This novena was not composed by a committee. In the 1930s, Jesus asked a young Polish nun — St. Faustina Kowalska, canonized in 2000 — to prepare for the Feast of Mercy with nine days of prayer beginning on Good Friday, and He Himself named the intention for each day. Each day a different group of souls is brought to His mercy: sinners, priests, unbelievers, the lukewarm, the souls in purgatory — until by the ninth day, no one is left outside.
That is what makes this novena unlike any other on this site. It is addressed to Jesus Himself — worship, not a request for a saint’s intercession — and for nine days it is barely about you at all. You come to the Merciful Lord carrying everyone else, and somewhere in the carrying you discover that you were on the list all along.
Below are the nine intentions as Jesus gave them in St. Faustina’s Diary, an original reflection and prayer for each day, and how to pray the Chaplet of Divine Mercy, which accompanies each day of the novena. The traditional novena begins Good Friday and ends the eve of Divine Mercy Sunday — but mercy has no closed season, and it may be prayed any nine days of the year.
How to pray this novena
Each day for nine days: pray the opening prayer, read the day’s intention and reflection and pray the day’s prayer, then pray the Chaplet of Divine Mercy for that day’s intention, and finish with the closing prayer.
The chaplet is prayed on ordinary rosary beads and takes about seven minutes. Begin with one Our Father, one Hail Mary, and the Apostles' Creed. On each of the five large beads pray: “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 that follow pray: “For the sake of His sorrowful Passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world.” After the five decades, conclude by praying three times: 'Holy God, Holy Mighty One, Holy Immortal One, have mercy on us and on the whole world.'
If you miss a day, pick up where you left off — the novena is a devotion of trust, not a formula, and the Lord of mercy is not looking for reasons to disqualify you.
Each day below opens with the intention in Jesus’ own words from the Diary; the full official prayers He dictated for each day are published by the Marian Fathers at thedivinemercy.org.
Opening prayer — pray each day
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.
The nine days
Day 1 — All mankind, especially sinners
“Today bring to Me all mankind, especially all sinners, and immerse them in the ocean of My mercy.” (Diary, 1210) On the first day, Jesus asked St. Faustina to bring Him all mankind, especially all sinners, and to immerse them in the ocean of His mercy — because the loss of a single soul grieves Him. The novena opens at Good Friday’s foot of the cross with the widest possible net: everyone. Including the person you are most tempted to leave off the list, and including you.
Most merciful Jesus, I bring before You today the whole human race, and every sinner — the ones I love, the ones I resent, and myself among them. Immerse us all in the ocean of Your mercy. Amen.
Day 2 — The souls of priests and religious
“Today bring to Me the souls of priests and religious, and immerse them in My unfathomable mercy.” (Diary, 1212) On the second day, Jesus asked for the souls of priests and religious — the laborers of His vineyard, through whom His mercy reaches the world. Some of them baptized you, absolved you, buried your dead. Some have failed gravely. Both facts belong in this prayer: the channels of mercy need mercy themselves.
Merciful Jesus, I bring You every priest and every consecrated soul — the holy, the tired, the tempted, and the fallen. Strengthen them, purify them, and make Your mercy flow through them to the whole world. Amen.
Day 3 — All devout and faithful souls
“Today bring to Me all devout and faithful souls, and immerse them in the ocean of My mercy.” (Diary, 1214) On the third day, Jesus asked for all devout and faithful souls — the ones who consoled Him along the way of the cross, a drop of comfort in an ocean of bitterness. Faithfulness is not the finish line of mercy but one of its works; even the devout live entirely on it. Pray today for the quietly faithful people who have held your own faith up.
Merciful Jesus, I bring You the faithful — the grandmothers with worn rosaries, the steady givers, the ones who never missed a Sunday. Keep them in Your Heart, and let them never mistake their faithfulness for anything but Your gift. Amen.
Day 4 — Those who do not believe in God, and those who do not yet know Jesus
“Today bring to Me those who do not believe in God and those who do not yet know Me.” (Diary, 1216) On the fourth day, Jesus asked for those who do not believe in Him and those who do not yet know Him — and revealed that even during His Passion they were not outside His Heart. Notice the word the devotion has kept: they do not yet know Him. Heaven speaks of unbelievers in the future tense. Pray today for the atheist you love and the billions who have never once heard His name spoken with love.
Merciful Jesus, I bring You everyone who does not believe in God and everyone who does not yet know You. Draw them into the light of Your mercy, and let my own life never be the reason someone doubted You. Amen.
Day 5 — The souls of separated brethren
“Today bring to Me the souls who have separated themselves from My Church, and immerse them in the ocean of My mercy.” (Diary, 1218) On the fifth day, Jesus asked for the souls of our separated brethren — Christians outside the full communion of the Church, a separation He feels as a wound to His own Body. This is a day to pray without a trace of superiority: division among Christians is a shared tear in the seamless garment, and mercy, not argument, is what mends it.
Merciful Jesus, I bring You all Christians separated from the unity of Your Church. Heal what history and sin have torn, gather Your flock into one, and begin the mending in me. Amen.
