How to Say the Rosary of the 5 Wounds

PDF download Download Article
Learn the history and prayers of St. Marie-Martha’s devotion
PDF download Download Article

The Chaplet of the Five Holy Wounds is a version of the Rosary shown to St. Marie-Martha by Jesus himself. It reflects on the Five Wounds of Christ and their healing power, and it's said that anyone who says the prayer will receive special blessings. We’ll show you how to recite the Chaplet , where it came from , and the blessings you’ll receive . We’ll also show you how to pray the original, traditional chaplet not based on the rosary.

What is the Chaplet of the Five Wounds?

The Chaplet of the Five Holy Wounds is a version of the rosary revealed to St. Marie-Martha, a nun who lived in the 1800s and who often had visions of heaven and Jesus. During a vision, Jesus revealed the Chaplet to her and promised blessings to anyone who recites it.

Section 1 of 4:

Praying the Rosary of the Five Holy Wounds

PDF download Download Article
  1. The Sign of the Cross is the traditional start to almost every Christian prayer. Say, "In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen." [1]
  2. Start the Chaplet by holding the crucifix of the rosary and praying , "Jesus, Divine Redeemer, be merciful to us and to the whole world. Amen.” [2]
    • If you don’t have a rosary, that’s okay! Instead, envision and meditate on the crucifix in your mind, and use your fingers to count your prayers.
    Advertisement
  3. On the first of the three beads above the crucifix, pray, "Powerful God, Holy God, immortal God, have mercy on us and on the whole world. Amen." [3]
  4. "Grace and mercy O my Jesus, during present dangers; cover us with thy Precious Blood. Amen."
  5. "Eternal Father, grant us mercy through the Blood of Jesus Christ, Thine only Son; grant us mercy, we beseech thee. Amen."
  6. While you pray this decade reflect on each of the five wounds for each of the five decades, in this order: left foot, right foot, left hand, right hand, sacred side wound. Repeat the following prayers for each large bead and the ten smaller beads that follow it:
    • On the large bead pray: "Eternal Father, I offer Thee the wounds of our Lord Jesus Christ to heal those of our souls. Amen."
    • On each of the 10 beads pray: "My Jesus, pardon and mercy through the merits of Thy Holy Wounds. Amen."
  7. Finish your rosary by repeating the following prayer 3 times: "Eternal Father, grant us mercy through the Blood of Jesus Christ, Thine only Son; grant us mercy, we beseech thee. Amen."
    8. Advertisement
Section 2 of 4:

History of the Chaplet of the Five Wounds

PDF download Download Article
  1. Alphonsus Ligouri. Throughout the history of Christianity, the faithful have reflected on Christ’s five wounds in many ways. These wounds represent the ultimate sacrifice, and our salvation and cleansing. The original chaplet was written by St. Alphonsus Ligouri, and made official in 1823. [4]
    • St. Alphonsus Ligouri was a respected bishop and theologian who helped shape the practices and teachings of the Church in the 1700s. [5]
  2. 2
    The Chaplet was revived and revised by St. Marie-Martha. Marie-Martha was born as Francoise Chambon in Davoy, France, before she joined the Monastery of the Visitation Order and took her new name. She was blessed with supernatural visions, including a vision of heaven. She also had visions of Jesus, in which he asked her to contemplate his wounds with specific prayers. These prayers became the new Chaplet of the Five Holy Wounds. [6]
    • The Chaplet was published in 1923, years after Marie-Martha died in 1907.
    3. Advertisement
Section 3 of 4:

