Chaplet of the Sacred Heart of Jesus: How to Pray Guide and PDF
The Chaplet of the Sacred Heart of Jesus is a wonderful prayer to meditate on our Lord's love. Devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus is practiced with the intention of centering our hearts on receiving and returning His love with gratitude - with all of our heart, soul, and strength - so that He may be glorified. Below is a guide to the Chaplet of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and a Printable PDF.
What is the Chaplet of the Sacred Heart of Jesus?
The devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus is one of the most well-known and widespread forms of Catholic devotion in the world. It is taken to be a representation of the limitless and all-consuming love that God has for humankind. The Chaplet to the Sacred Heart of Jesus is a special prayer and a way to practice devotion to the Sacred Heart.
There are a total of 33 beads in the Chaplet of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. These beads are organized as follows: there are three beads that serve as opening beads, and then there are five groups of six beads. Each group is separated by a single, often larger bead, and is made using a Sacred Heart rosary center and regular crucifix of your choice. The only additional component that could be added is a medal in the shape of a Sacred Heart.
How do you pray the Chaplet of the Sacred Heart?
There are a few different versions of how to pray the Chaplet of the Sacred Heart. This version is a revision of those offered by Fr. John Croiset, S. J. in his classic book, “The Devotion to the Sacred Heart.”
The Introductory Prayers
The Anima Christi
Soul of Christ, sanctify me, Body of Christ, save me, Blood of Christ, inebriate me, Water from Christ’s side, Wash me, Passion of Christ, Strengthen me, O good Jesus, hear me, Within Thy wounds hide me, Suffer me not to be separated from Thee, From the malicious enemy, defend me In the hour of my death, call me, And bid me come unto Thee, That I may praise Thee with Thy saints and with Thy Angels forever and ever. Amen.
On the 5 beads on the outside, pray:
1 Our Father
3 Hail Mary’s
1 Glory Be
The Decade Prayers
Before each decade, announce the mystery. The five mysteries of the Chaplet of the Sacred Heart are below.
On the large bead, pray:
I love you Lord, who suffered agony in the Garden of Gethsemane and who today, in the Blessed Sacrament, is outraged at the impiety and ingratitude of men. Give us your Love, help us to love you more, you who alone are holy, you who alone are Lord, the Most High, Jesus Christ.
On the 6 small beads, pray:
Lord, I adore your Sacred Heart, inflame in our hearts the Divine Love with which your own is inflamed.
At the end of each decade, pray:
Lord Jesus, meek and humble of heart, make our hearts like yours.
The Conclusion Prayer
O Lord, you give your Sacred Heart to humanity in the Mystery of the Altar for the salvation of our souls, may your sacrifice not be made in vain.
Hear our prayers, have mercy on us and forgive our sins.
We desire to honor you in the Blessed Sacrament, (glorify you in our thoughts, words and actions, and thank and praise you always.)
We weep for and detest the impiety and ingratitude of men, call us back to the heart of your Church.
I offer you my heart in reparation for sin. (Remove from it what is displeasing to you, dispose it according to your will, and inspire it with sentiments like yours.)
Draw us near to you Sacred Heart through the Immaculate Heart of Mary, and be our refuge at death, that we may come to praise for all eternity the Divine Love with which your Sacred Heart burns for humanity.
I ask this in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Amen.
Sacred Heart of Jesus, I place my trust in you.
The Mysteries of the Chaplet of the Sacred Heart
While you are praying the chaplet, you may choose to reflect on any of these mysteries or others.
It is not recommended that you fixate on one mystery for each decade due to the fact that the decades are relatively short. Instead, ruminate over a mystery for as long as you feel it will be beneficial to you, and then move on to another mystery if you feel the need to.
The Five Mysteries of the chaplet of the Sacred Heart
The Entry into Jerusalem in which our Savior, meek and humble of heart and riding on a donkey, entered triumphantly into the City of David and his people sang Hosanna.
The Agony in the Garden of Gethsemane in which Christ suffered affliction out of love for sinful and disobedient humanity and asked his disciples to remain, pray and keep vigil with him.
The Road to Emmaus in which Christ accompanied his disciples and interpreted the scriptures for them. Their hearts burned within them, and he revealed himself in the breaking of the bread.
