“Mary is the one who has the deepest knowledge of the mystery of God’s mercy. She knows its price, she knows how great it is. In this sense, we call her the Mother of mercy: our Lady of mercy, or Mother of divine mercy.”
– St. John Paul II, Dives in Misericordia, No. 9
As we look towards the celebration of Divine Mercy Sunday, we’re reminded of the greatest gift of mercy ever given: Christ’s sacrifice. Even though we are sinful in our very nature, God loves each one of us deeply and wants us to recognize that His mercy is so much greater than our sins. Today, we invite you to learn about the history of the Divine Mercy Chaplet and pray along with us from the Crypt Church of the Basilica.
About the Divine Mercy Chaplet
Throughout the 1930s, Faustina Maria Kowalska, a Polish nun of the Congregation of the Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy, received visions of Jesus revealing to her the depths of His love and mercy. As she received these revelations, she diligently wrote them down in her diary, which was published by her Spiritual Director and has inspired generations of Catholics to trust in God’s loving mercy. During one such revelation, the words to the Chaplet came to her, and Christ instructed her to “encourage souls to say the Chaplet which I have given you,” (Diary of St. Faustina No. 1541.) Decades after St. Faustina’s visions, at the Mass for her canonization, Pope John Paul II declared the Sunday after Easter be called “Divine Mercy Sunday.”
Pray the Chaplet of Divine Mercy with the Basilica
How to Pray the Chaplet of Divine Mercy
The Chaplet is prayed on a standard Rosary, or one’s fingers. It is typically prayed at 3:00 p.m., the traditional hour of Christ’s death, and also as a Novena leading up to Divine Mercy Sunday.
Introductory Prayers
The Sign of the Cross
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
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 you; blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death. Amen.
The Apostle’s 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; on the third day he rose again from the dead; he ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of God the Father almighty; from there he will 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.
For Each Decade
On each “Our Father” bead:
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 each of the 10 “Hail Mary” beads:
For the sake of his sorrowful Passion,
have mercy on us and on the whole world.
Conclusion
Say three times:
Holy God, Holy Mighty One, Holy Immortal One, have mercy on us and on the whole world.