DIVINE

NOVENA

Holy Spirit Fremont Ca

Eucharistic Exposition and Benediction (Exposition) Please Kneel O salutaris Hostia, Quae caeli pandis ostium: Bella premunt hostilia, Da robur, fer auxilium.

Uni trinoque Domino Sit sempiterna gloria, Qui vitam sine termino Nobis donet in patria. Amen.

O saving Victim, opening wide, The gate of to man below! Our foes press on from every side. Thine aid supply, thy strength bestows.

To Thy great name by endless praise, Immortal Godhead, one in Three. Oh, grant us endless length of days, In our true native land with Thee. Amen

To the

Come Holy Spirit, I need you Come Holy Spirit, I pray Come in your strength and your power Come in your own gentle way

Come like a spring in the desert Come to the weary of Lord let your sweet healing power Touch me and make me whole

What It Is The word "" comes from the Latin meaning "nine each." It is a prayer or Holy Mass that is offered for nine consecutive days.

Scripturally, take their origin from the nine days of prayer before Pentecost.

After the Ascension, the apostles, and disciples, in obedience to the Lord, gathered in the upper room and devoted themselves to constant prayer, together with Mary, the Mother of (Acts 1:4-5).

The nine days of prayer can also be considered as a representation of the nine months of Jesus in the womb of Mary. Like Jesus our Head, we His Body are also to be born of Mary and the Holy Spirit.

The nine days of prayer were gestation prior to the birth of the Church on Pentecost. Since then, each novena can be considered as a time of gestation before a new outpouring of the Holy Spirit.

What It Is Not Over the centuries, the practice of making novenas grew in popularity, and inevitably, abuses developed like weeds in a garden.

One abuse is absolute guarantees of positive results. There are no absolute guarantees.

Prayer must always be made according to the will of . Even Christ Himself prayed, "Not my will, Father, but Yours be done."

We pray with trust that God will give us what He knows is best for us.

Another abuse is the guarantee that a particular novena will never fail if we publish the novena prayer. These mistaken ideas can often cause great confusion and lead to superstition.

Persistent Prayer Novenas should be considered persistent prayer.

Jesus exhorted us to continually ask, seek, and knock for what we need (Lk 11:10), and he gave us strong examples of the value of persistence in prayer — like the widow who kept pleading with the judge (Lk 18:1-8) and the man who woke his neighbor in the middle of the night to give him bread (Lk 11:5-9).

St. Faustina also gives us a powerful example of persistence in prayer. Novenas were an important and regular part of her spiritual life. She made novenas of different kinds and for various needs. For her they were times of intense and persevering prayer.

For us, too, novenas can be times of persevering prayer for special needs and of preparation for solemn feasts.

Novenas also can help us to focus our intentions so that we can more effectively give thanks for God's response to our needs — whatever they are — placing ever greater trust in the Lord Jesus.

“Pray for souls that they be not afraid to approach the Tribunal of My mercy. Do not grow weary of praying for sinners. You know what a burden their souls are to My Heart. Relieve My deathly sorrow; dispense My mercy.” (Diary of St. Faustina, para.975)

“O, how ardently I desire that all mankind turn with trust to Your mercy!” (Diary of St. Faustina, para.929)

Today, 27th September, begins the Novena in honor of Saint Faustina, ending on her feast day on 5th October. This great Apostle of enjoys great power before the Throne of Mercy.

In her Diary, she promised that in Heaven, she would not forget this world but would continue to draw souls to trust in the Merciful Lord – “When I stand at the foot of Your throne, the first hymn that I will sing will be one to Your mercy. Poor earth, I will not forget you. Although I feel that I will be immediately drowned in God as in an ocean of happiness, that will not be an obstacle to my returning to earth to encourage souls and incite them to trust in God’s mercy. Indeed, this immersion in God will give me the possibility of boundless action.” (Diary, para.1582)

May all of us who seek her heavenly intercession enjoy the grace she obtains for us from the Merciful Lord.

“I promise that the that will venerate this Image will not perish.”

“I am offering people a vessel with which they are to keep coming for graces to the fountain of mercy. That vessel is this Image with the signature; Jesus, I trust in You.”

“The two rays denote Blood and Water. 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 very depths of My tender mercy when My agonized Heart was opened by a lance on the Cross.” – words of the Merciful Jesus recorded in the Diary of Saint Faustina

St Faustina tells us how the Image of Divine Mercy came about, following the appearance of the Most Merciful Jesus on 22 February

St Faustina tells us how the Image of Divine Mercy came about, following the appearance of the Most Merciful Jesus on 22 February 1931 in her cell at the in Plock, :

“In the evening, when I was in my cell, I saw the Lord Jesus clothed in a white garment. One hand was raised in blessing, the other was touching the garment at the breast. From beneath the garment, slightly drawn aside at the breast, there were emanating two large rays, one red, the other pale. In silence, I kept my gaze fixed on the Lord; my soul was struck with awe, but also with great joy.

