Signum Crucis (Sign of the Cross in Latin)
In nomine Patris, et Filii, et Spiritus Sancti. Amen.

Symbolum Apostolorum (Apostles Creed in Latin)
Credo in Deum Patrem omnipotentem, Creatorem caeli et terrae; et in Iesum Christum, Filium eius unicum, Dominum nostrum; qui conceptus est de Spiritu Sancto, natus ex Maria Virgine; passus sub Pontio Pilato, crucifixus, mortuus, et sepultus; descendit ad infernos; tertia die resurrexit a mortuis; ascendit ad caelos, sedet ad dexteram Dei Patris omnipotentis; inde venturus est iudicare vivos et mortuos. Credo in Spiritum Sanctum; Sanctam Ecclesiam Catholicam; Sanctorum communionem; remissionem peccatorum; carnis resurrectionem; vitam aeternam. Amen.

Oratio Dominicae / Pater noster (Our Father in Latin)

Pater noster, qui es in caelis, sanctificetur Nomen Tuum. Adveniat regnum Tuum, fiat voluntas Tua, sicut in caelo et in terra. Panem nostrum quotidianum da nobis hodie, et dimitte nobis debita nostra, sicut et nos dimittimus debitoribus nostris, et ne nos inducas in tentationem, sed libera nos a malo. Amen.

Salutatio Angelica / Ave Maria (Hail Mary in Latin)

Ave Maria, gratia plena, Dominus tecum; Benedicta tu in mulieribus et benedictus fructus ventris tui, Iesus. Sancta Maria, Mater Dei, ora pro nobis peccatoribus, nunc et in hora mortis nostrae. Amen.

Doxologia Minor / Gloria Patri (Glory Be in Latin)
Gloria Patri, et Filio, et Spiritui Sancto, sicut erat in principio, et nunc et’semper, et in saecula saeculorum. Amen.

Oratio Fatima / O mi Iesu (Fatima Prayer in Latin)
O mi Iesu, remitte nobis peccata nostra! Libera nos ab igne inferiori. Miserere animis in purgatorio, maxime desertissimis.

Salve Regina
Salve Regina, Mater misericordiae; vita, dulcedo et spes nostra, salve. Ad te clamamus, exsules, filii Evae. Ad te suspiramus, gementes et flentes, in hac larimarum valle. Eia ergo advocata nostra, illos tuos misericordes oculos, ad nos converte. Et Iesum, benedictum fructum ventris tui, nobis post hoc exsilium ostende. O clemens, O pia, O dulcis Virgo Maria!V- Ora pro nobis, Sancta Dei Genitrix.
R- Ut digni efficiamur promissionibus Christi.

Oremus
Deus, cujus Unigenitus per vitam, mortem, et resurrectionem suam nobis salutis aeternae comparavit: concede, quaesumus; ut, haec mysteria sacratissimo beatae Mariae Virginis Rosario recolentes, et imitemur quor continent, et quod promittunt assequamur. Per eumdum Christum Dominum nostrum. Amen.Gratiam tuam quaesumus, Domine,mentibus nostris infunde, ut qui, angelo nuntiante, Christi Filii tui incarnationem cognovimus per passionem eius et crucem, ad resurrectionem gloriam perducamur, per eundem Christum Dominum nostrum. Amen.

En el nombre del Padre, y del Hijo, y del Espíritu Santo. Amén.

CREDO DE LOS APOSTOLES (Apostles Creed in Spanish)

Creo en Dios Padre Todopoderoso, Creador del Cielo y de la tierra, y en Jesucristo su Único Hijo, Nuestro Señor, que fue concebido por obra y gracia del Espíritu Santo; nació de Santa María Virgen, padeció bajo el poder de Poncio Pilato, fue crucificado, muerto y sepultado, descendió a los infiernos, al tercer día resucitó de entre los muertos; subió a los cielos, está sentado a la diestra de Dios Padre Todopoderoso; desde allí ha de venir a juzgar a los vivos y a los muertos. Creo en el Espíritu Santo, en la Santa Iglesia Católica, en la Comunión de los Santos, en el perdón de los pecados, en la resurrección de la carne, y en la vida eterna. Amén.

EL PADRE NUESTRO (The Our Father in Spanish)

Padre nuestro, que estás en el Cielo, santificado sea Tu nombre; venga a nosotros Tu Reino; hágase Tu Voluntad, así en la tierra como en el cielo.

