History of the Devotion:
The Chaplet of Divine Mercy was given to St. Faustina by Our Lord during an apparition in 1935. God’s justice for sin is specifically remembered throughout scripture and the mass, but Jesus’ appeared to St. Faustina to specifically emphasize to the faithful His “unfathomable mercy” in addition to His justice.
Jesus told St. Faustina “Say unceasingly the chaplet that I have taught you. Whoever will recite it will receive great mercy at the hour of death. Priests will recommend it to sinners as their last hope of salvation. Even if there were a sinner most hardened, if he were to recite this chaplet only once, he would receive grace from My infinite mercy. I desire that the whole world know My infinite mercy. I desire to grant unimaginable graces to those souls who trust in My mercy.” (Diary of St. Faustina, 635)
Jesus told Faustina that the Divine Mercy Chaplet should be prayed daily at three o’clock PM – the hour that He died on the Cross. Jesus told St. Faustina, “….as often as you hear the clock strike the third hour, immerse yourself completely in My mercy, adoring and glorifying it; invoke its omnipotence for the whole world, and particularly for poor sinners; for at that moment mercy was opened wide for every soul” (Diary, 1572). He also said, “Through the chaplet you will obtain everything, if what you ask for is compatible with My will.” (Diary 1731) The Chaplet of Divine Mercy is an incredibly powerful devotion, a global search of the word “Chaplet” in St. Faustina’s diary reveals how many times Christ encouraged the recitation of the Chaplet near a person at the hour of their death.
St. Faustina wrote a thorough diary detailing all of her interior experiences. After being metitculously evaluated by the Church and Divine Mercy Sunday was instituted on the Sunday after Easter by Pope John Paul II in the year 2000.
St. Faustina’s Diary can be found online for free as a pdf, or you can purchase it to add to your own library on Amazon.
(Disclaimer - I earn a commission on qualifying purchases as an Amazon affiliate)
How to Pray the Divine Mercy Chaplet:
During the nine days before Divine Mercy Sunday (starting on Good Friday) a special novena can be prayed, it can be found here.
Jesus’ instructions for the recitation of this chaplet are as follows: “You will recite it for nine days, on the beads of the rosary, in the following manner: First of all, you will say one OUR FATHER and HAIL MARY and the I BELIEVE IN GOD. Then on the OUR FATHER beads you will say the following words: “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 HAIL MARY beads you will say the following words: “For the sake of His sorrowful Passion have mercy on us and on the whole world.” In conclusion, three times you will recite these words: “Holy God, Holy Mighty One, Holy Immortal One, have mercy on us and on the whole world.” (Diary 476)
Put in list form, here is how to pray the Chaplet of Divine Mercy:
- Pray the Our Father: Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name, thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on Earth as it is in Heaven. Give us this day our Daily Bread and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us, and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. Amen.
- Pray the Hail Mary: Hail Mary, Full of Grace, The Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners now, and at the hour of our death. Amen.
- Pray the Apostles’ Creed: I believe in God, the Father Almighty, Creator of Heaven and earth; and in Jesus Christ, His only Son Our Lord, Who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried. He descended into Hell; the third day He rose again from the dead; He ascended into Heaven, and sitteth at the right hand of God, the Father almighty; from thence He shall come to judge the living and the dead. I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy Catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body and life everlasting. Amen.
- Then on the Our Father beads of the Rosary say: 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.
- Say on the Hail Mary beads of the Rosary: For the sake of His sorrowful Passion have mercy on us and on the whole world.
- After you have repeated steps 4-5 for all five decades, say three times: Holy God, Holy Mighty One, Holy Immortal One, have mercy on us and on the whole world.
There’s also a very well-done recording of the Divine Mercy Chaplet available in the free version of the Hallow Catholic App (not sponsored) and there’s probably several on Youtube as well. If you’re looking for a Rosary to pray the Divine Mercy Chaplet on, be sure to visit my Rosary store!
The image of Jesus that Christ instructed St. Faustina to have painted. I believe she ultimately painted this herself.