After a while, Jesus said to me – “Paint an image according to the pattern you see, with the signature – Jesus, I trust in You. I desire that this image be venerated first in your Chapel, and then throughout the whole world.” Much later, another Sister gave testimony which noted that on this occasion, children standing in the street across from the Convent saw rays of light coming from a window – it was the window of St Faustina’s cell.

The creation of the Image became a great trial for the young nun; despite repeated requests from the Lord, it would be three years before the Image would finally be painted by a local artist, Eugene Kazimierowski, the work paid for by Blessed Fr Sopocko, who was Confessor and Spiritual Director to St Faustina.

The image depicted on this page is the original Image of Divine Mercy which was painted under the direction of St Faustina ‘according to the pattern’ she alone saw and saw repeatedly – the Lord was careful to ensure that the Saint was completely familiar with ‘the pattern’ she saw. It is often referred to as ‘the Image’.

The original Image of Divine Mercy (the ‘Vilnius Image’) painted by Eugene Kazimierowski under the direction of St Faustina

Although there are now many representations of the Divine Mercy Image, this is the only one seen by St Faustina, the only one painted under her own direction, and the only one on which the Lord later commented to the Saint – ‘Not in the beauty of the color, nor of the brush, lies the greatness of this Image, but in My grace’.

The red and pale rays represent the Blood and Water which flowed from the pierced Heart of Christ upon the Cross on Good Friday. The pale ray denotes the Sacraments of Baptism and Reconciliation, ‘which makes souls righteous, while the red ray denotes the Sacrament of the Eucharist, the ‘life of souls.’

The Image is intrinsically and intimately linked to the life of the Church and to Her Sacraments, and in a very real way, to the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, as – like the entire Devotion – it calls us to take up our Baptismal roles of priest, prophet and king in response to the demands of the Most Merciful Jesus, to join our sacrifice to His, and to be merciful as God is merciful.

The original Image would eventually be placed publicly at the Ostra Brama Gate by Father Sopocko and would be venerated there for three days, throughout the Easter Triduum of 1935. Since that date, the Image has multiplied throughout the world and is venerated in many places and by many people, not least of all on the Feast of Mercy each year.

“This Image is to be a reminder of the demands of My mercy, because even the strongest is of no avail without works.”

This Image is indeed a reminder of the demands of the Most Merciful Jesus as revealed in the devotion given to St Faustina and it crystallizes the essentials of the devotion, as well as being a conduit of grace. Note that we venerate the Image as something holy, but we do not adore or worship it; rather, we adore and worship the One represented in this Image, He Who is Divine Mercy.

In his excellent book ‘A Divine Mercy Resource: How To Understand The Devotion To Divine Mercy’, Richard Toretto gives a much fuller and more profound explanation of the Image itself, it’s history and the symbolism surrounding it, as well as looking fairly exhaustively at every aspect of the Divine Mercy devotion as revealed to St Faustina. For anyone wishing to learn more about the devotion generally, and particularly for Priests and those who will speak about the Devotion, I highly recommend this book.

The Old Covenant In the Jewish tradition, the Holy of Holies was the most sacred of places, found in the innermost part of the Temple, beyond the Holy Place. In it was found the Ark of the Covenant, containing the tablets upon which were written the Ten Commandments as given by God to Moses on Mount Sinai. The lid of the Ark was made of pure gold and was called the Mercy Seat. The Holy of Holies was separated from the remainder of the Temple and from the Holy Place by the Veil of the Temple.

It was the place where God resided, His glory having entered there. The light of the glory of God was the only light in the Holy of Holies. The Holy of Holies was so sacred that only the High Priest could enter there, and only on one day of the year – the Day Of Atonement, known as Yom Kippur.

The Day Of Atonement was a day or repentance and atonement and it fell at the end of the Days Of Awe. The Jewish people would offer prayers of for their sins against God and against each other. During the Days Of Awe, God would inscribe the names of the people in the Book of Life and on the Day Of Atonement, the verdict would be sealed as to whether their names remained inscribed there.

To prepare for this Day of Atonement, the High Priest had to be properly prepared and sanctified. He would remove his usual ornate robes, replacing these with a simple garment of white linen, tied at the waist. Entering the most holy place, he would sprinkle the blood of sacrificial animals (a goat and a bull) upon the Mercy Seat and beg the forgiveness of the Almighty and Holy God, in his name and in the name of all the people.

Throughout the Gospels and the New Testament, the Person of Jesus is represented as the personification of the Holy of Holies – He is the spotless lamb, slain to take away the sins of the world. His Death on the Cross is the moment at which the Veil of the Temple is torn in two.

And at the moment of His death upon the Cross, the lance of the soldier opens the Wound in His , from which Blood and Water flows forth; this Heart is the Source or Fountain of all mercy and grace.

He is the fulfilment and completion of the Old Law, and He is the institution of the new and eternal Covenant. He is both the High Priest and the Sacrifice.

