I didn’t grow up knowing anything about the Divine Mercy Chaplet. In fact, I didn’t pray the Chaplet until I was well into adulthood. And what I quickly discovered is that powerful prayers can be short and simple.
The Divine Mercy Chaplet is prayed on traditional Rosary beads. If you have a Rosary—or ten fingers—you can easily pray this seven-minute prayer.
There is incredible grace and mercy readily available to us when we pray the Divine Mercy Chaplet. All we need to do is turn our hearts toward Jesus and pray a few simple (but oh-so-powerful) words.
What is Mercy?
Mercy is another name for love. More specifically, it is God’s love meeting us in our suffering. Isn’t that beautiful?
According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church:
...the Gospel is the revelation in Jesus Christ of God’s mercy.
Yes, God sent us Jesus out of His mercy—His love—for us!
2,000 years after He walked the earth, Jesus appeared to a Polish nun to remind us of the immense mercy God continues to have for each of us, and in fact, the whole world.
A Little History of the Divine Mercy Chaplet
When Sister Faustina was a 20-year-old nun within the Congregation of Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy, Jesus appeared to her as the King of Divine Mercy. She recorded His words of merciful love in what is now known as the Diary of Saint Maria Faustina Kowalska.
Over the course of several years, Jesus continued to reveal His message of mercy to Sister Faustina. One aspect of His message was instruction on how to pray what Jesus called “the Chaplet.”
It started when Faustina envisioned an angel that God sent down to discipline a particular city. Faustina prayed for mercy, but she found that her prayers were powerless. Then, she received these words within her heart:
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; for the sake of His sorrowful Passion, have mercy on us.
As she continued praying these words, the angel stopped his course of action against the city; the city was saved!
A Prayer for Mercy on the Whole World
The next day, Sister Faustina heard the inspired words again, but this time, after “have mercy on us,” the words “and on the whole world” were added.
From this moment on, Sister Faustina continually repeated this prayer, especially for the dying.
In later revelations, Jesus told Faustina that the Chaplet was not just for her. He wanted her to share it with the whole world.
He promised that those who prayed the Chaplet would receive extraordinary graces.
WRITE + PRAY
We invite you to sit with the Word and unpack it in a uniquely personal way, finding your own story.
Discover your story within His.
How to Pray the Divine Mercy Chaplet
- Holding your Rosary, make the Sign of the Cross with the Crucifix.
- On the next bead, you have the option to pray: 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. // Then, repeat three times: O Blood and Water, which gushed forth from the Heart of Jesus as a fount of mercy for us, I trust in You!
- On the next three beads, pray one Our Father, one Hail Mary, and the Apostles Creed.
- Next, on the large bead, pray: 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.
- On the 10 small beads, pray: For the sake of His sorrowful Passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world.
- Repeat steps 4 and 5 for all five decades of the Chaplet.
- Then, repeat three times: Holy God, Holy Mighty One, Holy Immortal One, have mercy on us and on the whole world.
- This is an optional closing 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. Amen.
- Returning to the Crucifix, make the Sign of the Cross.
When to Pray the Divine Mercy Chaplet
The Divine Mercy Chaplet can be prayed at any time, but Jesus encourages us, through St. Faustina, to pray it at two specific times:
- At 3 p.m. each afternoon, as Jesus invites us to recall His love for us in His death on the Cross. // Jesus said to Faustina: “At three o’clock, implore My mercy, especially for sinners; and, if only for a brief moment, immerse yourself in My Passion, particularly in My abandonment at the moment of agony. This is the hour of great mercy. In this hour, I will refuse nothing to the soul that makes a request of Me in virtue of My Passion.”
- As a novena nine days before the Feast of Divine Mercy, which is the Sunday after Easter. For each of the nine days, Jesus gave nine different intentions. // Jesus said to Faustina: “I desire that during these nine days you bring souls to the fountain of My mercy, that they may draw therefrom strength and refreshment and whatever grace they have need of in the hardships of life, and especially at the hour of death.”
Divine Mercy Chaplet Resources
To help you grow in your devotion to the Divine Mercy Chaplet, here are some beautiful online resources to peruse.
Pray alongside us!
- As you familiarize yourself with the Divine Mercy Chaplet, pray along with an audio recording of the Chaplet on a prayer app, such as Relevant Radio or Divine Mercy.
- Pray the Divine Mercy Chaplet with the Franciscan Friars of the Renewal!
- Here is a beautiful sung version of the Divine Mercy Chaplet by Catholic singer Vicki Kueppers.
- As the time for the Divine Mercy Novena approaches (Good Friday through the Saturday before Divine Mercy Sunday), receive daily email reminders from Pray More Novenas.
- For a 15-minute crash course on Divine Mercy by Rev. Michael Gaitley, MIC, listen here.
To read more about Divine Mercy, check out these books:
- Divine Mercy in My Soul: the Diary of St. Maria Faustina Kowalska
- 7 Secrets of Divine Mercy by Vinny Flynn
- 52 Weeks with Saint Faustina: A Year of Grace and Mercy by Donna-Marie Cooper O’Boyle
- Divine Mercy for Moms: Sharing the Lessons of St. Faustina by Michele Faehnle and Emily Jaminet
Are you interested in learning how to pray the Divine Mercy Chaplet? Is this a devotion you have and love already?
How to Pray the Divine Mercy Chaplet #BISblog //Click to tweet
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Sarah Damm is a regular contributor to the BIS blog. She is a Catholic wife and mother of six children, living in Minnesota. She spends her days running errands, helping with homework, and keeping up with laundry and the family schedule. Sarah loves her faith, coffee, and good books. You can find out more about her here. Read all of Sarah's posts here.
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