Day 6 — The meek and humble souls, and the souls of little children
“Today bring to Me the meek and humble souls and the souls of little children, and immerse them in My mercy.” (Diary, 1220) On the sixth day, Jesus asked for the meek and humble souls and the souls of little children — the souls, He told Faustina, that most resemble His own Heart. In an economy where the last are first, this is the day the novena prays for its most powerful members. Pray for the children in your life by name, and ask for a place among the little ones.
Merciful Jesus, I bring You the meek, the humble, and the little children. Guard their trust, let nothing in me ever scandalize them, and give me the small, unguarded heart You love. Amen.
Day 7 — The souls who especially venerate and glorify the mercy of Jesus
“Today bring to Me the souls who especially venerate and glorify My mercy, and immerse them in My mercy.” (Diary, 1224) On the seventh day, Jesus asked for the souls who especially venerate and glorify His mercy — the ones who trusted it most in life and told others about it. If you have prayed six days of this novena, you are becoming one of them. Pray today for everyone praying these same words around the world, most of whom you will meet only in heaven.
Merciful Jesus, I bring You all the souls who glorify Your mercy — every hand on a chaplet today, every heart that has learned to say “Jesus, I trust in You.” Keep us faithful to that trust until we see Your mercy face to face. Amen.
Day 8 — The souls detained in purgatory
“Today bring to Me the souls who are detained in purgatory, and immerse them in the abyss of My mercy.” (Diary, 1226) On the eighth day, Jesus asked for the souls detained in purgatory, that the streams of His Blood might cool their burning. The Church has always taught that the dead being purified can be helped by our prayer (CCC 1032) — this is the day the novena reaches past the grave. Name your own dead today; no prayer for them is ever wasted.
Merciful Jesus, I bring You the souls in purgatory — my own beloved dead, and the forgotten ones no one prays for. Let the Blood and Water that gushed from Your Heart bring them quickly home. Amen.
Day 9 — The souls who have become lukewarm
“Today bring to Me souls who have become lukewarm, and immerse them in the abyss of My mercy.” (Diary, 1228) On the ninth day, Jesus asked for the souls who have become lukewarm — the ones He said wounded His Heart most painfully in Gethsemane. It is a startling ending: the novena’s final day is not for the worst sinners but for the indifferent. Perhaps because indifference is the one condition mercy cannot reach until someone else asks on its behalf. Today, you are that someone.
Merciful Jesus, I bring You every lukewarm soul — those who once loved You and drifted, those numbed by routine, and every cooling ember in my own heart. Set us on fire with the love that could not stay in the tomb. Amen.
Closing prayer — pray each day
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.
Common Questions
When does the Divine Mercy novena start?
Traditionally on Good Friday, ending on the Saturday before Divine Mercy Sunday — nine days that carry you from the cross to the feast. In 2027 that means Good Friday, March 26, through Saturday, April 3, with Divine Mercy Sunday on April 4.
Can I pray it at another time of year, or if I started late?
Yes. The Good Friday start is the traditional novena Jesus described to St. Faustina in preparation for the feast, but the nine days of intentions and chaplets may be prayed during any nine consecutive days, for any intention. If you started late in Holy Week, simply continue your nine days — do not abandon it.
What is the Chaplet of Divine Mercy?
A short prayer Jesus taught St. Faustina, prayed on ordinary rosary beads: an Our Father, Hail Mary, and Creed to begin; on the large beads, the offering of the Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity of Jesus “in atonement for our sins and those of the whole world”; on the small beads, “For the sake of His sorrowful Passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world”; and three repetitions of “Holy God, Holy Mighty One, Holy Immortal One...” to close. During the novena, one chaplet is prayed each day for that day’s intention.
What is Divine Mercy Sunday?
The Second Sunday of Easter, established as the Feast of Divine Mercy for the whole Church by St. John Paul II in 2000, the day he canonized St. Faustina. In her Diary, Jesus attached extraordinary graces to receiving Him worthily on this feast, and the Church grants a plenary indulgence, under the usual conditions, for keeping the day devoutly.
Is the novena required to receive the graces of Divine Mercy Sunday?
No. The graces of the feast are tied to the feast itself — the Diary speaks of Confession and worthy reception of Holy Communion on Divine Mercy Sunday with trust in God’s mercy, and the Church’s indulgence carries the usual conditions. The novena is a preparation Jesus asked for and the Church warmly encourages, not a prerequisite. Skipping it forfeits nothing except nine days spent close to His mercy.
Is this novena worship or intercession?
Worship. It is addressed to Jesus Himself, the Divine Mercy incarnate — the adoration owed to God alone — while its content is intercession of a different kind: you interceding, with Jesus, for every category of soul He named. St. Faustina is honored as the messenger of the devotion, but the novena’s prayers are made directly to the Lord.
Sources & Church Teaching
- Diary of St. Maria Faustina Kowalska, 1209–1229 (the nine daily intentions), 474–476 and 1319 (the chaplet prayers), 699 (the Feast of Mercy)
- Catechism of the Catholic Church 1032 (prayer for the dead), 1846–1848 (God’s mercy and sin)
- St. John Paul II, homily for the canonization of St. Faustina and institution of Divine Mercy Sunday (April 30, 2000); Apostolic Penitentiary decree on the Divine Mercy Sunday indulgence (2002)