He alone stands between the Eternal Father and mankind – now, the Father sees mankind only through the Wounds of the Crucified, His Son, Whose death atones for the sins of the world. He is the reparation and atonement of the Day Of Atonement.

The New Covenant In the Divine Mercy image, Jesus is depicted as the risen and glorious Lord – this is the Lord Who appears to the Apostles after the Resurrection, blessing them and granting them His peace, that peace ‘which surpasses all human understanding’. He is dressed simply, in a white garment tied at the waist.

In His Hands, there are the Wounds of the Crucifixion – now a sign of life, not of death. His right Hand is raised in blessing, while His left Hand draws aside His garment at the area of His Heart.

And from that Heart (which is not seen), two rays stream forth; the first ray is red, the second is pale. These are the Blood and Water which flowed from the Heart of Christ upon the Cross, as It was pierced by the lance of Longinus. At that moment, torrents of mercy and grace flowed out upon the whole world. Also at that moment, the Veil of the Temple was torn in two, as the Gospel account of the Crucifixion tells us.

The expression of the Lord is one of peace, and His eyes are cast slightly downwards – the expression of Christ on the Cross, looking down upon all of humanity represented by the Beloved Disciple, the Mother of the Lord and the others gathered at the foot of the Cross.

The lower portion of the Image of the Lord is darker than the upper section – reminding us that, as in the Holy of Holies, the only light is that of the Lord God, Who the Creed tells us is ‘Light from Light’.

The Foot of the Lord is placed forward, as though He were stepping out of the Image towards us. This reminds us that our adoration of His mercy is not the first action, but a response on our part; the first action is His – offering us that Divine Mercy in the first place, although entirely undeserved.

The Latin word for ‘mercy’ is ‘misericordia’ – this means, the movement of a heart toward misery. The Heart of God is moved by human misery and reaches out in tenderness and infinite compassion toward each of us; not because we deserve it, but because we do not deserve it. Mercy is which is undeserved, but which is given freely, nonetheless.

In this Image, the Lord is the personification of the New Covenant. He is both High Priest and living and eternal Sacrifice.

By inviting us to adore His mercy and to reflect it in our own lives, we are reminded of our Baptismal roles as priest, prophet and king; with Him, we are invited to ‘be merciful as your Father in Heaven is merciful’, to offer our sacrifice in union with His and, as St Paul describes it, to ‘make up what is lacking in the Body of Christ, which is the Church’.

SAINT FAUSTINA

Authentic portrait of Saint

“You are the Secretary of My Mercy; I have chosen you for this office, in this life and in the next” – the Merciful Lord speaking to Saint Faustina, as recorded in her Diary, para.1605

In the darkest of days, the Lord raises up great Saints in the Church who shine like beacons; the clarity of their holiness, and their light and example, showing all of us what is expected of us in living out the Gospels. Those Saints are always provided by the Lord at the perfect moment, and they tend to provide an ‘antidote’ of sorts, to the evils and errors of any particular age.

Affectionately known as "The Divine Mercy Saint" and dubbed by Pope John Paul II as "The Great Apostle of Divine Mercy," St. Faustina was a simple Polish nun with only a few years of education. Yet, her Diary has been counted among the greatest literary works of mysticism.

In the Diary, St. Faustina recorded from our Lord for the whole world — calling everyone to turn with trust to His mercy.

She was declared a saint on 2000, the feast day which our Lord described to her decades earlier.

The first half of the 20th Century was a time of unspeakable horror, brutality and inhumanity; a time filled with two World Wars, when so many souls were lost in conflicts and when many millions died in the concentration camps in parts of Europe – although even there, the grace of God was alive and active. And in this time of immense hatred between men and nations, the Lord reminded us of the very heart of the Gospel – the message of mercy.

The herald of this message of Divine Mercy was a simple and poorly educated young nun with barely three years of basic schooling, living quietly in a convent in Poland, cooking in the kitchen, tending the garden and answering the door. But in just a few years, her name would become known the world over and she would announce a message which has been described as “the greatest grass-roots movement in the history of the Church”.

As the first canonized Saint of the Third Millennium, she would herald a message both ancient and new, the message of Mercy – the beating heart of the Gospel. This is the story of St Faustina, her life and her mission as the Apostle and Secretary of Divine Mercy.

On Divine Mercy Sunday, 30th April 2000, Pope John Paul II gave the Catholic Church – and the world – the first canonized Saint of the Third Millennium. In Baptism, she had received the name Helena Kowalska, while in religious life she would later be given the name by which we now know her – Sister Maria Faustina, the ‘Apostle and Secretary of the Divine Mercy’.

She is recognized as one of the greatest mystics in the history of the Church; and her Diary –‘Divine Mercy In My Soul’– is recognized by Church scholars and theologians as a work of immense importance for our times. So much so that there is presently a petition to have St Faustina declared a Doctor of the Church.

So, what is the story of her life?

