The Chaplet of the Divine Mercy, also called the Divine Mercy Chaplet, is a Christian devotion to the
Divine Mercy
The Divine Mercy is a form of God's compassion, an act of grace based on trust or forgiveness. In Catholicism, it refers specifically to a devotion which had its origin in the apparitions of Jesus Christ reported by Faustina Kowalska.
Etymolog ...
, based on the
Christological apparitions of
Jesus
Jesus, likely from he, יֵשׁוּעַ, translit=Yēšūaʿ, label=Hebrew/Aramaic ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ or Jesus of Nazareth (among other names and titles), was a first-century Jewish preacher and religious ...
reported by
Faustina Kowalska
Maria Faustyna Kowalska, OLM (born Helena Kowalska; 25 August 1905 – 5 October 1938), also known as ''Maria Faustyna Kowalska of the Blessed Sacrament'', Faustyna popularly spelled "Faustina", was a Polish Catholic religious sister an ...
(1905–1938), known as "the Apostle of Mercy."
She was a Polish
religious sister
A religious sister (abbreviated ''Sr.'' or Sist.) in the Catholic Church is a woman who has taken public vows in a religious institute dedicated to apostolic works, as distinguished from a nun who lives a cloistered monastic life dedicated to pr ...
of the
Congregation of the Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy
The Congregation of the Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy (''Congregatio Sororum Beatae Mariae Misericordiae'' (lat)), (''Zgromadzenie Sióstr Matki Bożej Miłosierdzia'' ( pol)) - was founded by Mother Teresa Eva Potocka (1814–1881) in Warsaw, Po ...
and
canonized
Canonization is the declaration of a deceased person as an officially recognized saint, specifically, the official act of a Christianity, Christian communion declaring a person worthy of Cult (religious practice), public veneration and enterin ...
as a
Catholic
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
saint
In religious belief, a saint is a person who is recognized as having an exceptional degree of Q-D-Š, holiness, likeness, or closeness to God. However, the use of the term ''saint'' depends on the context and Christian denomination, denominat ...
in 2000.
Kowalska stated that she received the prayer through visions and conversations with Jesus, who made specific promises regarding the recitation of the prayers.
Her Vatican biography quotes some of these conversations.
[Vatican Biography of Faustina Kowalska]
As a
Roman Catholic devotion
Catholic devotions are particular customs, rituals, and practices of worship of God or honour of the saints which are in addition to the liturgy of the Catholic Church. The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops describes devotions as "exp ...
, the
chaplet
Chaplet may refer to:
* Chaplet (headgear), a wreath or garland for the head
* Chaplet (prayer), a string of prayer beads and the associated prayer
* Chaplet (metallurgy), a metal form to hold a core in place
See also
* Wreath (attire)
* Ukraini ...
is often said as a
rosary-based prayer with the same set of
rosary
The Rosary (; la, , in the sense of "crown of roses" or "garland of roses"), also known as the Dominican Rosary, or simply the Rosary, refers to a set of prayers used primarily in the Catholic Church, and to the physical string of knots or b ...
beads used for reciting the Rosary or the
Chaplet of Holy Wounds. As an
Anglican devotion, the Divine Mercy Society of the
Anglican Church
Anglicanism is a Western Christian tradition that has developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the context of the Protestant Reformation in Europe. It is one of the ...
states that the chaplet can also be recited on
Anglican prayer beads
Anglican prayer beads, also known as the Anglican rosary or Anglican chaplet, are a loop of strung Christian prayer beads used chiefly by Anglicans in the Anglican Communion, as well as by communicants in the Anglican Continuum. This Anglican dev ...
. The chaplet may also be said without beads, usually by counting prayers on the fingertips,
[Ann Ball, 2003 "Encyclopedia of Catholic Devotions and Practices." page 174] and may be accompanied by the
veneration
Veneration ( la, veneratio; el, τιμάω ), or veneration of saints, is the act of honoring a saint, a person who has been identified as having a high degree of sanctity or holiness. Angels are shown similar veneration in many religions. Etymo ...
of the
Divine Mercy image
The Image of the Divine Mercy is a depiction of Jesus Christ that is based on the devotion initiated by Faustina Kowalska.
According to Kowalska's diary, Jesus told her "I promise that the soul that will venerate this image will not perish ...