Dános hoy nuestro pan de cada día; perdona nuestras ofensas como también nosotros perdonamos a los que nos ofenden; no nos dejes caer en tentación y líbranos del mal. Amén.

EL AVE MARÍA (Hail Mary in Spanish)

Dios te salve María, llena eres de Gracia, El Señor es contigo, bendita Tú eres entre todas las mujeres, y bendito es el fruto de tu vientre, Jesús.

Santa María Madre de Dios, ruega por nosotros los pecadores, ahora y en la hora de nuestra muerte. Amén.

EL GLORIA

Gloria al Padre, y al Hijo y al Espíritu Santo.

Como era en el principio, es ahora y siempre por los siglos de los siglos. Amén.

LA SALVE

Dios te salve, Reina y Madre, Madre de Misericordia, Vida y dulzura y esperanza nuestra. Dios te salve, a ti clamamos los desterrados hijos de Eva. A Ti suplicamos gimiendo y llorando en este valle de lágrimas. Ea, pues, Señora abogada nuestra. Vuelve a nosotros esos Tus ojos misericordiosos, y después de este destierro muéstranos a Jesús, fruto bendito de Tu vientre. ¡Oh clemente! ¡Oh piadosa! ¡Oh dulce Virgen María!

L. Ruega por nosotros, santa Madre de Dios
R. para que seamos dignos de alcanzar las promesas de nuestro Señor Jesucristo. Amén.

Después de cada decena, diga la siguiente oración pedida por la Virgen María en las apariciones de Fátima:

O Jesús mío, perdona nuestros pecados: libranos del fuego del infierno, conduce nuestras almas hacia el cielo, especialmente aquellas más necesitadas de Tu Misericordia.

Sign of the Cross

Sa ngalan ng Ama, at ng Anak, at ng Espiritu Santo. Amen.

Apostles Creed

Sumasampalataya ako sa Diyos Amang makapanyayari sa lahat, na may gawa ng langit at lupa. Sumasampalataya naman ako kay Hesukristo, iisang Anak ng Diyos, Panginoon nating lahat. Nagkatawang-tao Siya lalang ng Espiritu Santo; ipinanganak ni Santa Mariang Birhen. Pinagpakasakit ni Ponsio Pilato; ipinako sa krus, namatay at ibinaon. Nanaog sa mga impiyerno; nang may ikatlong araw nabuhay na mag-uli. Umakyat sa langit; naluluklok sa kanan ng Diyos Amang makapangyayari sa lahat. Doon magmumula’t pariritong huhukom sa nangabubuhay at nangamatay na tao. Sumasampalataya naman ako sa Diyos Espiritu Santo, na may Santa Iglesya Katolika; may kamsamahan ng mga Santo, may ikawawala ng mga kasalanan; at mabubuhay na mag uli ang nangamatay na tao, at may buhay na walang hanggan. Amen.

Our Father

Ama namin, sumasa-langit Ka. Sambahin ang ngalan Mo. Mapasa amin ang Kaharian Mo. Sundin ang loob Mo dito sa lupa para nang sa langit. Bigyan Mo kami ngayon ng aming kakanin sa araw-araw. At patawarin Mo kami ng aming mga sala, para nang pagpapatawad namin sa mg nagkakasala sa amin. At huwag Mo kaming ipahintulot sa tukso, at iadya Mo kami sa dilang masama. Amen.

Hail Mary

Aba Ginoong Maria, napupuno ka ng grasya, ang Panginoong Diyos ay sumasaiyo, bukod kang pinagpala sa babaeng lahat at pinagpala naman ang iyong Anak na si Jesus. Santa Maria, Ina ng Diyos, ipanalangin mo kaming makasalanan, ngayon at kung kami y mamamatay. Amen.

Glory Be

Luwalhati sa Ama at sa Anak at sa Espiritu Santo. Kapara nang sa una, gayon din ngayon at magpakilan pa man sa walang hanggan. Amen.

Oh My Jesus

O Jesus ko, patawarin Mo ang aming mga sala. Iligtas Mo kami sa apoy ng impiyerno. Hanguin Mo ang mga kaluluwa sa purgatoryo. Lalong-lalo na yaong mga walang nakakaalaala.