Helena Kowalska was born on 25th August 1905 in Glogowiec, Poland, into a poor family of ten children, of which she was the third. Helena felt the call to religious life from a young age. In her Diary, she wrote – “From the age of seven, I experienced the definite call of God, the grace of a vocation to the religious life. It was in the seventh year of my life that, for the first time, I heard God’s voice in my soul; that is, an invitation to a more perfect life. But I was not always obedient to the call to grace. I came across no one who would have explained these things to me.”

Attending a dance as a teenager, she saw a of the Lord Jesus, Who reprimanded her and asked how long she would keep putting off His call. Immediately, she went to the Cathedral of St Stanislaus to pray. Faustina describes what happened next – “It was almost twilight; there were only a few people in the Cathedral. Paying no attention to what was happening around me, I fell prostrate before the Blessed Sacrament and begged the Lord to be good enough to allow me to understand what I should do next. Then I heard these words, “Go at once to ; you will enter a convent there”. I rose from prayer, came home and took care of things that needed to be settled. As best I could, I confided to my sister what took place within my soul. I told her to say goodbye to our parents and thus, in one dress, with no other belongings, I arrived in Warsaw.”

‘Divine Mercy In My Soul’ – the Diary of St Faustina. Already recognized by theologians as an outstanding spiritual work and a classic of Catholic mysticism, and provoking calls to have St Faustina declared a Doctor of the Church.

In the city, she entered the first Church she saw, asking the help of the Priest there in finding a convent who would accept her. He put her in touch with a woman who needed a servant, so that she was able to support herself until she could enter religious life.

She approached various , all of whom refused her entry. Finally, on 1st August 1925, she knocked on a convent door on Zytnia Street, the Convent of the Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy. Requesting entry, she was told to ‘ask the Lord of the House if He will accept you’; entering the Chapel, she prayed and heard a voice tell her – “I do accept you”. She would spend the next thirteen years as a sister in this community, taking the religious name Faustina, and moving to several houses of the Order at different times.

Sister Faustina led a very humble life within the Order, working as gardener, cook and door-keeper. Her heroism consisted – like that of the great St Therese of Lisieux – not in great deeds, but in repeated small deeds done every single day with great love and humility, out of love of God and neighbor. This was her path to true sanctity, a small and hidden way, lived with immense love.

Living at the convent in Plock in the summer of 1930, her health began to deteriorate – partly due to her personal mortification through fasting but mainly due to the beginning of illness, now thought to have been tuberculosis. She would continue to have periods of ill health over the coming years.

On 22nd February 1931, while alone in her cell, she received a vision of the Merciful Jesus, as He is depicted in the Divine Mercy image. He told her – “Paint an image according to the pattern you see, with the signature: ‘Jesus, I trust in You’. I desire that this image be venerated, first in your chapel, and then throughout the world. I promise that the soul that will venerate this image will not perish.”

It was the beginnings of the new form of devotion to Jesus as Divine Mercy. The Lord was giving Faustina a task which she would carry on until death – and beyond. This task brought numerous obstacles, as well as numerous graces, to the young nun.

She was transferred to the convent in Vilnius in the summer of 1933, and here she met Fr Michael Sopocko, who would become her Spiritual Director and Confessor – and it was to him that Faustina would reveal the demands of the Lord Jesus.

Fr Sopocko arranged psychiatric testing, which revealed no mental health problems; assured she was not deluded but was, rather, apparently genuine in what she had told him, he began to help her to fulfil her mission – and this, he would continue to do long after her death, and until his own. Much later, he would be beatified in recognition of his own personal sanctity.

In His revelations to St Faustina (which have received the full approval of the Church), Jesus proposed a form of Divine Mercy with particular characteristics and features. Although the form of the devotion was new, ‘Divine Mercy’ was an ancient idea – and one which is the beating heart of the Gospels.

Notably, the Lord Jesus requested an image to be painted, asking for it to be venerated throughout the world. He also gave Sr Faustina prayers, in the form of a ‘Chaplet of Divine Mercy’, as well as a Novena with particular intentions for each of the nine days. And He asked for a Feast of Divine Mercy to be celebrated throughout the entire Church on the Sunday after Easter.

The Lord also reminded Sr Faustina often that the way would not be easy for her, that she would achieve anything only by emptying herself and relying entirely on the grace of God. She would encounter great obstacles in meeting His demands and for a while, it would appear that all was lost; but in the end, victory would be achieved.

Original Image of the Divine Mercy at the in Vilnius, painted by the artist Eugene Kazimierowski, under the direction of St Faustina Fr Sopocko eventually arranged to have the first Image of Divine Mercy painted, using his own money to pay the artist Eugene Kazimierowski – this Image of Divine Mercy was painted under Sr Faustina’s direction over a period of several months; it is the only Image of the Merciful Jesus which she ever saw during her life and the only one which had her approval.

This original Image is in the Shrine of Divine Mercy in Vilnius.

Fr Sopocko also celebrated the very first ‘Feast of Divine Mercy’ in April 1935, with Sr Faustina present. Father Sopocko had also instructed her, under obedience, to write down everything about the visions she was experiencing – her Diary, entitled ‘Divine Mercy In My Soul’, would later become known throughout the entire world.