.
History
On September 13, 1935, while Kowalska was in
Vilnius
Vilnius ( , ; see also other names) is the capital and largest city of Lithuania, with a population of 592,389 (according to the state register) or 625,107 (according to the municipality of Vilnius). The population of Vilnius's functional urb ...
, she wrote of a vision of Jesus about the chaplet in her diary (Notebook 1 item 476).
[''A Divine Mercy Resource'' by Richard Torretto 2010 pages 63-79] Kowalska stated that Jesus asked her to pray the chaplet and instruct others to do so. Although the chaplet is said on beads like the Rosary, it is about a third of the length of the Rosary, and unlike the Rosary that has evolved over the years, the form and structure of the chaplet has remained unchanged since Kowalska attributed it to a message from Jesus.
According to Kowalska's visions, written in her diary, the chaplet's prayers for mercy are threefold: to obtain mercy, to trust in
Christ
Jesus, likely from he, יֵשׁוּעַ, translit=Yēšūaʿ, label=Hebrew/Aramaic ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ or Jesus of Nazareth (among other Names and titles of Jesus in the New Testament, names and titles), was ...
's mercy, and to show mercy to others.
[Tim Drake, 2002, ''Saints of the Jubilee'', Authorhouse pages 85-95] Kowalska wrote that Jesus promised that all who recite this chaplet at the hour of death or in the presence of the dying will receive great mercy. She wrote that Jesus said:
''"....When they say this Chaplet in the presence of the dying, I will stand between My Father and the dying not as the just judge but as the Merciful Savior."''
Kowalska stated that Jesus also promised that anything can be obtained with this prayer if it is compatible with his will. In her diary Kowalska recounted a vision on September 13, 1935 in which she saw an angel sent to a city to destroy it. Kowalska began to pray for God's mercy on the city and felt the strong presence of the
Holy Trinity
The Christian doctrine of the Trinity (, from 'threefold') is the central dogma concerning the nature of God in most Christian churches, which defines one God existing in three coequal, coeternal, consubstantial divine persons: God the F ...
.
After she prayed the internally instructed prayers, the angel was powerless to harm the city. In subsequent visions, Kowalska learned that the prayers she spoke were to be taught to all the people of the world.
Pope John Paul II was instrumental in the formal establishment of the
Divine Mercy
The Divine Mercy is a form of God's compassion, an act of grace based on trust or forgiveness. In Catholicism, it refers specifically to a devotion which had its origin in the apparitions of Jesus Christ reported by Faustina Kowalska.
Etymolog ...
devotion and acknowledged the efforts of the
Marian Fathers
The Congregation of Marian Fathers of the Immaculate Conception of the Most Blessed Virgin Mary ( la, Congregatio Clericorum Marianorum ab Immaculata Conceptionis Beatissimae Virginis Mariae) is a Catholic male clerical religious congregation fou ...
in its promotion in a Papal Blessing in 2001, the 70th anniversary of the revelation of the Divine Mercy Message and Devotion. Although the prayers said on the beads of the rosary chain share specific similarities between the ''Chaplet of Divine Mercy'' and the ''
Chaplet of Holy Wounds'', these are distinct chaplets and were introduced over 20 years apart, one in
Poland
Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populous ...
, the other in
France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
.
Practice
According to
Roman Catholic
Roman or Romans most often refers to:
*Rome, the capital city of Italy
*Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD
*Roman people, the people of ancient Rome
*'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...
tradition, the chaplet may be said at any time, but it is said especially on
Divine Mercy Sunday
Divine Mercy Sunday (also known as the Feast of the Divine Mercy) is celebrated on the Second Sunday of Easter, which concludes the Octave of Easter. The feast day is observed in the Roman Rite calendar, as well as some Anglo-Catholics of the ...
and Fridays at 3:00 PM. The chaplet is prayed daily at the
National Shrine of The Divine Mercy
The National Shrine of The Divine Mercy is a Catholic shrine located in Stockbridge, Massachusetts.
The priests and Catholic and brothers of the Congregation of Marian Fathers of the Conception of the Most Blessed Virgin Mary have resided on Ed ...
in
Stockbridge, Massachusetts
Stockbridge is a town in Berkshire County in Western Massachusetts, United States. It is part of the Pittsfield, Massachusetts, Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 2,018 at the 2020 census. A year-round resort area, Stockbridge is h ...
and on the National Shrine in Krakow and Vilinus respectively at the shared time.
