Chaplet of reparation
Holy Face Chaplet
The Chaplet of the Holy Face is a prayer of reparation traditionally connected with Sister Marie of St. Peter. It honors the sufferings of Christ, especially those endured in His Holy Face, and asks God for mercy, conversion, and the triumph of His grace.
How to pray the Holy Face Chaplet
The Chaplet of the Holy Face is prayed in a spirit of reparation, mercy, and confidence before the suffering Face of Jesus. It is traditionally associated with the thirty-three years of Our Lord’s earthly life and with the desire to honor His five senses, especially His Face wounded in the Passion. It can be prayed on a special Holy Face chaplet, on a rosary, or slowly without beads.
The purpose of the chaplet is not merely to finish a set of prayers. It is to place oneself before Christ with love, to make reparation for blasphemy, irreverence, and sin, and to ask that the enemies of God’s grace be scattered by the power of His Holy Face.
Opening prayer
O Jesus, who in Thy bitter Passion didst become the reproach of men and the Man of Sorrows, I venerate Thy Holy Face, once shining with the beauty and sweetness of the Godhead, now disfigured for love of me. I adore Thee, I bless Thee, and I beg Thee to imprint Thy image deeply upon my soul.
I offer this chaplet in reparation for blasphemy, irreverence, the profanation of Sunday and holy days, and all sins that wound Thy Sacred Heart and disfigure Thy image in souls.
On the large beads
May the most holy, most sacred, most adorable, most incomprehensible and ineffable Name of God be forever praised, blessed, loved, adored, and glorified in Heaven, on earth, and under the earth, by all the creatures of God, and by the Sacred Heart of Our Lord Jesus Christ in the Most Holy Sacrament of the Altar. Amen.
On the small beads
Arise, O Lord, and let Thy enemies be scattered, and let those who hate Thee flee before Thy Face.
Closing prayer
O adorable Face of Jesus, covered with wounds and tears for love of us, turn Thy merciful gaze upon the Church, upon sinners, upon the suffering, and upon all the intentions entrusted to this prayer. May Thy Holy Face shine upon us, restore in us the image of God, and lead us to the glory of heaven. Amen.
Many people conclude by praying the Glory Be several times in honor of the Passion, the Holy Name, and the wounds of Christ. Pray slowly. Let each invocation become an act of love before the Face of Jesus.
A simple way to pray it when time is short
When you do not have time to pray the full chaplet, make a shorter act of reparation. Make the Sign of the Cross, look upon an image of the Holy Face, pray the Golden Arrow Prayer once, repeat “Arise, O Lord, and let Thy enemies be scattered” three times, and close by asking Jesus to look with mercy upon your family, the Church, sinners, the sick, and the dying.
The Holy Face Chaplet can be prayed for personal intentions, but its spirit is bigger than private needs. It asks mercy for the whole Church, protection against evil, conversion for sinners, and triumph of the love of Christ in places where God is forgotten or mocked.
Continue learning about the Holy Face
Return to the main Holy Face devotion page to explore the chaplet, novena, Veronica’s Veil, the Holy Face Medal, and the saints who promoted this devotion.
Sources and further reading
This Chasing Saints guide was written from a Catholic devotional perspective and is intended to be reverent, useful, and source-aware. Suggested sources for deeper study include:
- Holy See: Maria Pierina De Micheli beatification note
- Holy See: Maria Pia Mastena biography
- Holy See: St. Gaetano Catanoso biography
- Boston Carmel: St. Thérèse and the Holy Face
- The Holy Face Association: History of the devotion
- Sacred Heart Parish: Chaplet of the Holy Face
- EWTN Vatican: Veronica’s Veil and the Holy Face