DIVINE MERCY
CHAPLET
Spanish
Español

  Divine Mercy
Home Page

ABOUT THE DIVINE MERCY CHAPLET

HISTORY / SAINT FAUSTINA / THE IMAGE
PRAYERS / BEADS / BIBLIOGRAPHY


Jesus, I trust in you.
 HISTORY: The Divine Mercy Chaplet is based on the spirituality of Saint Faustina Kowalska (1905-1938). It is associated with a holy image and the motto, "Jesus, I trust in you". The feast day of Divine Mercy is the Sunday after Easter.

The key revelation to Saint Faustina was that God's mercy is infinite and unfailing. The Divine Mercy message asks the faithful to implore God's mercy for the entire world, to be merciful and forgiving towards others, and to trust in God completely.

At the time of Faustina's death in 1938, the Divine Mercy message was little known outside Poland. During the Second World War, 1939-1945, the chaplet gained popularity in both Poland and Lithuania. It also reached the United States.
There was a temporary ban on the devotion from 1958 to 1978 while Vatican officials reviewed Faustina's writings in light of Church doctrine. The ban was lifted in April 1978 with the help of the Archbishop of Kracow, Karol Cardinal Wojtyla. He became Pope John Paul II later that same year.
Since then, the Divine Mercy message has spread worldwide. The Divine Mercy apostolate, established by the Marians in 1944, is headquartered in Stockbridge, Massachusetts. The Congregation of Marians of the Immaculate Conception. is a religious order of fathers and brothers, founded in Poland in 1673. Father Joseph Jarzebowski, a member of the order, introduced the Divine Mercy devotion to the United States in 1941. For more information, visit the Web page for the National Shrine of Divine Mercy.

TOP
SAINT FAUSTINA KOWALSKA
Feast Day: October 5

Helen Kowalska was born on April 25, 1905, in the vicinity of Lodz, Poland. At the age of 19 she entered a convent near Krakow and joined the Congregation of the Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy. Her new name was Sister Maria Faustina of the Blessed Sacrament.

In 1934, at the request of her spiritual director, Faustina began keeping a diary of her mystical experiences and visions. She died of tuberculosis on October 5, 1938. Subsequently the diary was published and translated into numerous languages. The Church elevated Faustina to sainthood on April 30, 2000, making her the first saint of the new millennium. Pope John Paul II conducted the ceremony of canonization. For more on the life of Saint Faustina, see the publications listed in the bibliography below, especially her diary, Divine Mercy in My Soul.

TOP
THE IMAGE: There are many versions of the Divine Mercy image. All try to depict Christ as He appeared to Saint Faustina in a vision in 1931. According to her diary, He commanded her to have a painting made of the vision, accompanied by the motto, "Jesus, I trust in you." She personally supervised the first painting.

The Divine Mercy image shows Christ robed in white. His hands and feet display the nail marks of the Crucifixion. His right hand is raised in a gesture of blessing. His left hand points to the location of His heart. Two rays of light, one red and one, shine from His chest.
The rays represent the inexhaustible stream of Divine Mercy available to all who trust in Him. They also recall the blood and water that flowed when His heart was pierced with a lance. To obtain free, downloadable images of the Divine Mercy, visit the Web page for the National Shrine of Divine Mercy.

TOP
"Prayer Book"PRAYERS: The full text of the Divine Mercy chaplet prayers is shown below. The chaplet begins by making the Sign of the Cross, then praying one "Our Father", one "Hail Mary" and the "Apostles Creed". Next are the five decades. Each decade consists of the "Eternal Father" prayer, said once, and ten repetitions of the prayer entitled "For the Sake of His Sorrowful Passion". After completing the five decades, there is a concluding doxology, "Holy God, Holy Mighty One", repeated three times. In Latin America, the faithful add a concluding invocation, "Oh Blood and Water That Gushed Forth", but this is optional. The chaplet ends with the Sign of the Cross.
Initial Prayers

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

Our Father (The Lord's Prayer)
V. Our Father, Who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name; Thy kingdom come; Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
R. 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
V. Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee; blessed are thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.
R. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen.

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, 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.

Decade Prayers

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
V. For the sake of His sorrowful Passion,
R. Have mercy on us
and on the whole world.


Concluding Prayers

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

Invocation: O Blood and Water That Gushed Forth (optional)
O Blood and Water that gushed forth from the Heart of Jesus as a fountain of mercy for us, I trust in You.

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

TOP
An ordinary rosary contains a total of 59 beads: a circle of 54 beads connected to a medal, plus a pendant string of five more beads, ending with a cross or crucifix.
BEADS: An ordinary set of rosary beads can be used to keep count of the chaplet prayers. They are not required to perform the devotion.

