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The Chaplet of Divine Mercy         

By Father LeRoy Seuntjens
Divine Mercy

The first annual Divine Mercy Conference is set for Sept. 25 in the Sioux City Convention Center. On Friday evening before the conference there will be a candlelight Eucharistic procession on the beautiful grounds of Queen of Peace. The rosary will be recited during the procession which will end in the Marian Center with chanting of the Chaplet of Divine Mercy and benediction. Everyone is invited to participate, but especially those coming from out of town for the conference the next day.

The chaplet is perhaps the best known and most popular practice of the divine mercy devotions. It was first prayed by St. Faustina on Sept. 23, 1935 (just 75 years and two days before the conference), as recorded in her diary “Divine Mercy in My Soul.” On that date St. Faustina received a vision of an angel, the executor of divine wrath sent by God to chastise a city in Poland. She began to pray for mercy, but her prayers were powerless. Suddenly she saw the Holy Trinity and felt the power of Jesus’ grace within her. At the same time she found herself pleading with God for mercy with the words she hear interiorly:

“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, have mercy on us (and on the whole world).” (Diary #475)

As she continued saying this inspired prayer, the angel became helpless and could not carry out the deserved punishment. (cfr #474, 475)

The next day, as she was entering the chapel she again heard this interior voice, instructing her how to recite the prayer that our Lord later called “The Chaplet.” This time, he also added the phrases pleading for mercy “on the whole world” (the parentheses in the prayer above; Diary #476). From this time on, she recited this form of prayer almost constantly, offering it especially for the dying.

In subsequent revelations, the Lord made it clear that the chaplet was not just for her, but for the whole world. He also added extraordinary promises to its recitation.

Encourage souls to say the chaplet which I have given you (#1541). Whoever will recite it will receive great mercy at the hour of death (#687). When they say this chaplet in the presence of dying, I will stand between my Father and the dying person, not as the just judge but as the Merciful Savior (#1541). Priests will recommend it to sinners as their last hope of salvation. Even if there were a sinner most hardened, if he were to recite this chaplet only once, he would receive grace from my infinite mercy (#687). I desire to grant unimaginable graces to those souls who trust in my mercy (#687). Through the chaplet you will obtain everything, if what you ask for is compatible with my will (#1731).

The Lord himself instructed St. Faustina on the mechanics of praying the chaplet with introductory prayers of the Lord’s Prayer, Hail Mary and Apostles’ Creed as well as the concluding phrase “Holy God, Holy Mighty One, Holy Immortal One, have mercy on me and on the whole world” which is recited three times (#476).

Prayed on ordinary rosary beads, the Chaplet of Divine Mercy is an intercessory prayer that extends the offering of the Eucharist, the sacramental offering of the redemptive act of Christ on the cross, so it is especially appropriate to use it after having received Holy Communion at holy Mass. It may be said at any time, but our Lord specifically told St. Faustina to recite it during the nine days before the Feast of Mercy which is the Sunday after Easter (this novena of prayer and the Mercy Sunday celebration will be the subject of our next article). He added: “By this novena, (of chaplets) I will grant every possible grace to souls.” (#796)

It is likewise appropriate to pray the chaplet during the “Hour of Great Mercy” – three o’clock each afternoon (recalling the time of Christ’s death on the cross). In his revelations to St. Faustina, our Lord asked for a special remembrance of the passion at that hour (#1320). During the Hour of Great Mercy on Friday in the Divine Mercy Chapel at Queen of Peace we alternate praying the chaplet one week and the Stations of the Cross (#1572) for aborted babies the next Friday. Generally at public praying of the chaplet, it is sung and various melodies may be used. Each day you can hear this on the local Catholic radio station, KFHC 88.1FM at 3 p.m. as sung by Kevin Keane and Claudia Hardy with Jane Cook on piano who generously offer their services often for divine mercy devotions. The sung chaplet is also available on compact disc at Catholic radio. It is a beautiful prayer which has contributed to the ever growing popularity and spread of divine mercy devotions throughout the world.