Throughout 1936 and 1937, Fr Sopocko arranged the publication of pamphlets giving details on the new Divine Mercy devotion and containing the Image of Divine Mercy, all with the approval of Archbishop Jałbrzykowski, who gave the literature his Imprimatur. From that point, the devotion would go on to spread throughout the world like a fire.

Years later, it seemed as though the whole devotion had come undone when the Diary was prohibited by the Vatican, due to a poor translation of the Diary which gave the impression – incorrectly – that it contained theological errors.

The ban lasted twenty years until the intervention of the Archbishop of Krakow, who would later become Pope John Paul II. The rescinding of the prohibition noted there were ‘no impediments’ to the spreading of the devotion as proposed by Sr Faustina.

Around the same time that the message of Divine Mercy was becoming more widely known, Sr Faustina’s health was failing and she spent part of 1938 in a sanatorium before returning to the convent in Krakow, where she died a holy death on 5th October 1938. She was buried on the feast of Our Lady of the , 7th October.

Sr Faustina’s sanctity consisted not in her marvelous visions and revelations, but in her abandonment to the will of God and her desire to seek nothing but that will, forgetting herself entirely and seeking only the Lord, and living to an heroic degree of virtue in the process. This is something all of us should seek to do, for as the Second Vatican Council reminded us very clearly, the call to holiness is universal.

Shrine containing the Relics of St Faustina at the Basilica of Divine Mercy, Krakow

Her remains are in the Chapel of the Basilica of Divine Mercy in Krakow, where they have since been venerated by St John Paul II, Pope Benedict and , as well as countless millions of pilgrims who have come to ask her heavenly intercession.

One of these pilgrims was American woman Maureen Digan. She visited the tomb in the spring of 1981, having endured terrible ill health over many years, and come to ask St Faustina for a cure. And this was exactly what she received, the miraculous nature of the cure being ratified by the Vatican in 1992, leading to the beatification of Sr Faustina.

Later, the miraculous healing of Father Ron Pytel (he was cured of a serious heart condition whilst some of his parishioners were praying at the tomb) on St Faustina’s feast day, 5th October 1995, led to her . And in October 2011, various Cardinals and Archbishops wrote to Pope Benedict, requesting that he consider declaring St Faustina a Doctor of the Church.

Now, St Faustina’s name is known the world over, as is the Divine Mercy devotion which has come to us through the revelations given to her by the Merciful Jesus.

This devotion has changed the lives of millions of Catholics and other people of good faith and has instilled a new fire in the heart of the Church and of the faithful.

The message of Divine Mercy has become the hallmark of the Holy Father, Pope Francis, who follows in the footsteps of that other great apostle of Divine Mercy, St John Paul II. And as noted by the Lord Himself to St Faustina, this devotion will also prepare the world for His final coming.

Truly, this is the Time of Mercy.

Saint Faustina, Apostle and Secretary of the Divine Mercy, pray for us.

“Today my joy is truly great in presenting the life and witness of Sr Faustina Kowalska to the whole Church as a gift of God for our time. By divine Providence, the life of this humble daughter of Poland was completely linked with the history of the 20th century, the century we have just left behind...

Sr Faustina’s canonization has a particular eloquence: by this act I intend today to pass this message on to the new millennium. I pass it on to all people, so that they will learn to know ever better the true face of God and the true face of their brethren...

This consoling message is addressed above all to those who, afflicted by a particularly harsh trial or crushed by the weight of the sins they committed, have lost all confidence in life and are tempted to give in to despair.

To them the gentle face of Christ is offered; those rays from his heart touch them and shine upon them, warm them, show them the way and fill them with .

How many souls have been consoled by the prayer “Jesus, I trust in you”, which Providence intimated through Sr Faustina! This simple act of abandonment to Jesus dispels the thickest clouds and lets a ray of light penetrate every life. Jezu, ufam tobie...

And you, Faustina, a gift of God to our time, a gift from the land of Poland to the whole Church, obtain for us an awareness of the depth of divine mercy; help us to have a living experience of it and to bear witness to it among our brothers and sisters.

May your message of light and hope spread throughout the world, spurring sinners to conversion, calming rivalries and hatred and opening individuals and nations to the practice of brotherhood. Today, fixing our gaze with you on the face of the risen Christ, let us make our own your prayer of trusting abandonment and say with firm hope: Christ Jesus, I trust in you!”

–Pope John Paul II, Homily on the Canonization of St Faustina, 30th April 2000

DIVINE MERCY NOVENA

“By means of this Novena, I will grant every possible grace to souls” (Diary, para.796)

In her Diary, Saint Faustina writes that the Merciful Jesus commanded her to make a Novena which was to precede the Feast of Divine Mercy, celebrated on the Sunday after Easter.

The Novena was to begin on Good Friday. In the same way, He commanded the nun to write down everything about her spiritual experiences and so it can be concluded that although the command to make the Novena was for St Faustina we, too, are expected to do likewise. The detail she gives it in her Diary makes no sense unless this is the case.