Hail Holy Queen

Aba Po Santa Mariang Hari, Ina ng Awa. Ikaw ang kabuhayan at katamisan; Aba pinananaligan ka namin. Ikaw nga ang tinatawagan namin, pinapanaw na taong anak ni Eva. Ikaw rin ang pinagbunbuntuhang hininga namin ng aming pagtangis dini sa lupang bayang kahapis-hapis. Ay aba, pintakasi ka namin, ilingon mo sa amin, ipakita mo sa amin ang iyong Anak na si Hesus. Santa Maria, Ina ng Diyos, maawain, maalam at matamis na Birhen. V. Ipanalangin mo kami, Reyna ng kasantusantuhang Rosaryo. R. Nang kami’y maging dapat makinabang ng mga pangako ni Hesukristo.

Final Prayer

Panalangin. Diyos at Panginoon namin, na ang bugtong na Anak Mo ay siyang ipinapagkamit namin ng kagalinga’t kabuhayang walang hanggan sa pamamagitan ng kanyang pagkakatawang-tao, pagkamatay at pagkabuhay na mag-uli; ipagkaloob Mo, hinihiling namin sa Iyo, na sa pagninilaynilay namin nitong mga misteryo ng Santo Rosaryo ni Santa Mariang Birhen ay hindi lamang matularan namin ang mga magagaling na hamimbawang nalalarawan doon, kundi naman makamtan namin ang mga kagalingang ipinangako sa amin; alang-alang kay Hesukristong Panginoon namin; na kapisan Mo at ng Espiritu Santo nabubuhay at naghahari magpasawalang hanggan. Amen.

My Rosary is a special prayer

send to us from God above. 

It’s sent to us by his Mother,

to tell us of his love.

My Rosary is made of beads,

each bead we say a prayer. 

We speak about our loving Father

who listens to our cares. 

My Rosary tells of our belief

we say the Apostles Creed. 

It is the prayer of our church

and things we must agree.

The little beads in rows of ten

are our dear Mother’s prayer. 

They are the things we ask of her

for all our daily cares.

We speak of Jesus in these prayers

to whom we really pray. 

We ask his Mother to take them

to Jesus every day.

The Rosary isn’t just some beads

which really don’t mean much. 

They are some very special prayers

so with our Lord we keep in touch. 

Mary gave us the Rosary

to guide us on our way

and always have some time

with her to teach us how to pray.

We say the “our Father”

to show our love for Him. 

Isn’t this a special way

to ask forgiveness for all our sins?

We praise the Holy Trinity

with the Glory Be.

Then we know the three in one

will be with us for all eternity.

So when you say the Rosary

just remember this and say: 

“It isn’t just a lot of words,

we talk to God and pray” 

Amen

Michael:  Hey guys! What did I miss last week?

Sarah:  Well, we had this talk about making right choices, again, and then Mrs. Smith reminded us to start practicing the Rosary.

Michael:  The what?

Sarah:  The Rosary.

Michael:  What’s the Rosary?

Sarah:  Come on.  Let me guess, you usually don’t come to the last Faith Formation class of the year do you?

Michael:  No, I’m there.

Sarah:  Then you should know about the Rosary.  We do it every year at the last Faith Formation class since Kindergarten.

Michael:  All I remember about the last class is we eat lots of brownies and cupcakes.  DE–LIC-IOUS!

Sarah:  No!  Before the party.  We meet in church and they make us pray the Rosary.

Michael:  Oh yah, that’s right.  They hold us hostage first!

Brian:  Hey, life is not just a party.  Don’t you remember what our teachers have been telling us all year long?  There is a GOD.  You have a free will to do what you want, and someday you’re going to die.  I know when I die; I want to be in heaven so I’m praying now!

Michael:  You know, that is something to think about.  BUT the Rosary?  Look at those nuns over there.  I CANNOT do that!

On the side … 2 nuns kneeling and praying in chant mode with serious faces holding their rosaries.  Along with the nuns is one monk.

Brian:  No, it doesn’t need to be like that, but that is where the Rosary did get its start, with the nuns and monks in monasteries.

Michael:  My dad made me watch that on the Catholic Cable Channel one time when nothing else was on TV.  That ancient nun with all those other ones.  Scary!

Chris W.:  That’s Mother Angelica, and she’s young compared to the Rosary!

Michael:  Then why do they want young people like us praying the Rosary?

Chris W.:  It’s really much more than just praying.

