The Vatican dedicated the second Sunday of Easter as Divine Mercy Sunday after St. Maria Faustina Kowalska was canonized in April 2000.
St. Faustina received private revelations from Jesus regarding: Divine Mercy; His desires for the below image to be painted and regarded with great respect; the encouragement of souls to pray The Chaplet of Divine Mercy; that a Feast of Mercy be established; and that the Feast Day be preceded by a Novena to the Divine Mercy that would begin on Good Friday and end on the day preceding Divine Mercy Sunday.
The Chaplet of Divine Mercy can be said anytime, but the Lord specifically asked that it be said as a novena. He promised, “By this novena [of chaplets] I will grant every possible grace to souls” (Diary entry 796)
“…On the day of My feast, the Feast of Mercy, you will go through the whole world and bring fainting souls to the spring of My mercy. I shall heal and strengthen them.” ~~St. Faustina Diary No. 206
The Divine Mercy Novena
Pray The Chaplet for the Lord’s mercy for the following souls:
Day 1: All mankind, especially sinners
Day 2: The souls of priests and religious
Day 3: All devout and faithful souls
Day 4: Those who do not believe in God and those who do not yet know Jesus
Day 5: The Souls of those who have separated themselves from the Church
Day 6: The meek and humble souls and the souls of little children
Day 7: The souls who especially venerate and glorify Jesus’ Mercy
Day 8: The souls who are detained in purgatory
Day 9: The souls who have become lukewarm
The Chaplet of The Divine Mercy
The Chaplet of Divine Mercy is said using Rosary Beads
Begin with the Sign of the Cross, one Our Father, one Hail Mary and the Apostle’s Creed
For each of the five decades (On each “Our Father” bead of the rosary, 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 10 “Hail Mary” beads, pray)
For the sake of His sorrowful Passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world.
Concluding prayer (Repeat 3 times)
Holy God, Holy Mighty One, Holy Immortal One, have mercy on us and on the whole world.