Or MARIAN of the IMMACULATE CONCEPTION
in Massachusetts


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The Chaplet of the Divine Mercy is a devotion based on the visions of Polish nun and canonized saint, Sister Faustina Kowalska (1905-1938), known as the "Apostle of Mercy". The chaplet is often said as a rosary-based prayer with the same set of rosary used for reciting the Holy Rosary or the Chaplet of Holy Wounds. However, the chaplet may also be said without beads, usually by counting prayers on the fingertips.

According to Sister Faustina's visions, written in her diary, the chaplet's prayers for mercy are threefold: to obtain mercy, to trust in Christ's mercy, and to show mercy to others. Still, according to Sister Faustina's visions, Jesus Christ promised that all who recite this chaplet at the hour of death or in the presence of the dying will receive great mercy. Jesus said, "....When they say this Chaplet in the presence of the dying, I will stand between My Father and the dying not as the just judge but as the Merciful Savior". Jesus also promised that anything can be obtained with this prayer if it is compatible with His will. It is prayed daily at the National Shrine of The Divine Mercy in Stockbridge, MA. In the Philippines, Singapore and Hong Kong the "3 o'clock Prayer" is broadcast on radio broadcasting & television stations daily at 3:00PM.

The chaplet is often recited on beads as a rosary based prayer Sister Faustina recounts in her diary that, in her vision, she saw an angel sent to a city to destroy it. Sister Faustina began to pray for God's mercy on the city and felt the strong presence of the Trinity. After she prayed the internally-instructed prayers, the angel was powerless to harm the city. In subsequent revelations, Sister Faustina learned that the prayers she spoke were to be taught to all the people of the world.
According to Roman Catholic tradition, the chaplet may be said at any time, but it is said especially on Divine Mercy Sunday and Fridays at 3:00 PM. In 2000, Pope John Paul II ordained the Sunday after Easter Divine Mercy Sunday, where Roman Catholics remember the institution of the Sacrament of Penance. The hour Jesus died by crucifixion, 3:00 PM is called the Hour of Mercy. In novena, the chaplet is usually said each of the nine days from Good Friday to Divine Mercy Sunday.
Pope John Paul II was instrumental in the formal establishment of the Divine Mercy devotion and acknowledged the efforts of the Marian Fathers in its promotion in a Papal Blessing in 2001, the 70th anniversary of the revelation of the Divine Mercy Message and Devotion.

Although the prayers said on the beads of the rosary chain share specific similarities in the Chaplet of Divine Mercy and the Chaplet of Holy Wounds, these are distinct chaplets and were introduced over 20 years apart, one in Poland, the other in France.

The chaplet is associated with a Polish image painted by Adolf Hyla. Hyla painted according to the visions Sister Faustina described in thanksgiving for having survived World War II. In the image, Jesus stands with a hand outstretched in blessing. The other hand clutches the side wounded by the spear, from which proceed beams of falling light. The words �Jesus I Trust in You� usually accompany the image (�Jezu Ufam Tobie� in Polish). The original Divine Mercy Image painted by Eugene Kazimirowski in Vilnius Lithuania under St. Faustina's direction, however according the Diary she cried seeing the finishing product of the painting for it was as beautifull as the vision she had seen. After much concerning the distress Jesus responded that the beauty of the painting did not lie in the brush but the grace it represents. The picture was then used in connection with the early years of the devotion being spread.


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Exposition of DIVINE MERCY - "A Child Shall Lead Them" explains the Mercy, 8:15 video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3mXywtKWxiE&feature=related

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The Prayer

The Chaplet of the Divine Mercy (1of2)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=__RbWgxA2G0&feature=related

The Chaplet of the Divine Mercy (2 of2)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nnE9z7gwows&feature=related

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The Songs

The Divine Mercy Prayer in a Song, in English
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eym833fy8Uc&feature=related
In Spanish
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z3lqJ_qdOPQ&feature=related

Chanting of Divine Mercy
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KB9Ib7kQRYQ&feature=related
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