In Poland, the traditional phase of praying the chaplet originally recite and begins with Our Father, Hail Mary and Apostle's Creed and follows with ''Eternal Father''at the opening of each 5 decade large beads, then it follows with ''For the sake of his sorrowful passion'' at the 10 small beads each of the 5 large beads afterwards, at the end of each chaplet a portional phrase with ''Holy God..'' must said or sung after the praying of the decade. At the end of the chaplet, the prayers which saids ''Oh Blood and Water'' will says 3 times then follows with ''Jesus, I Trust In You'' 3 times also and ''Saint Faustina, Apostle of Mercy, Save Us'' once. On the American model of the chaplet, it may begin with ''You Expired Jesus'' as the opening prayer followed by Our Father, Hail Mary and Credo afterwards, then it recite the large beads and the small beads each as per Polish model, after the completion praying of the 5 decade each, it concludes with ''Holy God'' three times and folowed by the closing prayer.
In the
Philippines
The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no),
* bik, Republika kan Filipinas
* ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas
* cbk, República de Filipinas
* hil, Republ ...
, the opening portion of the chaplet known as the "3 O'Clock Habit" (
Filipino
Filipino may refer to:
* Something from or related to the Philippines
** Filipino language, standardized variety of 'Tagalog', the national language and one of the official languages of the Philippines.
** Filipinos, people who are citizens of th ...
: ''Panalangin Para Sa Ika-tatlo Ng Hapon'') is broadcast on radio stations and television networks (some radio and television stations (with the exception of
ABS-CBN
ABS-CBN (an initialism of its two predecessors' names, Alto Broadcasting System and Chronicle Broadcasting Network) is a Television in the Philippines, Philippine Commercial broadcasting, commercial broadcast broadcast network, network tha ...
television network and ABS-CBN's
DZMM
DZMM (630 AM) Radyo Patrol was a commercial news/talk radio station broadcasting from Quezon City, Philippines, serving the Mega Manila market. It was the flagship station of the Radyo Patrol Network owned by ABS-CBN. The station's studio was l ...
radio station) dropped the practice in 1990s and 2000s but it is currently only shown on
ABS-CBN
ABS-CBN (an initialism of its two predecessors' names, Alto Broadcasting System and Chronicle Broadcasting Network) is a Television in the Philippines, Philippine Commercial broadcasting, commercial broadcast broadcast network, network tha ...
's
Kapamilya Channel
Kapamilya Channel (stylized as Kapamilya channel) is a 24-hour Philippine pay television network formerly known as ABS-CBN Corporation, a company under Lopez Holdings Corporation owned by the López family. The network is headquartered at th ...
and
TeleRadyo) daily since June 16, 1985 at 3:00 in the Afternoon. In 2000,
Pope John Paul II
Pope John Paul II ( la, Ioannes Paulus II; it, Giovanni Paolo II; pl, Jan Paweł II; born Karol Józef Wojtyła ; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 1978 until his ...
ordained the Sunday after Easter as the Divine Mercy Sunday, where Roman Catholics remember the institution of the
Sacrament of Penance
The Sacrament of Penance (also commonly called the Sacrament of Reconciliation or Confession) is one of the Sacraments of the Catholic Church, seven sacraments of the Catholic Church (known in Eastern Christianity as sacred mysteries), in which ...
. The hour Jesus died by crucifixion, 3:00 PM (15:00), is called the Hour of Mercy. In a
novena
A novena (from Latin: ''novem'', "nine") is an ancient tradition of devotional praying in Christianity, consisting of private or public prayers repeated for nine successive days or weeks. The nine days between the Feast of the Ascension and Pen ...
, the chaplet is usually said each of the nine days from
Good Friday
Good Friday is a Christian holiday commemorating the crucifixion of Jesus and his death at Calvary. It is observed during Holy Week as part of the Paschal Triduum. It is also known as Holy Friday, Great Friday, Great and Holy Friday (also Hol ...
to Divine Mercy Sunday.
Chaplet
Prayers
The chaplet contains several unique prayers. The rosary may be used to move through the prayers.