Jesus' Promises for Devotions to the Five Holy Wounds

PDF download Download Article
  1. Jesus made promises to anyone who practiced the Chaplet. When Jesus spoke to St. Marie-Martha, he gave her certain promises He would keep if she prayed his devotions, and those promises extend to anyone who joins in the tradition. These promises were published in her journal and are as follows: [7]
    • At each word that you pronounce of the Chaplet of the Holy Wounds, I allow a drop of My Blood to fall upon the soul of a sinner.
    • Each time that you offer to My Father the merits of My divine Wounds, you win an immense fortune.
    • Souls that will have contemplated and honored My crown of thorns on earth, will be My crown of glory in Heaven!
    • I will grant all that is asked of Me through the invocation of My Holy Wounds. You will obtain everything, because it is through the merit of My Blood, which is of infinite price. With My Wounds and My Divine Heart, everything can be obtained.
    • From My Wounds proceed fruits of sanctity. As gold purified in the crucible becomes more beautiful, so you must put your soul and those of your companions into My sacred Wounds; there they will become perfected as gold in the furnace. You can always purify yourself in My Wounds.
    • My Wounds will repair yours. My Wounds will cover all your faults. Those who honor them will have a true knowledge of Jesus Christ. In meditation on them, you will always find a new love. My Wounds will cover all your sins.
    • Plunge your actions into My Wounds and they will be of value. All your actions, even the least, soaked in My Blood, will acquire by this alone an infinite merit and will please My Heart.
    • In offering My Wounds for the conversion of sinners, even though the sinners are not converted, you will have the same merit before God as if they were.
    • When you have some trouble, something to suffer, quickly place it in My Wounds, and the pain will be alleviated.
    • This aspiration must often be repeated near the sick: "My Jesus, pardon and mercy through the merits of Your Holy Wounds!" This prayer will solace soul and body.
    • A sinner who will say the following prayer will obtain conversion: "Eternal Father, I offer You the Wounds of our Lord Jesus Christ to heal those of our souls."
    • There will be no death for the soul that expires in My Holy Wounds; they give true life.
    • This chaplet is a counterpoise to My justice; it restrains My vengeance.
    • Those who pray with humility and who meditate on My Passion, will one day participate in the glory of My divine Wounds.
    • The more you will have contemplated My painful Wounds on this earth, the higher will be your contemplation of them glorious in Heaven.
    • The soul who during life has honored the Wounds of our Lord Jesus Christ and has offered them to the Eternal Father for the Souls in Purgatory, will be accompanied at the moment of death by the Holy Virgin and the angels; and Our Lord on the Cross, all brilliant in glory, will receive her and crown her.
    • The invocations of the Holy Wounds will obtain an incessant victory for the Church.
Section 4 of 4:

Reciting the Original Chaplet of the Five Wounds

PDF download Download Article
  1. 1
    Sign of the Cross: Say, "In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen." [8]
    • This version of the Chaplet doesn’t use a traditional rosary.
  2. 2
    First wound: Announce the wound with the prayer: “O my Lord Jesus Christ, I adore the wound in Thy left foot. I thank Thee for having suffered it for me with so much sorrow and with so much love. I compassionate Thy pain, and that of Thine afflicted Mother. And, by the merit of this sacred wound, I pray Thee to grant me the pardon of my sins, of which I repent with all my heart, because they have offended Thine infinite goodness. O sorrowing Mary, pray to Jesus for me.” [9]
    • Recite 5 Glorias: “Glory be to the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning is now and ever shall be, Amen.”
    • Recite a Hail Mary: “Hail Mary, Hail, Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou amongst women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen.”
    • Say the prayer: “By all the wounds which Thou didst bear with so much love and so much pain, oh, let a sinner's prayer thy mercy, Lord, obtain!”
  3. 3
    Second wound: Announce the wound with the prayer, “O my Lord Jesus Christ, I adore the wound in Thy right foot. I thank Thee for having suffered it for me with so much sorrow and with so much love. I compassionate Thy pain, and that of Thine afflicted Mother. And, by the merit of this sacred wound, I pray Thee to give me the strength not to fall into mortal sin for the future, but to persevere in Thy grace unto my death. O sorrowing Mary, pray to Jesus for me.” [10]
    • Recite 5 Glorias.
    • Recite 5 Hail Marys.
    • Recite the Sinner’s Prayer, as in the step above.
  4. 4
    Third wound: Announce the wound with the prayer, “O my Lord Jesus Christ, I adore the wound in Thy left hand. I thank Thee for having suffered it for me with so much sorrow and with so much love. I compassionate Thy pain, and that of Thine afflicted Mother. And, by the merit of this sacred wound, I pray Thee to deliver me from Hell, which I have so often deserved, where I could never love Thee more. O sorrowing Mary, pray to Jesus for me.” [11]
    • Recite 5 Glorias.
    • Recite 5 Hail Marys.
    • Recite the Sinner’s Prayer, as in the step above.
  5. 5
    Fourth wound: Announce the wound with the prayer, “O my Lord Jesus Christ, I adore the wound in Thy right hand. I thank Thee for having suffered it for me with so much sorrow and with so much love. I compassionate Thy pain, and that of Thy most afflicted Mother. And, by the merit of this sacred wound, I pray Thee to give me the glory of Paradise, where I shall love Thee perfectly, and with all my strength. O sorrowing Mary, pray to Jesus for me.” [12]
    • Recite 5 Glorias.
    • Recite 5 Hail Marys.
    • Recite the Sinner’s Prayer, as in the step above.
  6. 6
    Fifth wound: Announce the wound with the prayer, “O my Lord Jesus Christ, I adore the wound in Thy side. I thank Thee for having willed, even after Thy death, to suffer this additional injury, without pain indeed, yet with consummate love. I compassionate Thine afflicted Mother, who alone felt all its pain. And, by the merit of this sacred wound, I pray Thee to bestow upon me the gift of holy love for Thee, that so I may ever love Thee in this life, and in the other, face to face, for all eternity, in Paradise. O sorrowing Mary, pray to Jesus for me.” [13]
    • Recite 5 Glorias.
    • Recite 5 Hail Marys.
    • Recite the Sinner’s Prayer, as in the step above.
    7. Advertisement

