While devotion to the Holy Face of Jesus originated in the biblical story of St. Veronica wiping the face of Jesus on his road to Calvary, it received more attention through the efforts of a 19th-century French nun.
Her name was Sr. Mary of St. Peter and is often credited with the modern devotion to the Holy Face. A few decades after her death Pope Leo XIII approved this particular devotion and it influenced many saints, such as St. Therese of Lisieux, another French nun of the 19th century.
The beads required to pray this chaplet are unique, though a person can always use an alternative way to count the prayers.
How to pray the Chaplet of the Holy Face
Crucifix:
“O God, come to my assistance. O Lord, make haste to help me.” Glory Be ...
First large bead:
“My Jesus, mercy.” Glory Be ...
In honor of the sense of touch of Our Lord, recite on the six small beads:
“Arise, O Lord, and let Thy enemies be scattered, and let all that hate Thee flee from before Thy Face.”
Second large bead:
“My Jesus, mercy.” Glory Be ...
In honor of the sense of hearing of our Lord, recite on the six small beads:
“Arise, O Lord, and let Thy enemies be scattered, and let all that hate Thee flee from before Thy Face.”
Third large bead:
“My Jesus, mercy.” Glory Be ...
In honor of the sense of sight of our Lord, recite on the six small beads:
“Arise, O Lord, and let Thy enemies be scattered, and let all that hate Thee flee from before Thy Face.”
Fourth large bead:
“My Jesus, mercy.” Glory Be ...
In honor of the sense of smell of our Lord, recite on the six small beads:
“Arise, O Lord, and let Thy enemies be scattered, and let all that hate Thee flee from before Thy Face.”
Fifth large bead:
“My Jesus, mercy.” Glory Be ...
In honor of the sense of taste of our Lord, recite on the six small beads:
“Arise, O Lord, and let Thy enemies be scattered, and let all that hate Thee flee from before Thy Face.”
Sixth large bead:
“My Jesus, mercy.” Glory Be ...
In honor of our Lord’s public life, recite on the three small beads:
“Arise, O Lord, and let Thy enemies be scattered, and let all that hate Thee flee from before Thy Face.”
Holy Face medal:
“God, our Protector, look on us, and cast thine eyes upon the Face of Thy Christ.”
At the end there are a few additional prayers recommended by Sr. Mary of St. Peter, such as the Golden Arrow prayer:
May the most holy, most sacred, most adorable, most incomprehensible and unutterable Name of God be always 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.
And today we celebrate...