Divine Mercy Chaplet
The Divine Mercy Chaplet is a Catholic prayer given to St. Faustina Kowalska in a vision in 1935 and prayed on ordinary rosary beads. It asks for God's mercy for the world, and is especially associated with the Hour of Mercy — 3:00 PM, the hour of Christ's death on the cross.
About the Divine Mercy Devotion
The Divine Mercy devotion centers on God's merciful love for humanity and was given to St. Faustina Kowalska, a Polish nun, through a series of visions beginning in 1931. Jesus appeared to her and asked that an image be painted — showing rays of red and white light streaming from his heart, with the words: Jesus, I trust in you. He also dictated the Chaplet of Divine Mercy and specified that it be prayed particularly at 3:00 PM.
St. Faustina died in 1938. Her diary, Divine Mercy in My Soul, was initially suppressed by the Vatican due to concerns about the translation, but was cleared and approved after a thorough investigation. She was canonized by Pope John Paul II in 2000, who also established Divine Mercy Sunday as the Second Sunday of Easter for the universal Church.
How to Pray the Divine Mercy Chaplet
The Chaplet is prayed on standard rosary beads following this structure:
- Begin with the Our Father, Hail Mary, and the Apostles' Creed
- On the Our Father bead: 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 each of the 10 Hail Mary beads: For the sake of His sorrowful Passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world.
- Repeat steps 2-3 for all five decades
- Conclude three times: Holy God, Holy Mighty One, Holy Immortal One, have mercy on us and on the whole world.
The Divine Mercy Chaplet
Begin: Our Father... Hail Mary... Apostles' Creed
On the Our Father bead (once per decade):
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 (10 times per decade):
For the sake of His sorrowful Passion,
have mercy on us and on the whole world.
Repeat for all five decades.
Conclude (three times):
Holy God, Holy Mighty One,
Holy Immortal One,
have mercy on us and on the whole world.
Chaplet of Divine Mercy: Given to St. Faustina Kowalska, 1935. St. Faustina died 1938. Original Polish text public domain (life + 70 years). Traditional English translation. Public domain.
Frequently asked questions
- What is the Divine Mercy Chaplet?
- The Divine Mercy Chaplet is a Catholic prayer dictated to St. Faustina Kowalska in a vision in 1935. It is prayed on ordinary rosary beads and asks for God's mercy on the world, particularly at 3 PM — the Hour of Mercy, when Christ died on the cross.
- Who was St. Faustina?
- St. Faustina Kowalska (1905–1938) was a Polish nun who received visions of Jesus beginning in 1931. Jesus asked her to have an image painted showing his mercy and to spread devotion to Divine Mercy. She recorded her experiences in her diary, Divine Mercy in My Soul. She was canonized by Pope John Paul II in 2000.
- What is the 3 o'clock Hour of Mercy?
- The Hour of Mercy is 3:00 PM — the hour at which Jesus died on the cross on Good Friday. Jesus told St. Faustina that at this hour mercy is open wide for every soul. Catholics pray the Divine Mercy Chaplet or other prayers at this time as a particular act of confidence in God's merciful love.
- When is Divine Mercy Sunday?
- Divine Mercy Sunday is the Second Sunday of Easter — the Sunday after Easter Sunday. Pope John Paul II established it as a feast day for the universal Church when he canonized St. Faustina in 2000. Special graces are associated with receiving Communion on this day.
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