Michael:  How?

Chris W.:  You know it would really be better if we just did a decade of the Rosary but you must hang in there with me.  Okay?

Michael:  I guess I can give it a try.  How do we start?

FLASH FACT:  (Nuns pop up to explain a decade of the rosary)  A decade of the rosary contains the announcement of the mystery, an Our Father, 10 Hail Mary’s, a Glory Be and the Fatima Prayer.

John:  Well, today is a Monday so we are going to pray the Joyful Mysteries. 

Michael:  Now what do you mean by that, today’s Monday, then Joyful Mysteries.

John:  Well, you see every day of the week has a different set of mysteries assigned to it to help us meditate on the life of Jesus and Mary. 

Sarah:  Monday and Saturday are the Joyful Mysteries,

Chris W:  Tuesday and Friday are the Sorrowful Mysteries,

Matt:  Sunday and Wednesday are the Glorious Mysteries,

John:  and Thursdays are the Luminous Mysteries.  As Monsignor says, you start as you should begin all things, with the sign of the cross.  You do this while holding the crucifix in your right hand.

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

After that, we announce the intention for the Rosary we are saying.  The Rosary is a great way to pray for world peace but since this is Faith Formation, lets pray for all the students, teachers and families involved in Faith Formation. 

Michael:  So far so good.  What’s next?

John:  Since we are going to pray a decade of the rosary, we are going to skip the first four beads.  If we actually said the prayers there, they would be the Apostle’s Creed, one Our Father, three Hail Mary’s and 1 Glory Be followed by the  Fatima Prayer.  These prayers are recited for the virtues of Faith, Hope, and Charity.  I like to consider them a warm up for the decades.

Michael:  Whoa! You’re losing me.  What the heck is a Fatima?

John:  The Fatima Prayer is the special prayer Mary gave to the three children in Fatima Portugal.  Mary herself appeared to these children and told them to tell others to pray this prayer with the Rosary every day to help obtain world peace. 

Michael:  Okay.  How do we say this prayer.

John:  O my Jesus, forgive us our sins and save us from the fires of hell. Lead all souls to heaven, especially those in most need of Thy mercy.

Michael:  Are we done now?

John:  Nope.  We’re just getting started.  Now you move your fingers to the big bead under the center piece and recite the first Joyful Mystery – the Annunciation.  This is the start of the decade.   You say an 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.

Michael:  Now my fingers have no place to go.

Brian:  Yes they do, don’t worry.  Move them over the center piece and start up the right hand side of the loop.  The first bead there will be the first Hail Mary.  BUT, you are also supposed to be meditating on the Annunciation.

Michael:  How do you mediate on the Annunciation when you don’t even know what that big word means?

Brian:  Well, what other word can you see in Annunciation.

Michael:  NUN!  The nuns pop up and say/sing NUN!

Brian:  NO!  Keep the “AN” in front.

Michael:  Announc … Announce

Brian:  YES!  Now what big announcement started the whole life of Jesus?

Michael:  Oh, I think I know this one.  When that angel dude came to Mary and told her she was going to have a baby.

John:  You got it!

Michael:  But how do I “Meditate” on the annunciation when I say Hail Mary’s.

Brian:  You can get a brochure with the pictures like this one, or use your imagination.  Imagine this.  You see Mary praying.  Then you picture the Angel Gabriel going to Mary.  When Angel Gabriel comes to Mary he’s talking with her. 

As you start go get this picture in your mind, you start praying

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 death. Amen.

Brian:  How are you doing?

Michael:  I think I’m getting it.

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 death. Amen.

Brian:  Doing Okay?

Michael:  The picture seems like it’s fading.

John:  Then take the time to imagine more of the picture.  Listen for Angel Gabriel to say;

Angel Gabriel:  “Hail Mary, Full of Grace.  God has found favor with you”

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 death. Amen.

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 death. Amen.

Sarah:  Are you getting it?

Michael:  Yeah, but I think I need to imagine more.

Sarah:  Good.  Now think of Mary saying

Mary:  How can this be?  I am not married and do not know a man that way.

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 death. Amen.

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 death. Amen.

Michael:  Hey, lets imagine more …

Angel Gabriel:  It is through the power of the Holy Spirit you will conceive a son.

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 death. Amen.

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 death. Amen.

Mary:  Yes, let God’s will be done!