Noting to the Lord that she did not know how to do this Novena, nor which souls to bring to Him, this reply was given to her by the Lord –

“I desire that during these nine days you bring souls to the fountain of My mercy, that they draw therefrom strength and refreshment and whatever grace they need in the hardships of life, and especially at the hour of death.

On each day, you will bring to My Heart a different group of souls, and you will immerse them in this ocean of My mercy, and I will bring all these souls into the house of My Father. You will do this in this life and in the next. I will deny nothing to any soul whom you will bring to the fount of My mercy. On each day, you will beg My Father, on the strength of My bitter Passion, for graces for these souls.”

The Novena prayers are said each day and the Chaplet of Divine Mercy is prayed. What follows is the text taken directly from the Diary of St Faustina, dictated to her by the Merciful Lord, giving the Novena prayers to be prayed on each of the nine days and the groups of souls for whom they are to be offered.

First Day (Good Friday) “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.

Oh, omnipotence of Divine Mercy, salvation of sinful people, You are a sea of mercy and compassion; You aid those who entreat You with humility.

Eternal Father turn Your merciful gaze upon all mankind and especially 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 forever and ever. Amen.

Here we pray the Divine Mercy Chaplet

Second Day “Today, bring to Me the souls of Priests and Religious, and immerse them in My unfathomable mercy. It was they who gave Me strength to endure My bitter Passion. Through them, as through channels, My mercy flows out upon mankind.”

Most Merciful Jesus, through Whom comes all that is good, increase Your grace in us, that we may perform worthy , and that all who see them may glorify the Father of Mercy, Who is in Heaven.

The fountain of God’s love dwells in pure hearts, bathed in the Sea of Mercy, radiant as stars, bright as the dawn.

Eternal Father turn Your merciful gaze upon the company of chosen ones in Your vineyard – upon the souls of Priests and Religious; and endow them with the strength of Your blessing. For the love of the Heart of Your Son, in which they are enfolded, impart to them Your power and light, that they may be able to guide others in the way of salvation, and with one voice sing praise to Your boundless mercy for ages without end. Amen.

Here we pray the Divine Mercy Chaplet

Third Day “Today, bring to Me all devout and faithful souls, and immerse them in the ocean of My mercy. These souls brought Me consolation on the Way of the Cross. They were that drop of consolation in the midst of an ocean of bitterness.”

Most Merciful Jesus, from the treasury of Your mercy You impart Your graces in great abundance to each and all. Receive us into the abode of Your Most Compassionate Heart and never let us escape from It. We beg this of You by that most wondrous love for the Heavenly Father with which Your Heart burns so fiercely.

The of mercy are impenetrable. Neither the sinner nor the just will fathom them. When You cast upon us an eye of pity, You draw us all closer to Your love. Eternal Father turn Your merciful gaze upon faithful souls, as upon the inheritance of Your Son. For the sake of His sorrowful Passion, grant them Your blessing and surround them with Your constant protection. Thus, may they never fail in love or lose the treasure of the holy Faith, but rather, with all the hosts of and Saints, may they glorify Your boundless mercy for endless ages. Amen.

Here we pray the Divine Mercy Chaplet

Fourth Day “Today, bring to Me the pagans and those who do not yet know Me. I was thinking also of them during My bitter Passion, and their future zeal comforted My Heart. Immerse them in the ocean of My mercy.”

Most Compassionate Jesus, You are the Light of the whole world. Receive into the abode of Your Most Compassionate Heart the souls of pagans who as yet do not know You. Let the rays of Your grace enlighten them that they, too, together with us, may extol Your wonderful mercy; and do not let them escape from the abode which is Your Most Compassionate Heart.

May the light of Your love enlighten the souls in darkness; grant that these souls will know You and, together with us, praise Your mercy.

Eternal Father turn Your merciful gaze upon the souls of pagans and those who as yet do not know You, but who are enclosed in the Most Compassionate Heart of Jesus. Draw them to the light of the Gospel. These souls do not know what great happiness it is to love You. Grant that they, too, may extol the generosity of Your mercy for endless ages. Amen.

Here we pray the Divine Mercy Chaplet

Fifth Day “Today, bring to Me the souls of heretics and schismatics, and immerse them in the ocean of My mercy. During My bitter Passion they tore at My Body and Heart; that is, My Church. As they return to unity with the Church, My wounds heal, and in this way, they alleviate My Passion.”

Most Merciful Jesus, Goodness Itself, You do not refuse light to those who seek it of You. Receive into the abode of Your Most Compassionate Heart the souls of heretics and schismatics. Draw them by Your light into the unity of the Church, and do not let them escape from the abode of Your Most Compassionate Heart; but bring it about that they, too, come to extol the generosity of Your mercy.

Even for those who have torn the garment of Your unity, a fount of mercy flows from Your Heart. The omnipotence of Your mercy, O God, can lead these souls also out of error.