First opening prayer
This prayer is prayed on the first large bead where the Our Father is normally prayed and may be used to begin the chaplet:
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.
Second opening prayer
This prayer, repeated three times in succession, is prayed still on the first large bead and may be used along with the first opening prayer to begin the chaplet:
O Blood and Water, which gushed forth from the Heart of Jesus as a fountain of Mercy for us, I trust in You!
Eternal Father
This prayer opens each decade of the chaplet and is prayed on the single beads separating the decades where the Our Father is normally prayed:
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
This prayer, repeated 10 times in succession, forms the body of each decade of the chaplet, using the beads where the Hail Marys are normally recited:
For the sake of His sorrowful Passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world.
Holy God
This prayer, repeated three times in succession, concludes the chaplet, recited where the Hail Holy Queen is normally prayed:
Holy God, Holy Mighty One, Holy Immortal One, have mercy on us and on the whole world.
Closing prayer
This prayer is used after the Holy God to end the chaplet:
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.
Structure
The chaplet is prayed on ordinary rosary beads that are also used to pray the
Dominican Rosary
The Rosary (; la, , in the sense of "crown of roses" or "garland of roses"), also known as the Dominican Rosary, or simply the Rosary, refers to a set of prayers used primarily in the Catholic Church, and to the physical string of knots or b ...
.
The structure of the chaplet is as follows:
The chaplet is begun on the short strand of the rosary beads:
* The sign of the cross
Making the sign of the cross ( la, signum crucis), or blessing oneself or crossing oneself, is a ritual blessing made by members of some branches of Christianity. This blessing is made by the tracing of an upright cross or + across the body with ...
on the Crucifix
A crucifix (from Latin ''cruci fixus'' meaning "(one) fixed to a cross") is a cross with an image of Jesus on it, as distinct from a bare cross. The representation of Jesus himself on the cross is referred to in English as the ''corpus'' (Lati ...
;
* The optional first opening prayer on the first large bead;
* The optional second opening prayer, repeated three times, still on the first large bead;
* The Lord's Prayer
The Lord's Prayer, also called the Our Father or Pater Noster, is a central Christian prayer which Jesus taught as the way to pray. Two versions of this prayer are recorded in the gospels: a longer form within the Sermon on the Mount in the Gosp ...
on the first small bead;
* The Hail Mary
The Hail Mary ( la, Ave Maria) is a traditional Christian prayer addressing Mary, the mother of Jesus. The prayer is based on two biblical passages featured in the Gospel of Luke: the Angel Gabriel's visit to Mary (the Annunciation) and Mary's ...
on the second small bead; and
* The Apostles' Creed
The Apostles' Creed (Latin: ''Symbolum Apostolorum'' or ''Symbolum Apostolicum''), sometimes titled the Apostolic Creed or the Symbol of the Apostles, is a Christian creed or "symbol of faith".
The creed most likely originated in 5th-century Ga ...
on the third small bead.
The praying of the decades then follows, repeating this cycle for each:
* The Eternal Father on the large bead, with a specific offering each decade; and
* The For the sake of His sorrowful Passion on each of the ten adjacent small beads, with other petitions for mercy, emphasizing the offering of the Body
Body may refer to:
In science
* Physical body, an object in physics that represents a large amount, has mass or takes up space
* Body (biology), the physical material of an organism
* Body plan, the physical features shared by a group of anima ...
and Blood of Christ
Blood of Christ, also known as the Most Precious Blood of Our Lord Jesus Christ, in Christian theology refers to (a) the physical blood actually shed by Jesus Christ primarily on the Cross, and the salvation which Christianity teaches was accomp ...
.
To conclude:
* The Holy God on the medallion;
* The optional closing prayer, still on the medallion;
* Any further intentions; and
* The sign of the cross.
Novena
The chaplet may be repeated over a period of nine days as part of a novena
A novena (from Latin: ''novem'', "nine") is an ancient tradition of devotional praying in Christianity, consisting of private or public prayers repeated for nine successive days or weeks. The nine days between the Feast of the Ascension and Pen ...
. According to Kowalska's ''Diary'', Jesus himself in a vision asked that the Divine Mercy Novena be prayed as a preparation for the Feast of the Divine Mercy
Divine Mercy Sunday (also known as the Feast of the Divine Mercy) is celebrated on the Second Sunday of Easter, which concludes the Octave of Easter. The feast day is observed in the Roman Rite calendar, as well as some Anglo-Catholics of th ...
