How to Pray the Divine Mercy Chaplet

The Divine Mercy Chaplet is a powerful prayer given by Jesus to St. Maria Faustina Kowalska in 1935. It is prayed on ordinary rosary beads and is an intercessory prayer that extends the offering of the Eucharist for the salvation of the world.

The History

Jesus appeared to a humble Polish nun, Sister Faustina, and tasked her with spreading the message of His unfathomable mercy. He told her: "Encourage souls to say the Chaplet which I have given to you... Whoever will recite it will receive great mercy at the hour of death."

How to Pray

You can use a standard set of Rosary beads.

1. The Sign of the Cross

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

2. Opening Prayers (Optional but recommended)

"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 fountain of Mercy for us, I trust in You!"

3. The Beginning Beads

On the first three beads, pray:

• One Our Father
• One Hail Mary
• The Apostles' Creed

4. The Decades (On the Large Beads)

On the large bead before each decade (where you usually pray the Our Father), 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."

5. The Decades (On the Small Beads)

On the ten small beads of each decade (where you usually pray the Hail Mary), 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.

6. Concluding Prayer (Holy God)

After the five decades, pray the following three times:

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

7. Closing Prayer (Optional)

"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."

The Hour of Mercy

Jesus also asked St. Faustina to venerate the hour of His death — 3:00 PM. He called it the "Hour of Great Mercy." At this time, He asked us to remember His Passion, even for a brief moment. It is a particularly powerful time to pray the Chaplet.

The Promises

Jesus promised that:

• "Through the Chaplet you will obtain everything, if what you ask for is compatible with My will."
• "When they say this chaplet in the presence of the dying, I will stand between My Father and the dying person, not as the just Judge but as the merciful Savior."

It is a prayer of immense hope for sinners and the dying.