Angel Gabriel:  You will name your baby Immanuel which means God is with us.

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 death. Amen.

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 death. Amen.

Sarah:  Now we have said ten Hail Mary’s, it’s time to wrap it up with …

GLORY BE to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end.  Amen.

Michael:  Do we say that Fatima thingy now.

Sarah:  Yes we say the Fatima PRAYER now.

O my Jesus, forgive us our sins and save us from the fires of hell. Lead all souls to heaven, especially those in most need of Thy mercy.

Michael:  That wasn’t really bad at all.  It was really kind of fast.  I often find myself daydreaming during prayers so this might be a good way for me to pray.  By the way, how did you guys know so much about the Rosary?

Brian:  Our families recite the Rosary together after Mass every Sunday.

Michael:  Really?  That’s nice.  Maybe I’ll have to get my family to do the same thing.

Brian:  That sounds like a great plan.  Now let’s go party and eat some brownies.

THE END!!!

To do this project you will need:

1 Needle nose pliers
1 Side cutter pliers
About a foot of chain. More or less depending on how long you want your links to be
6 Large beads
50 Small beads
1 Medal (I don’t know exactly what this is called but it has two loops on the top and one on the bottom and usually shows a religious icon)
1 Cross or crucifix.
2 jump rings

This is the rosary you will be making.

The rosary isn’t just a Catholic prayer. In recent years, several Protestant denominations have devised their own rosary devotions. The Orthodox Church has its own rosary. Ivy has created (and beaded) her own Jewish rosary. And prayer-beads themselves have existed for about as long as there have been prayers.

The rosary started out as a peasant devotion, after all. Just as there are hundreds of ways of making cheese, and how the baking of bread evolves to suit the needs of the bread-makers, the rosary has also evolved since its beginning as “the poor man’s psalter.”

Initially it was a strand of 150 beads (or a rope with 150 knots), one for each psalm. Those who couldn’t read or didn’t have a psalter would instead recite a formula prayer on each of the beads. Over time, it shortened to a strand of 50 beads, but then it got separated at every 10 beads with a different prayer. And again over time, the formula prayer for the small beads became the Hail Mary, while the dividing prayer became the Our Father. (Protestant formulae can use the Jesus Prayer or the Our Father on the small beads.) Then each group of ten (or decade) became prayers in honor of a specific mystery, and later on morphed into a meditation on that mystery.

In effect, what you have with a well-said rosary is a guided meditation that involves all the human form. At the most prosaic level, you’re involving touch: you’re holding a bead. (Counting on fingers also works okay, since you probably have ten of them.) At the next level is your sense of sound: the verbal recitation, even if only in your head. Plus it involves a soothing repetition which aids in reaching the next level: the meditation.

The meditation prayer is the most important part of the rosary, and that’s the part that really can’t be taught. You can learn the words to a formula prayer, but it’s only with practice that you can shut out the world and enter into the mysteries surrounding the Kingdom of God. 

If you’re meditating on the Sorrowful Mysteries, for example, you dwell on the events surrounding the crucifixion of Jesus. In the first mystery you immerse yourself in his agony in the garden as he anticipated what was to come; his prayer that the Father remove the pain and his simultaneous submission; his abandonment by his closest friends, the ones whom he had just told he would give his body for. Consider the fact that everyone there — the ones who hit him, the one who kissed and betrayed him, the ones who deserted him — were people he loved enough that he would die to save them. 

In the meditation, you try to feel what Jesus felt. You apply it to your own life. You see yourself in Jesus. You see yourself in the ones who fled, the ones who insulted him, the one who betrayed him. You grasp that his pain here is entirely internal, and then you know Jesus is with you in your depression, in your anxiety, in your grief. You might even intersperse the ten prayers with ten verses of scripture, dwelling on each line as you move through the mystery.

Every mystery is like this, a richness of human understanding and divine love. 

The rosary, however it’s prayed, is an entry into a heart’s comprehension of the kingdom of God.

If I’ve piqued your interest, head over to Ivy’s Vine and learn to make your own. Then learn to pray it. I would suggest every day for a month so you get used to coordinating the body-movements, the verbal prayer and the mental prayer all at the same time. Everyone is called to different ways of prayer, of course, but you may find this one life-changing.