, celebrated each year on first Sunday after Easter
Easter,Traditional names for the feast in English are "Easter Day", as in the '' Book of Common Prayer''; "Easter Sunday", used by James Ussher''The Whole Works of the Most Rev. James Ussher, Volume 4'') and Samuel Pepys''The Diary of Samuel ...
. The novena should begin on Good Friday
Good Friday is a Christian holiday commemorating the crucifixion of Jesus and his death at Calvary. It is observed during Holy Week as part of the Paschal Triduum. It is also known as Holy Friday, Great Friday, Great and Holy Friday (also Hol ...
. There is a prayer intention for specific group of people on each of the nine days. The novena intentions for each day are:
# All mankind, in particular, all sinners
In a religious context, sin is a transgression against divine law. Each culture has its own interpretation of what it means to commit a sin. While sins are generally considered actions, any thought, word, or act considered immoral, selfish, s ...
.
# The souls of Catholic priests and religious.
# All devout and faithful souls.
# Those who do not believe in God and those who do not yet know Him.
# The souls of those separated from the Catholic Church.
# Meek
Meekness is an attribute of human nature and behavior that has been defined as an amalgam of righteousness, inner humility, and patience.
Meekness has been contrasted with humility alone insomuch as humility simply refers to an attitude towards o ...
and humble of heart, and children.
# People who especially venerate and glorify Christ's mercy
Mercy (Middle English, from Anglo-French ''merci'', from Medieval Latin ''merced-'', ''merces'', from Latin, "price paid, wages", from ''merc-'', ''merxi'' "merchandise") is benevolence, forgiveness, and kindness in a variety of ethical, relig ...
.
# The souls
In many religious and philosophical traditions, there is a belief that a soul is "the immaterial aspect or essence of a human being".
Etymology
The Modern English noun ''soul'' is derived from Old English ''sāwol, sāwel''. The earliest attes ...
in Purgatory
Purgatory (, borrowed into English via Anglo-Norman and Old French) is, according to the belief of some Christian denominations (mostly Catholic), an intermediate state after physical death for expiatory purification. The process of purgatory ...
.
# The souls of those who have become lukewarm.
See also
* Divine Mercy Sanctuary (Vilnius)
* Divine Mercy Sanctuary (Kraków) Divine Mercy Sanctuary may refer to:
* Divine Mercy Sanctuary, Kraków, with the remains of saint Faustina Kowalska and the most popular Divine Mercy image by Adolf Hyła
* Sanctuary of the Divine Mercy, Vilnius, with the first Divine Mercy image b ...
* Divine Mercy Sanctuary (Płock)
The Divine Mercy Sanctuary is a Roman Catholic chapel, in Poland, dedicated to the Divine Mercy devotion, originated by Faustina Kowalska.
Description
The chapel belongs to Zgromadzenie Sióstr Matki Bożej Miłosierdzia (the Congregation of ...
* Works of mercy
Works of mercy (sometimes known as acts of mercy) are practices considered meritorious in Christian ethics.
The practice is popular in the Catholic Church as an act of both penance and charity. In addition, the Methodist church teaches that th ...
References
Further reading
* '' Diary: Divine Mercy in My Soul'' by Faustina Kowalska 2003
* ''Pope Benedict's Divine Mercy Mandate'' by David Came 2009
External links
The Holy See: "Indulgences attached to devotions in honour of Divine Mercy"
(a decree of the Roman Curia; archive at Internet Archive
The Internet Archive is an American digital library with the stated mission of "universal access to all knowledge". It provides free public access to collections of digitized materials, including websites, software applications/games, music, ...
)
United States Conference of Catholic Bishops: How To Pray the Chaplet of Divine Mercy
Marian Fathers of the Immaculate Conception of the B.V.M.: The Divine Mercy: Chaplet of The Divine Mercy
(for the Chaplet)
Catholic Online: The Chaplet of Divine Mercy
Mark Hargrave: The Chaplet of Divine Mercy
unidentified person: Chaplet of Divine Mercy
{{Private revelation in the Catholic Church
Catholic spirituality
Divine Mercy
Catholic devotions
Visions of Jesus and Mary