The Blessed Sacrament, which is given to humanity through the Mystery of the Alter, reposed in the tabernacle, and exposed for Eucharistic Adoration, within which God is really, truly and substantially present.
The Image of the Sacred Heart, which represents Christ’s Sacred Humanity, the interior life of his soul, and his affection of merciful love for humanity.
Chaplet of the Sacred Heart of Jesus PDF: How to Pray
Free Printable PDF of How to Pray the Chaplet of the Sacred Heart. Download here.
When can you pray the Chaplet of the Sacred Heart of Jesus?
The Chaplet of the Sacred Heart of Jesus can be prayed at any time, and the devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus is a daily prayer for many. Saint Padre Pio was known to pray a Novena to the Sacred Heart of Jesus every day. Another special time to pray the Chaplet is on the Feast day of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. The feast is celebrated on the third Friday after Pentecost, normally the 2nd or 3rd week in June.
Where did the Chaplet of the Sacred Heart of Jesus come from?
The devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus came from a vision experience by a Nun in France. Jesus In the 1670s, Jesus made multiple appearances to Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque, who was a nun at a convent in France. This inspired the beginning of the devotion. By means of these visions, He communicated to her His desire to be honored with the symbol of His heart, pleading with believers to make amends for any wrongdoings they had committed, regularly partake in Communion, and keep the Holy Hour. He also asked that the faithful observe the Holy Hour. The devotion was included in the calendar of the church by Pope Pius IX in the year 1856.
Pope Pius XII illustrated how Jesus Sacred Heart points to his love of mankind:
The other reason…arises from the fact that His Heart, more than all the other members of His body, is the natural sign and symbol of His boundless love for the human race. “There is in the Sacred Heart,” as Our predecessor of immortal memory, Leo XIII, pointed out, “the symbol and express image of the infinite love of Jesus Christ which moves us to love in return.”
The Chaplet came out of the practice of this devotion and there are several different versions you can pray.
How many beads does the Chaplet of the Sacred Heart have?
The Chaplet of the Sacred Heart of Jesus is comprised of a total of 33 beads in its entirety. The arrangement of these beads is as follows: at the beginning, there are three beads that function as opening beads, and then there are five groups of six beads. One single, typically larger bead serves as a divider between each group.
Can you pray the Chaplet of the Sacred Heart of Jesus on the Rosary?
The Rosary is a different structure than that of the Sacred Heart Chaplet. The Chaplet consists of five sections of six beads, while the Rosary is five sets of ten beads. Still, you can use the Rosary Beads to keep track of your prayers during the Sacred Heart of Jesus Chaplet. It may be difficult to achieve a perfect system, but you can adapt a Rosary by simply starting at the first bead of a decade, stopping after passing six beads, and going to the next decade. The Crucifix used in the beginning and the three small beads are the same as the Chaplet of the Sacred Heart.
We also recommend using a PDF Guide to help guide you or purchasing your own Sacred Heart of Jesus Chaplet. Another option is using a wallet rosary to count to nine each time, before starting over again.
Other resources for the Chaplet of the Sacred Heart and PDF Guide
Buy a Chaplet of the Sacred Heart of Jesus
Buy a Jesus Sacred Heart Medal
Why do Catholics venerate the Sacred Heart of Jesus?
Pray along to a video of the Sacred Heart of Jesus
Want to learn more? Click on our other Catholic PDF guides below!
How to Pray the Catholic Rosary
How to Pray the Devotion to the Immaculate Heart of Mary
Prayers after Communion - What to Pray After Communion.
The Rosary Card - Built For Convenience
As you learn to pray the Rosary, check out our Rosary Cards. They are designed for convenience (same size as a Credit Card) and make it much easier to pray the Rosary or Divine Mercy Chaplet often.
Connect
Please let me know how your journey with the Rosary is going, I'd love to hear from you. Send me a message an email at: brennan@everydayprayerco.com
Need a Rosary to get started? Check out our Wallet Rosary Cards. It'll make sure you are never without the Rosary.
Get inspired by our daily Rosary quotes: Instagram
And don't forget about our free Rosary Guide Download. Keep Praying!