What are the words of the Chaplet of Divine Mercy?

On each large 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 ten small beads: “For the sake of His sorrowful Passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world.” After the fifth decade, three times: “Holy God, Holy Mighty One, Holy Immortal One, have mercy on us and on the whole world.”

What beads do you use for the Chaplet of Divine Mercy?

An ordinary five-decade rosary. There is no separate chaplet to buy. The beads are the same; the prayers said on them are different, which is the thing that trips people up and the reason for the diagram above.

How long does the Chaplet of Divine Mercy take?

Seven or eight minutes, which is roughly a third of a full Rosary. That brevity is part of why it spread: it fits inside a commute, a lunch break, or the walk from a car park.

What happens when you pray the Chaplet of Divine Mercy?

The Diary of St Faustina records promises attached to it, particularly for the dying. Those promises are private revelation approved for devotional use, not articles of faith, and no Catholic is obliged to believe them. What the Church does hold is what it holds of any prayer of intercession: that it is offered to God, that it asks mercy for the whole world and not only for oneself, and that its central act — offering the Father the Body and Blood of his Son — is the same offering made at every Mass.

Is the Chaplet of Divine Mercy the same as the Rosary?

No, though it is prayed on the same beads. The Rosary says a Hail Mary on each small bead and meditates on a mystery per decade; the chaplet says a short offering to the Father on each bead and has no mysteries. A Rosary takes about twenty minutes, the chaplet about eight.

The Chaplet of Divine Mercy

Q: When should the chaplet be prayed?

At any time, though three o’clock in the afternoon is customary as the Hour of Mercy. The Divine Mercy Novena is prayed on the nine days from Good Friday to the eve of Divine Mercy Sunday — in 2027 that is Friday, March 26, 2027 through to Saturday, April 3, 2027, with the feast itself falling on Sunday, April 4, 2027.

Prayed on an ordinary rosary in about eight minutes. On each large bead: “Eternal Father, I offer You the Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity of Your dearly beloved Son…” On each of the ten small beads: “For the sake of His sorrowful Passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world.” Five decades, then “Holy God” three times.

The same beads, different prayers

There is no separate chaplet to buy. This is the confusion worth clearing first: the object is a rosary, and only what you say on each bead changes.

The same rosary, different prayers. On each gold bead: “Eternal Father, I offer You the Body and Blood…”. On each small bead: “For the sake of His sorrowful Passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world.”

The order, bead by bead

1
The crucifix
Make the Sign of the Cross. Optionally say the opening prayer, then the Our Father, the Hail Mary and the Apostles' Creed.
2
The first large bead
Say the Eternal Father prayer: “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.”
3
The ten small beads
On each one: “For the sake of His sorrowful Passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world.”
4
The next large bead
The Eternal Father prayer again, then the next ten small beads, and so on through all five decades.
5
After the fifth decade
Say three times: “Holy God, Holy Mighty One, Holy Immortal One, have mercy on us and on the whole world.” Optionally close with the Eternal God prayer, and the Sign of the Cross.

The prayers, in full

The Sign of the Cross

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

The optional opening

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. (Then three times: O Blood and Water, which gushed forth from the Heart of Jesus as a fount of mercy for us, I trust in You.)

The 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.

The Hail Mary

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among 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; 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.

On the large beads

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 ten small beads

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

The closing, three times

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

The optional closing

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.

The Hour of Mercy, and the novena

Three o’clock in the afternoon is kept as the Hour of Mercy, the hour of Christ’s death. The Diary asks for a brief prayer at that hour rather than a long one — a moment of recollection at your desk is the practice as it is actually kept. Praying the chaplet then is customary but not required, and if three o’clock passes you unnoticed the devotion is not spoiled.

The Divine Mercy Novena is prayed on the nine days from Good Friday to the eve of Divine Mercy Sunday. In 2027 it runs from Friday, March 26, 2027 to Saturday, April 3, 2027, with the feast itself on Sunday, April 4, 2027. Each day has an intention attached to it, but the chaplet itself does not change.

More on the feast at Divine Mercy Sunday.

Why the devotion was banned for nineteen years

It was, for nineteen years, and the reason is a translation error rather than a doctrinal one. In 1959 the Holy Office placed the writings of Sister Faustina Kowalska on the Index and forbade the spreading of the devotion in the forms she proposed. The ruling rested on a defective Italian translation of her Diary, which had been made from an already corrupted Polish copy. As Archbishop of Krakow, Karol Wojtyla opened the informative process into her life and submitted a corrected text. The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith lifted the prohibition on April 15, 1978, some months before he was elected pope. He beatified her in 1993, canonised her in 2000, and instituted Divine Mercy Sunday on the day of her canonisation.

About the promises

The Diary of St Faustina records promises attached to this chaplet, particularly for the dying. Those are private revelation approved for devotional use — they are not articles of faith, and no Catholic is obliged to believe them. What the Church holds of the chaplet is what it holds of any prayer of intercession: that it is offered to God, that it asks mercy for the whole world rather than only for oneself, and that its central act — offering the Father the Body and Blood of his Son — is the same offering made at every Mass. That is a sufficient reason to pray it.

Print it, or pray it along

This page prints as a plain sheet, diagram included. To pray it rather than read about it, there is a guided chaplet with narrated audio.

More free tools

All free, no sign-up, and nothing to keep updated — the dates are computed rather than typed. See all 13 tools.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. The crucifix: Make the Sign of the Cross. Optionally say the opening prayer, then the Our Father, the Hail Mary and the Apostles' Creed. 2. The first large bead: Say the Eternal Father prayer: “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.” 3. The ten small beads: On each one: “For the sake of His sorrowful Passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world.” 4. The next large bead: The Eternal Father prayer again, then the next ten small beads, and so on through all five decades. 5. After the fifth decade: Say three times: “Holy God, Holy Mighty One, Holy Immortal One, have mercy on us and on the whole world.” Optionally close with the Eternal God prayer, and the Sign of the Cross.