Eternal Father turn Your merciful gaze upon the souls of heretics and schismatics, who have squandered Your blessings and misused Your graces by obstinately persisting in their errors. Do not look upon their error, but upon the love of Your own Son and upon His bitter Passion, which He underwent for their sake, since they, too, are enclosed in the Most Compassionate Heart of Jesus. Bring it about that they also may glorify Your great mercy for endless ages. Amen.

Here we pray the Divine Mercy Chaplet

Sixth Day “Today, bring to Me the meek and humble souls and the souls of little children, and immerse them in My mercy. These souls most closely resemble My Heart. They strengthened Me during My bitter agony. I saw them as earthly Angels, who would keep vigil at My . I pour out upon them whole torrents of grace. Only the humble soul is able to receive My grace. I favor humble souls with My confidence.”

Most Merciful Jesus, You Yourself have said, ‘Learn from Me, for I am meek and humble of heart’. Receive into the abode of Your Most Compassionate Heart all meek and humble souls and the souls of little children.

These souls send all Heaven into ecstasy and they are the Heavenly Father’s favorites. They are a sweet-smelling bouquet before the Throne of God; God Himself takes delight in their fragrance.

These souls have a permanent abode in Your Most Compassionate Heart, O Jesus, and they unceasingly sing out a hymn of love and mercy.

A truly gentle and humble soul already here on earth the air of paradise breathes, and in the fragrance of her humble heart the Creator Himself delights.

Eternal Father turn Your merciful gaze upon meek and humble souls and upon the souls of little children who are enfolded in the abode which is the Most Compassionate Heart of Jesus. These souls bear the closest resemblance to Your Son. Their fragrance rises from the earth and reaches Your very Throne. Father of mercy and of all goodness, I beg You by the love You bear these souls and by the delight You take in them; bless the whole world, that all souls together may sing out the praises of Your mercy for endless ages. Amen.

Here we pray the Divine Mercy Chaplet

Seventh Day “Today, bring to Me the souls who especially venerate and glorify My mercy, and immerse them in My mercy. These souls sorrowed most over My Passion and entered most deeply into My spirit. They are living images of My Compassionate Heart. These souls will shine with a special brightness in the next life. Not one of them will go into the fire of . I shall particularly defend each one of them at the hour of death.”

Most Merciful Jesus, whose Heart is Love Itself, receive into the abode of Your Most Compassionate Heart the souls of those who particularly extol and glorify Your mercy.

These souls are mighty with the very power of God Himself. In the midst of all afflictions and adversities they go forward, confident of Your mercy.

These souls are united to Jesus and carry all mankind on their shoulders.

These souls will not be judged severely, but Your mercy will embrace them as they depart from this life.

A soul who praises the goodness of her Lord is especially loved by Him. She is always close to the Living Fountain and draws graces from Divine Mercy.

Eternal Father turn Your merciful gaze upon the souls who glorify and venerate Your greatest attribute, that of Your fathomless mercy, and who are enclosed in the Most Compassionate Heart of Jesus. These souls are a living Gospel; their hands are full of deeds of mercy and their spirit, overflowing with joy, sings a canticle of mercy to You, O Most High! I beg You, O God: show them Your mercy according to the hope and trust they have placed in You. Let there be accomplished in them the promise of Jesus, who said to them, ‘I Myself will defend as My own glory, during their lifetime and especially at the hour of their death, those souls who will venerate My fathomless mercy’.

Here we pray the Divine Mercy Chaplet

Eighth Day “Today, bring to Me the souls who are in the prison of , and immerse them in the abyss of My mercy. Let the torrents of My Blood cool down their scorching flames. All these souls are greatly loved by Me. They are making retribution to My justice. It is in your power to bring them relief. Draw all the from the treasury of My Church and offer them on their behalf. Oh, if only you knew the torments they suffer, you would continually offer for them the alms of the spirit and pay off their debt to My justice.”

Most Merciful Jesus, You Yourself have said that You desire mercy; so I bring into the abode of Your Most Compassionate Heart the souls in Purgatory, souls who are very dear to You and yet, who must make retribution to Your justice. May the streams of Blood and Water which gushed forth from Your Heart put out the flames of purifying fire, that in that place, too, the power of Your mercy may be praised.

From that terrible heat of the cleansing fire rises a plaint to Your mercy, and they receive comfort, refreshment, relief in the stream of mingled Blood and Water.

Eternal Father turn Your merciful gaze upon the souls suffering in Purgatory, who are enfolded in the Most Compassionate Heart of Jesus. I beg You, by the sorrowful , Your Son, and by all the bitterness with which His most sacred Soul was flooded, manifest Your mercy to the souls who are under Your just scrutiny. Look upon them in no other way that through the Wounds of Jesus, Your dearly beloved Son; for we firmly believe that there is no limit to Your goodness and compassion.

