# Praying the chaplet and novena to divine mercy
*2021-07-01*

> Bill Young and John O'Rourke gather for a mid-day prayer session featuring the Chaplet of Divine Mercy, the De Profundis, and a novena for all sinners.

## Opening prayers for the souls in purgatory

We begin today, Wednesday, June 30th, by celebrating the Heart of Jesus. In honor of this day, we start with a prayer for the souls in purgatory: 'O Lord God Almighty, I ask you by the precious blood which your divine Son shed in the streets of Jerusalem, and which He carried the cross upon His shoulders, deliver the souls in perpetuity, especially the soul which is richest in merit before you, that in the throne of glory it will await and magnify you and bless you forever.'

## Preparing for the chaplet

Before entering into the Chaplet of Divine Mercy, we center ourselves with the sign of the cross and a prayer to the source of life. We acknowledge the blood and water that flowed from the heart of Jesus as the fountain of mercy for the whole world. We then recite the Our Father, the Hail Mary, and the Apostles' Creed to ground our faith in the Holy Trinity and the Church.

## The De Profundis and the Chaplet of Divine Mercy

We include the De Profundis prayer, crying out from the depths: 'Out of the depths I have cried to Thee, O Lord; Lord, hear my voice.' Following this, we move into the Chaplet of Divine Mercy. We offer the Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity of our Lord Jesus Christ in atonement for our sins and the sins of the whole world, meditating on His sorrowful passion through each decade.

## Novena for all mankind

As part of our ongoing prayer, we focus on the first day of the Novena to Divine Mercy, which is dedicated to all mankind, especially all sinners. We pray that all sinners may be immersed in the ocean of God's mercy. We ask the most merciful Jesus not to look upon our sins, but upon the trust we place in His infinite goodness, and we beg the Eternal Father to turn His merciful gaze upon all poor sinners.

## Litany and the sacrifice of Fatima

We conclude our session with the Litany of Divine Mercy, repeating the phrase 'I trust in You' as an act of total surrender. Finally, we offer a sacrificial prayer given by Our Lady of Fatima on July 13, 1917, for those enduring sufferings and making mortifications: 'O Jesus, this is for the love of You, for the conversion of poor sinners, and in reparation for offenses committed against the Immaculate Heart of Mary.'

*By combining the Chaplet of Divine Mercy with prayers for the souls in purgatory and the conversion of sinners, we entrust the whole world to the infinite compassion of God.*