LITTLE CHAPLET OF THE HOLY FACE

The little chaplet of the Holy Face has for its object the honouring of the five senses of our Lord Jesus Christ, and of entreating God for the triumph of His Church. This chaplet is composed of a cross of thirty-nine beads, six of which are large, and thirty-three small, and of a medal of the Holy Face. It is well to recite it every day, in order to obtain from God, by means of the Face of His well-beloved Son, the triumph of our Mother the Catholic Church, and the downfall of her enemies.

The Cross recalls to us the mystery of our Redemption. We must sign ourselves with it and make the invocation:

Deus, in adjutorium meum intende: Domine, ad adjuvandum me festina; followed by the Gloria Patri. The thirty-three small beads represent the thirty-three years of the mortal life of our Lord. The first thirty recall to mind the thirty years of his private life, and are divided into five sixes with the intention of honouring the five senses of the touch, of the hearing, of the sight, of the smell and of the taste of Jesus, which have their seat principally in His Holy Face, and of rendering homage to all the sufferings which our Lord endured in His Face, through each one of these senses.

Each of these sixes is preceded by a large bead in honour of the sense which it is intended to honour, and is followed by a Gloria Patri.

The three small beads recall to mind the public life of the Saviour and have for their object the honouring of all the wounds of His adorable Face.

The large bead which precedes them has the same object in view and is followed by a Gloria Patria, and on each must be said, My Jesus, mercy! (100 days of indulgence.)

And on each of the six small beads say: Arise, O Lord, and let Thine enemies be scattered, and let them that hate Thee flee from before Thy Face.

At the end, the Gloria is repeated seven times, in honour of the seven last words of Jesus upon the Cross, and the seven dolours of the Immaculate Virgin. When terminating the chaplet, we must say over the medal: O God, our protector, look down upon us and cast Thine eyes upon the Face of Thy Christ.

The little chaplet comes to us from Sister St-Pierre. (Above is quoted from the Manual of the Archconfraternity of the Holy Face, originally published by Abbè Janvier in 1887, and reprinted by A.D. Press 2026.)

• 1) On the Cross: ‘Oh God, come to my assistance; Oh Lord, make haste to help me’, Gloria Patri …
• 2)  On each large bead: ‘My Jesus Mercy’ & Gloria Patri.Then on the 6 small beads: ‘Arise, Oh Lord, and let Thine enemies be scattered, and let them that hate Thee flee before Thy Face’. Each sextet is in honour of one of the Five senses and how our Blessed Lord suffered through them.
• 3)  On last large bead: ‘My Jesus Mercy’ (100 days indulgence) & the Gloria Patri…On 3 small beads: ‘Arise, Oh Lord, and let Thine enemies be scattered, and let them that hate Thee flee before Thy Face’. In honour of His three years public ministry.
• 4)  On Holy Face medal: ‘O God, our Protector, look down upon us, and cast Thine eyes upon the Face of Thy Christ’.
• 5)  Final prayers: Gloria Patri… (x7) in honour of the Seven Last Words of Christ.
  • May the thrice Holy Name of God overthrow all their plans!
  • May the Holy Name of the Living God split them up by disagreements!
  • May the terrible Name of the God of Eternity stamp out all their godlessness!
  • Lord, I do not desire the death of the sinner, but that he be converted and live. Father, forgive them for they know not what they do.
  • May the most holy, most sacred, most adorable, most incomprehensible, and unutterable Name of God, be forever praised, blessed, loved, adored and glorified, in heaven, on earth, and in the hells, by all the creatures of God, and by the Sacred Heart of Our Lord Jesus Christ, present in the most Holy Sacrament of the Altar. Amen.