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Catholic Chaplet

The Chaplet of Divine Mercy

Beads: Ordinary Rosary beads (5 decades of 10 + 6 large beads + crucifix)

When to pray: Especially at 3 PM (the Hour of Mercy); during the Divine Mercy Novena (Good Friday through Divine Mercy Sunday); any time a soul seeks mercy.

Revealed to St. Faustina Kowalska, 1935; approbated by the Church

About this Devotion

The Chaplet of Divine Mercy originated in the revelations given to St. Faustina Kowalska, a Polish religious sister of the Congregation of Our Lady of Mercy, in 1935. According to her Diary (paragraph 476), Jesus himself dictated the chaplet prayers to her and attached extraordinary promises to those who pray it faithfully, especially at the three o'clock Hour of Mercy. The full text of her Diary, together with the chaplet, was approved for publication by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith and later commended by St. John Paul II at the canonization of St. Faustina on April 30, 2000.

The chaplet is prayed on ordinary Rosary beads. Its central petition — offering the Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity of Jesus to the Father in atonement for sin — makes it a profound act of Eucharistic intercession. The Marians of the Immaculate Conception, designated by St. John Paul II as official promoters of the Divine Mercy devotion, describe it as an act of mercy itself, since the faithful intercede not only for themselves but for the whole world.

How to Pray The Chaplet of Divine Mercy

You will need: Ordinary Rosary beads (5 decades of 10 + 6 large beads + crucifix)

1
On the crucifix, make the Sign of the Cross and then pray the optional opening prayer: 'You expired, Jesus, but the source of life gushed forth for souls, and the ocean of mercy opened up for the whole world. O Fount of Life, unfathomable Divine Mercy, envelop the whole world and empty Yourself out upon us.'
2
On the first large bead (Our Father bead), pray the Our Father once.
3
On the second large bead, pray the Hail Mary once.
4
On the third large bead, pray the Apostles' Creed.
5
On each of the 5 large beads (one per decade), pray the Eternal Father prayer: 'Eternal Father, I offer You the Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity of Your dearly beloved Son, Our Lord Jesus Christ, in atonement for our sins and those of the whole world.'
6
On each of the 10 small beads of each decade, pray: 'For the sake of His sorrowful Passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world.' Repeat for all 5 decades.
7
After the 5 decades, pray the concluding Holy God prayer three times: 'Holy God, Holy Mighty One, Holy Immortal One, have mercy on us and on the whole world.'
8
Close with the optional concluding prayer: 'Eternal God, in whom mercy is endless and the treasury of compassion inexhaustible, look kindly upon us and increase Your mercy in us, that in difficult moments we might not despair nor become despondent, but with great confidence submit ourselves to Your holy will, which is Love and Mercy itself.'

Prayers Used in This Chaplet

The full texts of the prayers prayed on each bead:

Opening prayer (optional)

You expired, Jesus, but the source of life gushed forth for souls, and the ocean of mercy opened up for the whole world. O Fount of Life, unfathomable Divine Mercy, envelop the whole world and empty Yourself out upon us.

Source: https://www.ewtn.com/catholicism/devotions/chaplet-of-divine-mercy-364

On each large bead — Eternal Father

Eternal Father, I offer You the Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity of Your dearly beloved Son, Our Lord Jesus Christ, in atonement for our sins and those of the whole world.

Source: https://www.ewtn.com/catholicism/devotions/chaplet-of-divine-mercy-364

On each small bead (10×) — Sorrowful Passion

For the sake of His sorrowful Passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world.

Source: https://www.ewtn.com/catholicism/devotions/chaplet-of-divine-mercy-364

Concluding prayer (3×) — Holy God

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

Source: https://www.ewtn.com/catholicism/devotions/chaplet-of-divine-mercy-364

Promises & Indulgences

According to St. Faustina's Diary, Jesus promised those who pray the chaplet: 'Through this chaplet, you will obtain everything, if what you ask for is compatible with My will' (Diary, 1731); and 'Whoever will recite it will receive great mercy at the hour of death' (Diary, 687). These promises are referenced in the approved devotional literature published by the Marians of the Immaculate Conception and cited in EWTN's presentation of the devotion.

Prayers used in this chaplet: Our Father · Hail Mary · Apostles Creed

Other Catholic Chaplets

Primary Sources