Chaplet of Divine Mercy: Full Prayers & How to Pray
The Chaplet of Divine Mercy in full: every prayer, bead by bead, how to pray it on a rosary, the 3 o'clock Hour of Mercy, and a short prayer of trust.
The Chaplet of Divine Mercy
Opening prayers (optional)
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.)
Begin with: the Sign of the Cross, one Our Father, one Hail Mary, and the Apostles' Creed.
On each large bead (the Our Father 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 each of the ten small beads (the Hail Mary beads)
For the sake of His sorrowful Passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world.
Repeat these two prayers for all five decades.
Conclusion (three times, after the fifth decade)
Holy God, Holy Mighty One, Holy Immortal One, have mercy on us and on the whole world.
Closing prayer (optional)
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.
From the Diary of Saint Faustina Kowalska, as published by the USCCB and other Catholic sources.
A Short Personal Prayer of Trust in Divine Mercy
Jesus, I do not always know how to pray, and some days I hardly know what to ask for.
So I bring you my whole self: the things I regret, the people I worry about, and the corners of my heart I would rather keep hidden. I believe your mercy is bigger than all of it.
Forgive me where I have failed to love. Teach me to forgive others as freely as you forgive me. Let your mercy reach those who have no one praying for them tonight.
When I am tempted to despair, bring me back to one simple word: trust. Jesus, I trust in you. Amen.
Short Version
If you only have a minute: make the Sign of the Cross, then pray, "For the sake of His sorrowful Passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world," ten times, and finish with "Holy God, Holy Mighty One, Holy Immortal One, have mercy on us and on the whole world."
How to Pray the Chaplet of Divine Mercy
The chaplet is prayed on ordinary rosary beads and takes about ten minutes. It comes from the writings of Saint Faustina Kowalska, a Polish sister who recorded in her Diary the devotion to Jesus' mercy.
Step by step:
- Make the Sign of the Cross. Optionally say the opening prayers above.
- On the first beads, pray one Our Father, one Hail Mary and the Apostles' Creed.
- On each large bead, pray the Eternal Father prayer.
- On each of the ten small beads that follow, pray "For the sake of His sorrowful Passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world."
- Repeat for five decades.
- Finish with "Holy God, Holy Mighty One, Holy Immortal One" three times, and the closing prayer if you wish.
The Hour of Mercy: the chaplet can be prayed at any time of day or night, but many people pray it at 3 o'clock in the afternoon, the hour Jesus died. In Saint Faustina's Diary, Jesus asks that people remember his Passion at that hour and plead for mercy, especially for sinners.
Divine Mercy Sunday: the Feast of Divine Mercy is celebrated on the Sunday after Easter. The chaplet is a natural prayer for that day, and for the nine days before it, when many Catholics pray it as a novena beginning on Good Friday.
Is it the Rosary? No. It uses the same beads, but the prayers and focus are different. The Rosary meditates on the mysteries of Jesus and Mary; the chaplet pleads for mercy through the Passion of Christ.
Scripture to Pray With
The LORD is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and plenteous in mercy.
Psalm 103:8 (KJV)
It is of the LORD'S mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.
Lamentations 3:22-23 (KJV)
But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)
Ephesians 2:4-5 (KJV)
Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful.
Luke 6:36 (KJV)
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Chaplet of Divine Mercy?
It is a prayer said on rosary beads that offers the Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of Jesus to the Father and asks for mercy on us and on the whole world. It comes from the Diary of Saint Faustina Kowalska.
Can you pray the Divine Mercy Chaplet without a rosary?
Yes. You can count the prayers on your fingers or simply pray them from a card or this page. Rosary beads just make it easier to keep track.
What time should you pray the Divine Mercy Chaplet?
Any time is fine, but 3 o'clock in the afternoon, the Hour of Mercy, is the time Jesus asked people to remember his Passion. If you can't stop at 3, pray it when you can.
How long does the Divine Mercy Chaplet take?
About ten minutes at a calm pace. It is much shorter than the full Rosary.
When is Divine Mercy Sunday?
It is the Sunday after Easter, so the date changes each year.
Last updated 2026-10-12