Divine Mercy Chaplet with Litany

Learn to pray the Divine Mercy Chaplet and the Divine Mercy Litany, with a helpful diagram and a PDF download for your convenience.

divine mercy chaplet prayer next to "jesus, i trust in you" framed image

“The prayer most pleasing to Me is prayer for the conversion for sinners. Know, my daughter, that this prayer is always heard and answered,” (Diary of St. Faustina, 1397). The deepest desire of our Lord for us is to spend eternity with Him in Heaven. But we should not only aim at getting ourselves to Heaven. We should also be praying for others to accept our Lord’s call. My favorite prayer intention is the salvation of sinners. And before I started praying the rosary daily, I prayed the Divine Mercy Chaplet daily since it is shorter, and thus easier to say consistently.

The Divine Mercy Chaplet only takes ten minutes to say and is well worth the time. I have even included a PDF of the Divine Mercy Chaplet below for your convenience. It is a very powerful prayer! In my opinion, there is nothing more important to pray for than salvation, because eternity is infinitely longer than anyone’s life on earth. And people don’t like to talk about Hell these days, but the suffering in Hell is far greater than any suffering God allows on Earth. On the other hand, the joy to be experienced in Heaven far surpasses any fleeting moment of ecstasy that we will experience on Earth.

What is the Divine Mercy Chaplet?

The Divine Mercy Chaplet is a prayer to the Heavenly Father to extend His mercy upon us through the merits of Christ’s Passion. The prayers in the chaplet are found in the diary of St. Maria Faustina Kowalska, a Polish nun. In the 1930’s, she had private revelations from Jesus, Who gave her the chaplet to be prayed as a novena from Good Friday to Divine Mercy Sunday (the second Sunday of Easter). The Divine Mercy Chaplet is typically prayed on rosary beads. And there is a specific intention for each day of the novena.

Why is the Divine Mercy Chaplet so powerful?

Jesus has attached powerful promises to the recitation of the Divine Mercy Chaplet. One of His promises, found in St. Faustina’s diary is, “Whoever will recite it will receive great mercy at the hour of death” (Diary of St. Faustina, 687). Among His other promises are, “Through the Chaplet you will obtain everything, if what you ask for is compatible with My will” (1731). If you’d like to learn more, read 14 promises attached to the Divine Mercy Chaplet.

Is there a special rosary for the Divine Mercy Chaplet?

The Divine Mercy Chaplet is prayed on an ordinary Catholic rosary.

How often should you pray the Divine Mercy Chaplet?

The Divine Mercy Chaplet is prayed every year as a novena (9 days), beginning on Good Friday and finishing the Saturday before Divine Mercy Sunday. However, many Catholics choose to pray the Chaplet year-round at 3 O’Clock, the Hour of Mercy.

Can you say the Divine Mercy Chaplet at any time?

Of course! Even though it is customary to pray the Divine Mercy Chaplet at 3 O’Clock or as a novena in preparation for Divine Mercy Sunday, it is worth saying at any time of day or year.

How to Pray the Divine Mercy Chaplet

Below is a step-by-step guide to praying the Divine Mercy Chaplet, as well as a diagram of how to pray it using a rosary.

Diagram of a rosary with the prayers for the Divine Mercy Chaplet

Opening Prayers

As with any prayer, begin with the sign of the cross, and then pray the following opening prayers.

1. Optional Opening Prayers

These two prayers are from St. Faustina’s diary and are often said at the beginning of the Divine Mercy Chaplet. However, you may leave them out if you wish.

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, which gushed forth from the Heart of Jesus as a fount of mercy for us, I trust in You! (Repeat three times)

2. 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.

3. Hail Mary

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

4. 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; the third day He rose again from the dead; He ascended into Heaven, and sitteth 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.

Decades

For each of the five decades of the Divine Mercy Chaplet, pray one Eternal Father prayer and ten “For the sake of His sorrowful Passion….”

1. Eternal Father

V. Eternal Father, I offer you the Body and Blood, soul and divinity of your dearly beloved Son, our Lord Jesus Christ,
R. in atonement for our sins and those of the whole world.

2. “For the sake…”

Repeat 10 times:

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

Closing Prayers

1. Holy God

Holy God, Holy Mighty One, Holy Immortal One, have mercy on us and on the whole world.
(Repeat 3 times)

2. Optional 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.

Divine Mercy Chaplet Litany

The following Litany is also from St. Faustina’s diary. If you like, you can add it to the end of the Divine Mercy Chaplet before the optional closing prayer.

Divine Mercy, gushing forth from the bosom of the Father, I trust in You.
Divine Mercy, greatest attribute of God, I trust in You.
Divine Mercy, incomprehensible mystery, I trust in You.
Divine Mercy, fountain gushing forth from the mystery of the Most Blessed Trinity, I trust in You.
Divine Mercy, unfathomed by any intellect, human or angelic, I trust in You.
Divine Mercy, from which wells forth all life and happiness, I trust in You.
Divine Mercy, better than the heavens, I trust in You.
Divine Mercy, source of miracles and wonders, I trust in You.
Divine Mercy, encompassing the whole universe, I trust in You.
Divine Mercy, descending to earth in the Person of the Incarnate Word, I trust in You.
Divine Mercy, which flowed out from the open wound of the Heart of Jesus, I trust in You.
Divine Mercy, enclosed in the Heart of Jesus for us, and especially for sinners, I trust in You.
Divine Mercy, unfathomed in the institution of the Sacred Host, I trust in You.
Divine Mercy, in the founding of the Holy Church, I trust in You.
Divine Mercy, in the Sacrament of Holy Baptism, I trust in You.
Divine Mercy, in our justification through Jesus Christ, I trust in You.
Divine Mercy, accompanying us through our whole life, I trust in You.
Divine Mercy, embracing us especially at the hour of death, I trust in You.
Divine Mercy, endowing us with immortal life, I trust in You.
Divine Mercy, accompanying us every moment of our life, I trust in You.
Divine Mercy, shielding us from the fire of hell, I trust in You.
Divine Mercy, in the conversion of hardened sinners, I trust in You.
Divine Mercy, astonishment for Angels, incomprehensible to Saints, I trust in You.
Divine Mercy, unfathomed in all the mysteries of God, I trust in You.
Divine Mercy, lifting us out of every misery, I trust in You.
Divine Mercy, source of our happiness and joy, I trust in You.
Divine Mercy, in calling us forth from nothingness to existence, I trust in You.
Divine Mercy, embracing all the works of His hands, I trust in You.
Divine Mercy, crown of all God’s handiwork, I trust in You.
Divine Mercy, in which we are all immersed, I trust in You.
Divine Mercy, sweet relief for anguished hearts, I trust in You.
Divine Mercy, only hope of despairing souls, I trust in You.
Divine Mercy, repose of hearts, peace amidst fear, I trust in You.
Divine Mercy, delight and ecstasy of holy souls, I trust in You.
Divine Mercy, inspiring hope against all hope, I trust in You.

Intentions for the Divine Mercy Chaplet

When the Divine Mercy Chaplet is prayed as a novena, there is a specific intention for each of the nine days, given to St. Faustina by our Lord. The following intentions are copied and pasted from The Divine Mercy website.

All mankind, especially sinners
The souls of priests and religious
All devout and faithful souls
Those who do not believe in God and those who do not yet know Jesus
The souls who have separated themselves from the Church
The meek and humble souls and the souls of little children
The souls who especially venerate and glorify His mercy
The souls detained in purgatory
The souls who have become lukewarm