The Divine Mercy Novena
The Divine Mercy Novena is a nine-day prayer that Jesus himself dictated to St. Faustina Kowalska, a Polish nun who lived from 1905 to 1938. In her spiritual diary, kept at the request of her confessors, she recorded the words Our Lord spoke to her: "I desire that during these nine days you bring souls to the fountain of My mercy, that they may draw therefrom strength and refreshment and whatever grace they need in the hardships of life, and especially at the hour of death."
Each day of the novena Jesus asked St. Faustina to bring a different group of souls to his Heart, immersing them in the ocean of his mercy. The novena is prayed together with the Divine Mercy Chaplet, so that the same prayer of trust rises for a new set of intentions on each of the nine days.
Origin and St. Faustina
Helena Kowalska was born in the village of Glogowiec, Poland, the third of ten children in a poor farming family. She entered the Congregation of the Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy in 1925 and took the religious name Sister Maria Faustina. She spent her years as a cook, gardener, and doorkeeper in convents in Krakow, Plock, and Vilnius, hidden work that gave no hint of the graces she was receiving.
Beginning in 1931, Jesus appeared to her as the Divine Mercy, clothed in white, with red and pale rays streaming from his Heart. He asked that an image be painted according to what she saw, with the words "Jesus, I trust in You," and that a feast of Divine Mercy be established. It was during these years that he taught her the Chaplet of Divine Mercy and dictated the novena recorded in her Diary (entries 1209 to 1229).
St. Faustina died of tuberculosis in 1938 at the age of thirty-three. She was canonized by Pope John Paul II on April 30, 2000, the same day he declared the Sunday after Easter to be Divine Mercy Sunday for the universal Church.
When the Novena Is Prayed
Jesus asked St. Faustina to begin the novena on Good Friday. Traditionally the nine days therefore run from Good Friday through the Saturday before Divine Mercy Sunday, which is the Second Sunday of Easter and the close of the Octave of Easter. Prayed this way, the novena leads the faithful straight to the feast of Divine Mercy itself.
The novena may also be prayed at any other time of the year for any need. While the Good Friday start carries a special connection to the Passion and the feast, the nine days of intentions keep their meaning whenever they are offered. Many people pray the novena in preparation for a particular grace, for a dying loved one, or simply to grow in trust in God's mercy.
How the Novena Is Prayed
The novena is simple. On each of the nine days you do two things:
- Read that day's intention and bring the souls Jesus named to his Heart, praying in your own words the short prayer he gave for that group.
- Pray the Divine Mercy Chaplet for those souls. The Chaplet is prayed on ordinary Rosary beads and takes only a few minutes. If you are new to it, the full method is set out on our Divine Mercy Chaplet page.
That is the heart of the novena: the Chaplet joined each day to a new intention. Jesus told St. Faustina that by this prayer he would grant "all the graces" souls asked of him, if what they asked was in keeping with his will. There is no requirement to attend a particular service or to pray at a set hour, though the three o'clock hour, the hour of his death, is a fitting time to keep the novena.
The Nine Days of the Novena
On each day Jesus asked that a particular group of souls be brought to his Heart and plunged into the ocean of his mercy. The themes below follow the intentions he gave to St. Faustina. After reading each one, pray the Chaplet for those souls.
Day 1: All Mankind, Especially Sinners
Jesus asked that on the first day all mankind, and above all sinners, be brought to his Heart. In the very ocean of mercy he wishes to comfort those most in need of it, so that no one who has fallen would think himself beyond forgiveness. This day sets the tone for the whole novena: mercy poured out first on those who have offended God most.
Day 2: The Souls of Priests and Religious
On the second day Jesus asked for the souls of priests and religious, those through whom his mercy flows to the rest of the world. He called them the channels of his mercy and asked that they be given strength for their labors, so that what they pour out on others would first be poured out on them.
Day 3: All Devout and Faithful Souls
The third day is for all devout and faithful souls who already live in the friendship of God. Jesus described them as a consolation to him on the sorrowful way of the Passion, the ones who believed and trusted, and he asked that they be strengthened in their fidelity so as never to lose heart.
