Begin with the Sign of the Cross: In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Optional Opening Prayers: 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.
O Blood and Water, which gushed forth from the Heart of Jesus as a fount of mercy for us, I trust in You! (Pray three times.)
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.
Hail Mary: Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou amongst 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.
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 sits 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.
On the large beads of each 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 small beads of each decade: For the sake of His sorrowful Passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world.
Repeat for the remaining four decades.
At the end: Holy God, Holy Mighty One, Holy Immortal One, have mercy on us and on the whole world. (Pray three times.)
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.
From the Diary of St. Faustina.
The chaplet is prayed on ordinary rosary beads. Begin with the Sign of the Cross and, if you wish, the opening prayers. Then pray one Our Father, one Hail Mary and the Apostles’ Creed. On each large bead, pray “Eternal Father, I offer You…”, and on each of the ten small beads, “For the sake of His sorrowful Passion…”. After five decades, pray “Holy God, Holy Mighty One, Holy Immortal One…” three times, and close with the optional closing prayer (USCCB).
St. Faustina Kowalska (1905–1938) was a Polish religious sister who recorded in her Diary the revelations of Jesus’ mercy that she received. On September 13, 1935, she saw in a vision an angel about to strike the earth. She began to beg God for the world “with words which I heard interiorly.” These are the words of the chaplet, and as she prayed, the angel could not carry out the punishment (EWTN).
Many pray the chaplet at three in the afternoon, the hour when Jesus died on the Cross (Luke 23:44–46). It can be prayed at any time, though, and anywhere. You can even keep count on your fingers if you have no rosary.
St. John Paul II canonized St. Faustina on April 30, 2000. In his homily he declared that the Second Sunday of Easter “from now on throughout the Church will be called ‘Divine Mercy Sunday’” (Vatican.va).
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