# The Chaplet of Divine Mercy

> Pray the Chaplet of Divine Mercy on rosary beads and offer the Passion of Jesus for the sake of God's mercy on us and on the whole world.

- Source: Light of Saints, “The Chaplet of Divine Mercy”, https://lightofsaints.com/en/prayers/chaplet-of-divine-mercy
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Published: 2026-11-06

## Meaning

In this chaplet we offer the Father the Body and Blood, soul and divinity of Jesus Christ in atonement for our sins and those of the whole world (cf. 1 John 2:2). For the sake of his sorrowful Passion, we ask God to show his mercy to us and to all people.

## Prayer

_Traditional prayer of the Church._

### Opening prayer

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

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

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

For the sake of his sorrowful Passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world.

### Holy God

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

### 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.

## Intentions & hopes

The faithful pray this chaplet to ask God's mercy for themselves, for sinners, and above all for those who are dying. What we may hope for is a heart that trusts more deeply and surrenders to God's will, whatever his answer may be.

## When & how to pray

- The chaplet can be prayed at any time, on ordinary rosary beads or by counting on your fingers.
- Begin with the Sign of the Cross, an opening prayer if you wish, then one Our Father, one Hail Mary and one Apostles' Creed.
- On each large bead, pray "Eternal Father, I offer you…"; on the ten small beads that follow, pray "For the sake of his sorrowful Passion…". Repeat for all five decades.
- Close with "Holy God, Holy Mighty One, Holy Immortal One…" (usually three times) and the closing prayer.
- The chaplet is also prayed for people who are seriously ill or near death.
- The chaplet is prayed in a special way as a novena leading up to Divine Mercy Sunday (the Second Sunday of Easter).

## Origins

According to the Diary of Saint Faustina Kowalska, this chaplet was given to her on 13–14 September 1935 in Vilnius, after she had a vision of an angel. This account of its origin rests on the private revelation she received and has no other documentation outside her writings.

In 1958 the Sacred Congregation of the Holy Office issued a Notification forbidding the spread of this devotion in the forms proposed by Faustina. The prohibition was confirmed on 6 March 1959 and concerned images and writings that presented the devotion in those forms.

On 15 April 1978 the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith declared that the 1959 prohibition was no longer binding. By then the Congregation had examined many original documents that had not been known in 1959. In 1979 the Congregation confirmed that there was no obstacle to spreading the devotion in the authentic forms proposed by Faustina.

In 2002 the Apostolic Penitentiary issued a decree, approved by Pope John Paul II, on the plenary and partial indulgences connected with Divine Mercy Sunday. A plenary indulgence is granted to those who take part in prayers and devotions held in honor of Divine Mercy, under the usual conditions. The decree refers to these devotions in general terms.

_Edition note: Text: The rights holder named on the source. Checked word for word against the source on 2026-11-05._

## Sources

- [How to pray the Chaplet of Divine Mercy](https://catholicvirginian.org/catholic-living/faith-alive/pray-the-chaplet-of-divine-mercy/) — Text taken from catholicvirginian.org
- [Corona Divinae Misericordiae](https://christusregnat.com/corona-divinae-misericordiae/) — Latin text from christusregnat.com
- [The Chaplet of Divine Mercy](https://gailestingumas.lt/en/the-chaplet-of-divine-mercy/) — Published by Divine Mercy Sanctuary, Vilnius
- [History of the Message and Devotion to Divine Mercy - Marian Connection](https://www.thedivinemercy.org/message/history/marianconnect) — Published by Marian Fathers (thedivinemercy.org)
- [Indulgences Attached To Divine Mercy Devotions (Decree text)](https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/library/view.cfm?recnum=4483) — Published by Apostolic Penitentiary, via CatholicCulture.org
- [Chaplet of the Divine Mercy](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chaplet_of_the_Divine_Mercy) — Published by Wikipedia