To pray the Divine Mercy Chaplet using ordinary rosary beads: Hold the crucifix and make the Sign of the Cross. Skip the first bead on the pendant string. On the three small beads that follow, pray one "Our Father", one "Hail Mary", and the "Apostles Creed". Use the next bead, the one just before the medal, to begin the first decade. Follow the beads in the circlet to pray the five decades, until you return to the medal. Use the three small beads on the pendant string to pray the concluding doxology ("Holy God, Holy Might One") three times. Use the last bead, the one closest to the crucifix, for the concluding invocation, then finish with the Sign of the Cross.

To pray the chaplet online, with step-by-step instructions, prayer counter, and complete texts of the prayers, see Divine Mercy Chaplet-Online Prayer.

Original essay
E.M. Mulhare, 29-Dec-2002

TOP
BIBLIOGRAPHY

Publications in English
Kosicki, George W.
2001 Meet Saint Faustina, Herald of Divine Mercy. Ann Arbor, Michigan: Servant Publications.
Kowalska, Faustina
2000 The Diary of Saint Maria Faustina: Divine Mercy in My Soul. Stockbridge, Massachusetts: Congregation of Marians of the Immaculate Conception.
Kowalska, Faustina, and George W. Kosicki
1996 Revelations of Divine Mercy: Daily Readings. Ann Arbor Michigan: Charis Books.
Michalenko, Seraphim
2000 The Divine Mercy Message and Devotion: With selected prayers from the Diary of Saint Maria Faustina. Stockbridge, Massachusetts: Congregation of Marians of the Immaculate Conception.
Odell, Catherine M.
1998 Faustina, Apostle of Divine Mercy. Huntington, Indiana: Our Sunday Visitor Books.
Stackpole, Robert, ed.
1999 Divine Mercy, The Heart of the Gospel. Stockbridge, Massachusetts: John Paul II Institute of Divine Mercy, Congregation of Marians of the Immaculate Conception.

Publications in Spanish
Catedral Metropolitana
1982 Rosario del Señor de la Misericordia que se venera en la Catedral Metropolitana, México D.F. México, D.F.: Impresos La Paz.
De-Zarco, Mariano
1992 Corona de la Misericordia. En Preces de alabanza y liberación. pp. 50-51. México, D.F.: Congregación de Misioneros Franciscanos.
Orozco Lomelín, Francisco
1982 Corona de la Misericordia. En Novena de la Misericordia. pp. 10-11. México, D.F.: Impresos La Paz.
Patiño G., Abel
s.f. Consagración al Corazón Inmaculado de María Santísima. En Rosario de la Misericordia. p. 26. Monterrey, Nuevo León, México: [editorial no indicado].
CREDITS
Texts of prayers in English and Spanish are used with permission of the copyright holder.
Illustration 1: "Divine Mercy, Blue Chapel Scene", © 2002 by E.M. Mulhare, combines part of an image copyrighted by the Congregation of Marians of the Immaculate Conception, Stockbridge, MA 01263 USA, distributed online at <http://www.marian.org/divinemercy>, used with permission, with the original background design "Blue Chapel Scene" by E.M. Mulhare.
Illustration 2: "Saint Faustina", © 2002 by E.M. Mulhare, is a reinterpretation by the artist of a photograph in The Divine Mercy Message and Devotion, 1993, by Fr. Seraphim Michalenko, MIC, and Vinny Flynn, published by Marian Helpers, Congregation of Marians of the Immaculate Conception, Stockbridge, MA 01263 USA.
Illustration 3: "Divine Mercy, Framed Blue Chapel Scene", © 2002 by E.M. Mulhare, combines part of an image copyrighted by the Congregation of Marians of the Immaculate Conception, Stockbridge, MA 01263 USA, distributed online at <http://www.marian.org/divinemercy>, used with permission, with the original background design "Framed Blue Chapel Scene" by E.M. Mulhare.
Illustration 4: "Prayer Book", © 2001 by E.M. Mulhare.
Illustration 5: "Dominican Rosary Beads", © 2002 by E.M. Mulhare.
All other content, including graphics and artwork, Copyright ©2002-2003 by E. M. Mulhare, Hamilton, NY 13346 USA, except where otherwise indicated. All rights reserved. Published electronically as part of Divine Mercy Companion: Illustrated Online Chaplet. Original created 16-Dec-2002. This page last modified 07-Oct-2003.


TOP
This Web page is a service of ixeh.net. Report any problems to ixeh.net webmaster.