Day 4: Those Who Do Not Believe in God and Those Who Do Not Yet Know Jesus
On the fourth day Jesus asked for those who do not yet believe in God and those who do not yet know him. Even during his Passion he was thinking of them, and he asked that his mercy reach hearts that live far from him, so that they might one day come to the light and be gathered into his Heart.
Day 5: The Souls of Separated Brethren
The fifth day is for the souls of those who have left the unity of the Church, the separated brethren. Jesus asked that they too be immersed in his mercy, that their return to full communion would bring healing to the wound of division and glorify his mercy.
Day 6: The Meek and Humble Souls and the Souls of Little Children
On the sixth day Jesus asked for the meek and humble souls, together with the souls of little children. He said these souls most closely resemble his own Heart, and that they give him strength during his bitter agony. He looks on them as living images of himself and delights to fill them with his grace.
Day 7: The Souls Who Especially Venerate and Glorify His Mercy
The seventh day is for the souls who especially venerate and glorify his mercy. These are the souls who trust most completely in his goodness and who spread devotion to it. Jesus promised that they would be defended in a particular way at the hour of death, and that his own mercy would be their consolation.
Day 8: The Souls in the Prison of Purgatory
On the eighth day Jesus asked for the souls detained in the prison of Purgatory. He asked that his mercy, made present through the Chaplet, would ease their suffering and hasten the moment when justice is satisfied and they enter into his joy. This day joins the novena to the ancient charity of praying for the dead.
Day 9: The Souls Who Have Become Lukewarm
The ninth and final day is for the souls who have grown lukewarm, those whose love for God has cooled into indifference. Jesus said these souls wounded his Heart most painfully during his agony in the Garden. He asked that they be immersed in the depths of his mercy so that their coldness might be melted and their love rekindled.
A Word from St. Faustina's Diary
The promise Jesus attached to the novena is recorded in her own words:
"By this novena I will grant every possible grace to souls. On each day you will bring to My Heart a different group of souls, and you will immerse them in the ocean of My mercy."
"I desire that during these nine days you bring souls to the fountain of My mercy, that they may draw therefrom strength and refreshment and whatever graces they need in the hardships of life, and especially at the hour of death."
These words remind us that the novena is not first about our own petition but about mercy offered for others. In carrying souls to the Heart of Jesus we ourselves are drawn nearer to the same fountain of grace.
Praying the Novena with the Chaplet
The novena and the Divine Mercy Chaplet belong together. Each day, after reading the intention and offering the short prayer for that group of souls, you pray the Chaplet for them. A simple pattern for each day looks like this:
- Begin with the Sign of the Cross.
- Read the day's intention and name the souls Jesus asked you to bring to his Heart.
- Pray the short prayer for that group in your own words, asking mercy for them.
- Pray the whole Divine Mercy Chaplet for that intention.
- Close with a moment of thanksgiving and trust: "Jesus, I trust in You."
Kept faithfully for nine days, this short daily prayer forms a steady act of confidence in God's mercy, offered not only for ourselves but for sinners, for the Church, for the departed, and for those far from God.
Tips for Praying the Novena
- Choose your start date. If you want to end on Divine Mercy Sunday, begin on Good Friday. Otherwise, any nine consecutive days will do.
- Pray at three o'clock if you can. The hour of the Lord's death is a fitting time to keep the novena, though it may be prayed at any hour.
- Keep the days in order. Each day carries its own group of souls, so praying them in sequence keeps the intention Jesus gave.
- Learn the Chaplet first. If the Chaplet is new to you, read through the method once before Day 1 so the prayer flows easily.
- Bring your own needs too. While each day has its appointed souls, you may carry your personal intentions to the same fountain of mercy.
Begin the Divine Mercy Novena
Whether you start on Good Friday or on any day you choose, the Divine Mercy Novena is a short, powerful way to carry souls to the Heart of Jesus and to grow in trust in his mercy. Learn the Chaplet that carries the novena, or return to the foundation of Catholic prayer in the Holy Rosary.