Visit Jane’s blog at www.philangelus.wordpress.com

 Born as Helena Kowalska, sister Maria Faustina took her name when she joined the order of the Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy in the early 1900’s.  Sister Faustina began to receive the message of Divine Mercy through the many mystical visions and locutions she received from Jesus.  Jesus gave sister Faustina the mission of telling the world of His infinite Mercy, and bringing the world back to His loving heart.  Jesus also instructed Sister Faustina to record everything He spoke to her.  In the spirit of obedience, sister Faustina did just that.  Her diary, called Divine Mercy in my Soul includes the dialogue between her and Jesus that at once transformed, and defined her life.   Many of her fellow sisters did not understand the mission she had been given by Jesus, and the deeply intimate relationship she was called to have with Him.  Sister Faustina led a life of hidden humility, marked by much physical and spiritual suffering.  However, her constant state of prayer allowed her to forward the message of mercy and convert the hearts of many.

Jesus’s message of Divine Mercy is one of love and forgiveness.  He wants the world to know that no sin is greater than His mercy.  All we must do is put our trust in Jesus and accept His love.  We also must do our part to show love, compassion, and forgiveness to others by allowing His mercy to flow through us.

A tool that Jesus gave to us through sister Faustina, in order to spread His mercy to others through prayer, is the Divine Mercy chaplet.  Sister Faustina describes in her diary, the vision she had of Jesus, that led to the formation of the Chaplet of Divine Mercy

“In the evening, when I was in my cell, I became aware of the Lord Jesus clothed in a white garment. One hand was raised in blessing, the other was touching the garment at the breast. From the opening of the garment at the breast there came forth two large rays, one red and the other pale. In silence I gazed intently at the Lord; my soul was overwhelmed with fear, but also with great joy. After a while Jesus said to me, ‘paint an image according to the pattern you see, with the inscription:  Jesus, I trust in You.

“The pale ray stands for the Water which makes souls righteous; the red ray stands for the Blood which is the life of souls. These two rays issued forth from the depths of My most tender Mercy at that time when My agonizing Heart was opened by a lance on the Cross….Fortunate is the one who will dwell in their shelter, for the just hand of God shall not lay hold of him.” 

After receiving this vision and many others like it, Jesus revealed to sister Faustina that she would be His instrument for spreading His Divine Mercy to the world.  It was at this time that the words of the Divine Mercy chaplet were given to sister Faustina for her to record and share with the world. 

The Chaplet of Divine Mercy
(For recitation on a chaplet or ordinary rosary beads)

                                                                            Divine Mercy Chaplet

Begin with the Sign of the Cross. Continue by saying one Our Father, one Hail Mary, and the The Apostles Creed.

Then on the OUR FATHER BEAD you will say the following words:

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 10 HAIL MARY BEADS you will say the following words: For the sake of His sorrowful Passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world.

Continue in this pattern four more times as you go around the chaplet or rosary. In conclusion THREE TIMES you will recite these words:

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

End with the Sign of the Cross. 

Jesus has asked us to pray this chaplet unceasingly for the salvation of souls.  He has promised to all who pray this prayer, great mercy at the hour of death.  As Jesus said to sister Faustina, “I want the whole world to know My Infinite Mercy. I want to give unimaginable graces to those who trust in My Mercy….” Sept 13, 1935

Novena and Divine Mercy Sunday

Through sister Faustina’s visions, Jesus also requested that the first Sunday after Easter be dedicated the Feast of Divine Mercy.  Jesus has promised that on this day, His mercy would be overflowing to those who call upon it.   It was on Sunday, April 30, 2000, that Pope John Paul II decreed that the Sunday after Easter officially be known as Divine Mercy Sunday.

Along with the Feast of Divine Mercy, Jesus has revealed that during the time preceding this feast day, a novena should be recited.  This novena should begin on Good Friday in preparation for the forthcoming Divine Mercy Sunday.  Jesus designated a special intention for each day of the novena. 

The intentions Jesus requested are as follows:

Good Friday – All mankind, especially sinners

Holy Saturday – The souls of priests and religious

Easter Sunday – All devout and faithful souls

Easter Monday – Those who do not believe in Jesus and those who do not yet know Him

Easter Tuesday – The souls of separated brethren

Easter Wednesday – The meek and humble souls and the souls of children

Easter Thursday – The souls who especially venerate and glorify Jesus’ mercy

Easter Friday – The souls who are detained in purgatory

Easter Saturday – The souls who have become lukewarm