Here we pray the Divine Mercy Chaplet

Ninth Day “Today, bring to Me souls who have become lukewarm, and immerse them in the abyss of My mercy. These souls wound My Heart most painfully. My soul suffered the most dreadful loathing in the Garden of Olives because of lukewarm souls. They were the reason I cried out: ‘Father, take this cup away from Me, if it be Your will’. For them, the last hope of salvation is to flee to My mercy.”

Most Compassionate Jesus, You are Compassion Itself. I bring lukewarm souls into the abode of Your Most Compassionate Heart. In this fire of Your pure love let these tepid souls, who like corpses, filled You with such deep loathing, be once again set aflame.

O Most Compassionate Jesus, exercise the omnipotence of Your mercy and draw them into the very ardor of Your love; and bestow upon them the gift of holy love, for nothing is beyond Your power.

Fire and ice cannot be joined; either the fire dies, or the ice melts. But by Your mercy, O God, You can make up for all that is lacking.

Eternal Father turn Your merciful gaze upon lukewarm souls, who are nonetheless enfolded in the Most Compassionate Heart of Jesus. Father of Mercy, I beg You by the bitter Passion of Your Son and by His three hour agony on the Cross: let them, too, glorify the abyss of Your mercy.

Here we pray the Divine Mercy Chaplet

At the end of each day we recite the following prayer to obtain graces through the intercession of Saint Faustina:

O Jesus, who filled Saint Faustina with profound for Your boundless Mercy, deign, if it be Your holy will, to grant me, through her intercession, the grace for which I fervently pray…( a moment of silence for our personal intentions…)

My sins render me unworthy of Your Mercy but be mindful of Saint Faustina’s spirit of sacrifice and self-denial, and reward her virtue by granting the petition which, with childlike trust, I present to You through her intercession.

Our Father...

Hail Mary...

Glory Be …

Saint Faustina, Apostle and Secretary of the Divine Mercy, pray for us

DIVINE MERCY CHAPLET

“Say unceasingly the Chaplet that I have taught you. Whoever will recite it will receive great mercy at the hour of death. Priests will recommend it to sinners as their last hope of salvation. Even if there were a sinner most hardened, if he were to recite this Chaplet only once, he would receive grace from My infinite Mercy. I desire that the whole world know My infinite Mercy. I desire to grant unimaginable graces to those souls who trust in My Mercy.”

The Chaplet of Divine Mercy is prayed on ordinary Rosary beads. But the Rosary and the Chaplet are quite different things and it is worth taking a moment to look at this. There is one marked similarity between the Rosary and the Chaplet, however – both are enormously powerful. And they have something else in common – the request of Heaven that we pray these prayers, those of the Rosary and those of the Chaplet.

The Rosary is a meditative prayer which gradually developed over time before taking on the form in which we now recognize it, undergoing various changes and adaptations in the intervening centuries – most recently, for example, the addition of the Luminous Mysteries by Pope John Paul II.

The Chaplet of Divine Mercy was given to us fully complete, it’s form and prayers already in place; St Faustina writes in her Diary that the Lord Jesus dictated the prayers of the Chaplet to her directly, and it remains exactly the same today as it did on 13th September 1935, the day Jesus gave it to St Faustina.

And rather than being meditative, the Chaplet is a prayer of intercession. As St Faustina notes in her Diary, the Lord commanded her to pray the prayers with the assurance that “these prayers will serve to appease My wrath.”

The Diary also records that St Faustina heard the voice of , Who told her – “At the hour of their death, I defend as My own glory every soul that will say this Chaplet; or when others say it for a dying person, is the same. When this Chaplet is said by the bedside of a dying person, God’s anger is placated, unfathomable mercy envelops the soul, and the very depths of My tender Mercy are moved, for the sake of the sorrowful Passion of My Son.”

In her Diary, St Faustina relates how an had been sent to execute God’s wrath, His divine justice, upon a certain place. Wishing to placate God’s anger, St Faustina began to pray the words of the Chaplet – “I found myself pleading with God, with words heard interiorly... never before had I prayed with such inner power as I did then”. And her prayers did indeed hold back the angel who had been sent to deliver Divine Justice. With such a heavenly insistence on the Chaplet of Divine Mercy, and with such powerful promises regarding its power, how can we possibly not pray the Chaplet?

HOW TO PRAY THE CHAPLET OF DIVINE MERCY On the first pendant bead – “You expired, Jesus, but the source of life gushed forth for souls and the ocean of mercy opened up for us. O Fount of Life, unfathomable Divine Mercy, envelope the whole world and pour Yourself out upon us”

On the first small pendant bead – “Our Father...”

On the second small pendant bead – “Hail Mary...”

On the third small pendant bead – “I believe in God...”

On 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 the sins of the whole world”

On the Hail Mary beads – “For the sake of His sorrowful Passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world”

In conclusion, three times – “Holy God, holy mighty One, holy immortal One, have mercy on us and on the whole world” “Jesus, I trust in You”

Closing Prayer – “Eternal Father, 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 may not despair nor become despondent but with great confidence, submit ourselves to You holy will, which is love and mercy Itself”