Rosary Prayer

Community Q&A

Search
Add New Question
  • Question
    Where can I get pamphlets of the Rosary of the Holy Wounds?
    Tamara
    Top Answerer
    You can search online to see whether there is printable information available, or call or visit a Catholic bookstore.
    Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
    Thank you for your feedback.
    If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow
    Yes No
    Not Helpful 3 Helpful 7
Ask a Question
200 characters left
Include your email address to get a message when this question is answered.
Submit
      Advertisement

      Video

      Tips

      Submit a Tip
      All tip submissions are carefully reviewed before being published
      Name
      Please provide your name and last initial
      Submit
      Thanks for submitting a tip for review!

      You Might Also Like

      How Does Someone Become the Pope?
      How to
      Become a Cardinal
      How to
      Make Holy Water at Home without a Priest
      How to
      Address the Pope
      How to
      Make a Rosary: 3 DIY Methods
      How to
      Address Church Officials In Person and in Written Correspondence
      How to
      Become a Catholic Priest
      How to
      Join the Roman Catholic Church
      How to
      Make a Cord Rosary
      How to
      Receive Communion at a Catholic Mass
      How to
      Pray the Rosary
      How to
      Wear the Brown Scapular
      Visit a Catholic Mass: Etiquette for Catholics and Non-Catholics
      How to
      Choose a Baptism or Christening Name
      Advertisement

      References

      1. ↑ https://diolc.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/Resources-for-Better-Understanding-the-Sign-of-the-Cross.pdf
      2. ↑ https://padrepioministry.org/prayers-information/wounds-of-christ-prayers/
      3. ↑ https://padrepioministry.org/prayers-information/wounds-of-christ-prayers/
      4. ↑ https://www.lehighvalleylatinmass.org/2020/04/little-chaplet-of-five-wounds-of-christ.html
      5. ↑ https://www.franciscanmedia.org/saint-of-the-day/saint-alphonsus-liguori/
      6. ↑ https://www.franciscanmedia.org/saint-of-the-day/saint-alphonsus-liguori/
      7. ↑ https://www.theworkofgod.org/holy_wounds_rosary_chaplet.htm
      8. ↑ https://diolc.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/Resources-for-Better-Understanding-the-Sign-of-the-Cross.pdf
      9. ↑ https://www.piercedhearts.org/treasures/devotions/other_prayers/five_wounds_chaplet_liguori.htm
      1. ↑ https://pvm.archchicago.org/documents/87254/4247823/Chaplet+of+the+Five+Wounds+of+Jesus.pdf
      2. ↑ https://www.piercedhearts.org/treasures/devotions/other_prayers/five_wounds_chaplet_liguori.htm
      3. ↑ https://pvm.archchicago.org/documents/87254/4247823/Chaplet+of+the+Five+Wounds+of+Jesus.pdf
      4. ↑ https://www.piercedhearts.org/treasures/devotions/other_prayers/five_wounds_chaplet_liguori.htm

      About This Article

      Thanks to all authors for creating a page that has been read 177,699 times.

      Reader Success Stories

      • Michael Plier

        Jun 6, 2017

        "If you have committed sins and don't let go of them for yourself, this will allow you to go to purgatory. The ..." more
        Rated this article:
      More reader stories Hide reader stories
      Share your story

      Did this article help you?

      Advertisement