G. Dolf Olorin : Does The Divine Mercy Novena Begin Today on Good Friday?

 By: G. Dolf Olorin (attributing research and drafting assistance to SuperGrok)

Yes, The Divine Mercy Novena begins today, Friday, April 18, 2025, which is Good Friday. The novena is prayed over nine consecutive days, starting on Good Friday and concluding on the eve of Divine Mercy Sunday, the first Sunday after Easter (April 27, 2025).  The Divine Mercy Novena offers a unique opportunity to intercede for souls, grow in trust of God’s mercy, and receive extraordinary graces—culminating in The Feast of Divine Mercy where a plenary indulgence is available.  This article provides a comprehensive guide to the Divine Mercy Novena, its significance, and the graces available to those who participate. May you experience the boundless mercy of God through this devotion. For detailed prayers, visit the official Divine Mercy website: https://www.thedivinemercy.org

The Divine Mercy Novena offers profound spiritual benefits, as promised by Jesus to St. Faustina:

• Graces for Souls: Jesus promised, “By this Novena (of Chaplets), I will grant every possible grace to souls” (St. Faustina’s Diary, 796). This includes strength, refreshment, and the graces needed in life and at the hour of death.
  
• Intercessory Power: Each day of the novena focuses on praying for a specific group of souls, contributing to their salvation and sanctification.
  
• Preparation for Divine Mercy Sunday: Completing the novena prepares your soul for the Feast of Divine Mercy, where you can obtain a plenary indulgence (complete remission of sins and punishment) by meeting the Church’s conditions.
  
• Deepened Trust in God: The novena fosters trust in Jesus’ mercy, aligning with the devotion’s message: “Ask for mercy, Be merciful, Completely trust in Jesus.”
  
• Spiritual Growth: Praying the novena draws you closer to Christ and encourages acts of mercy toward others.
  
• Protection and Healing: Many testimonies report answered prayers, such as physical and spiritual healing, pregnancies, and family reconciliations, attributed to the novena’s intercessory power.
  

Historical Significance of the Nine Days of Prayer

The Divine Mercy Novena is rooted in the private revelations of Saint Maria Faustina Kowalska, a Polish nun, in the 1930s. Jesus appeared to her and requested the establishment of the Feast of Divine Mercy (Divine Mercy Sunday) and a preparatory novena. The novena was dictated to her by Jesus, beginning on Good Friday, to prepare souls for the graces of Divine Mercy Sunday.

The nine-day structure holds significance for several reasons:

• Novena Tradition: In Catholic tradition, a novena (from the Latin novem, meaning nine) is a nine-day period of prayer, often in preparation for a feast or to seek special graces. This mirrors the nine days the Apostles prayed between Ascension and Pentecost.
  
• Focus on Mercy: The Divine Mercy Novena emphasizes God’s infinite mercy, particularly through Christ’s Passion, as revealed to St. Faustina. It is a time to intercede for various groups of souls, aligning with Jesus’ desire to pour out graces on humanity.
  
• Good Friday Start: Beginning on Good Friday connects the novena to Christ’s sacrifice on the cross, the ultimate act of mercy, and prepares the faithful for the Feast of Divine Mercy, instituted by Pope John Paul II in 2000.
  

St. Faustina recorded Jesus’ words in her diary: “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 have need of in the hardships of life, and especially at the hour of death” (Diary, 1209).

What Is Prayed Each Day of the Novena?

Each day of the Divine Mercy Novena involves praying the Chaplet of Divine Mercy, preceded by a specific intention and prayer for a different group of souls, as dictated by Jesus to St. Faustina. The prayers focus on interceding for others, not personal petitions, which makes this novena unique.

Below are the daily intentions and a summary of the prayers:

• Day 1 (Good Friday, April 18, 2025): All mankind, especially sinners
  
  Prayer: “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.” This prayer asks for God’s mercy on sinners, trusting in Jesus’ compassion.
  
• Day 2 (Holy Saturday, April 19, 2025): The souls of priests and religious
  
  Prayer: These souls gave Jesus strength during His Passion. The prayer asks for increased grace for clergy and religious to perform works of mercy and guide others to salvation.
  
• Day 3 (Easter Sunday, April 20, 2025): All devout and faithful souls
  
  Prayer: These souls consoled Jesus during His Passion. The prayer seeks blessings and protection for the faithful, that they may glorify God’s mercy.
  
• Day 4 (Easter Monday, April 21, 2025): Those who do not believe in God and those who do not yet know Jesus
  
  Prayer: Jesus thought of these souls during His Passion. The prayer asks for their enlightenment and inclusion in God’s merciful heart.
  
• Day 5 (Easter Tuesday, April 22, 2025): The souls of separated brethren (those separated from the Catholic Church)
  
  Prayer: The prayer seeks to immerse these souls in God’s mercy, asking for unity and grace.
  
• Day 6 (Easter Wednesday, April 23, 2025): The meek and humble souls and the souls of little children
  
  Prayer: These souls are dear to Jesus. The prayer asks for their protection and that their humility may glorify God’s mercy.
  
• Day 7 (Easter Thursday, April 24, 2025): The souls who especially venerate and glorify Jesus’ mercy
  
  Prayer: These souls are channels of mercy. The prayer seeks graces for them to continue spreading devotion to Divine Mercy.
  
• Day 8 (Easter Friday, April 25, 2025): The souls detained in purgatory
  
  Prayer: The prayer asks for mercy to relieve the suffering of souls in purgatory, bringing them to eternal glory.
  
• Day 9 (Easter Saturday, April 26, 2025): The souls who have become lukewarm
  
  Prayer: These souls caused Jesus great suffering. The prayer begs for their rekindling in God’s love, as their salvation depends on fleeing to His mercy.
  

Structure of Each Day’s Prayer:

1. Begin with the intention and prayer for the specific group of souls.
   
2. Pray the Divine Mercy Chaplet (using rosary beads, typically at 3:00 PM, the Hour of Great Mercy, though any time is acceptable).  The Chaplet itself involves reciting prayers like “For the sake of His sorrowful Passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world,” emphasizing Christ’s sacrifice.
   
3. Conclude with a closing prayer, such as: “Eternal God, in whom mercy is endless and the treasury of compassion inexhaustible, look kindly upon us and increase Your mercy in us…”