The Divine Mercy novena is prayed between Good Friday and the Sunday of Divine Mercy, which is the Sunday following Easter. Those praying the novena are to pray for the special intentions of each day followed by the Chaplet of Divine Mercy.
St. Faustina wrote that Jesus told her, “On each day of the novena you will bring to My heart a different group of souls and you will immerse them in this ocean of My mercy … On each day you will beg My Father, on the strength of My passion, for the graces for these souls.”
(Diary of Faustina, 1209)
Open each day with the Chaplet to the Divine Mercy then say the prayer for the day’s intention :
First Day:
Today bring to Me ALL MANKIND, ESPECIALLY ALL SINNERS, and immerse them in the ocean of My mercy. In this way you will console Me in the bitter grief into which the loss of souls plunges Me.
Most Merciful Jesus, whose very nature it is to have compassion on us and to forgive us, do not look upon our sins but upon our trust which we place in Your infinite goodness. Receive us all into the abode of Your Most Compassionate Heart, and never let us escape from It. We beg this of You by Your love which unites You to the Father and the Holy Spirit.
Eternal Father, turn Your merciful gaze upon all mankind and especially upon poor sinners, all enfolded in the Most Compassionate Heart of Jesus. For the sake of His sorrowful Passion show us Your mercy, that we may praise the omnipotence of Your mercy for ever and ever. Amen.
How to Pray the Divine Mercy Chaplet
You can use regular Rosary beads or your fingers for this prayer.
Step 1: Intro Prayer
Make the Sign of the Cross, then say the following prayer:
“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.
(Repeat 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!”
Step 2: First Three Prayers
On the first three beads above the crucifix pray, one Our Father, one Hail Mary and The Apostles Creed.
Step 3: Eternal Father Prayer
Then on the first Our Father Bead say the Eternal Father prayer:
“Eternal Father, I offer Thee the Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity of Thy dearly beloved Son, Our Lord Jesus Christ, in atonement for our sins and those of the whole world.”
Step 4: Sorrowful Passion Prayer
After each Eternal Father prayer, on the ten Hail Mary Beads say the following prayer:
“For the sake of His sorrowful Passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world.”
(Repeat Steps 3 and 4 for all five decades).
Step 5: Holy God Prayer
Say the Holy God prayer, repeated three times:
“Holy God, Holy Mighty One, Holy Immortal One, have mercy on us and on the whole world.”
Step 6: Concluding Prayer
Conclude with the 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.”
