3
On the 6 small beads of the first group, pray the Golden Arrow prayer: 'May the most holy, most sacred, most adorable, most incomprehensible and unutterable Name of God be always praised, blessed, loved, adored and glorified in Heaven, on earth, and under the earth, by all the creatures of God, and by the Sacred Heart of Our Lord Jesus Christ, in the Most Holy Sacrament of the Altar. Amen.'
4
On the 3 beads of the second group, pray the Trisagion (Holy God prayer) 3 times: 'Holy God, Holy Mighty One, Holy Immortal One, have mercy on us and on the whole world.'
5
Repeat steps 2-4 through all the groups of beads, meditating on the sufferings of the Holy Face during the Passion.
6
Close with the ejaculation revealed to Sr. Mary of St. Peter: 'O Jesus, through the merits of Your Holy Face, have pity on us and on the whole world.'

Prayers Used in This Chaplet

The full texts of the prayers prayed on each bead:

The Golden Arrow (on small beads)

May the most holy, most sacred, most adorable, most incomprehensible and unutterable Name of God be always praised, blessed, loved, adored and glorified in Heaven, on earth, and under the earth, by all the creatures of God, and by the Sacred Heart of Our Lord Jesus Christ, in the Most Holy Sacrament of the Altar. Amen.

Source: https://www.ewtn.com/catholicism/devotions/the-holy-face-chaplet-380

Trisagion — Holy God (3×)

Holy God, Holy Mighty One, Holy Immortal One, have mercy on us and on the whole world.

Source: https://www.ewtn.com/catholicism/devotions/the-holy-face-chaplet-380

Closing ejaculation

O Jesus, through the merits of Your Holy Face, have pity on us and on the whole world.

Source: https://www.ewtn.com/catholicism/devotions/the-holy-face-chaplet-380

Promises & Indulgences

In the revelations to Sr. Mary of St. Peter as summarized by EWTN, Our Lord promised that souls who offer his Holy Face to the Eternal Father in reparation will receive the interior life, and that this devotion would be an antidote to the sin of blasphemy. Pope Leo XIII's 1885 approbation of the Archconfraternity of the Holy Face formally recognized the devotion's place in the Church's approved piety.

Prayers used in this chaplet: Our Father

Other Catholic Chaplets

Primary Sources