The Fifteen Prayers

Revealed by Our Lord to St. Bridget of Sweden in the Church of St. Paul in Rome
Approved by Pope Pius IX

Origin
✟ As St. Bridget had been desirous for a long time to know the number of blows our Lord received during His Passion, He one day appeared to her and said, “I received 5,475 blows in my Body. If you wish to honor them in some way, say 15 Our Fathers and 15 Hail Marys with the following prayers (which He taught her) for a whole year. When the year is up, you will have honored each one of My Wounds.”

Pope Benedict XV expressed himself as follows on the Revelations of St. Bridget: “The approbation of such revelations implies nothing more than, after mature examination, it is permissible to publish them for the benefit of the faithful. Though they don’t merit the same credence as the truths of religion, one can, however, believe them out of human faith, conforming to the rules of prudence by which they are probable and supported by sufficient motives that one might believe in them piously. (Les Petitis Bollandistes, tome XII)

On the 14th of June 1303, at the moment Bridget was born, Benedict, the curate of Rasbo, prayed for the happy deliverance of Ingeborde. Suddenly he found himself enveloped by a luminous cloud out of which Our Lady appeared: “A child has been born at Birger; her voice will be heard by the entire world.” (Sagii, die XXIV Aprilis 1903. Imprimatur.)

These Prayers and Promises have been copied from a book printed in Toulouse in 1740 and published by the P. Adrien Parvilliers of the Company of Jesus, Apostolic Missionary of the Holy Land, with approbation, permission and recommendation to distribute them.

Parents and teachers who will read them to young infants for at least one year will assure their being preserved for life from any grave accident which would involve the loss of one of their five senses.

Pope Pius IX took cognizance of these Prayers with the prologue; he approved them on May 31, 1862, recognizing them as true and for the good of souls. This sentence of Pope Pius IX has been confirmed by the realization of the promises by all persons who have recited the prayers and by numerous supernatural facts by which God wanted to make known their exact truth. A collection of small books, these prayers among them, was approved by the Great Congress of Malines on August 22, 1863.

Visitors to the Church of St. Paul in Rome can see the crucifix, above the Tabernacle in the Blessed Sacrament Chapel, sculptured by Pierre Cavallini, before which St. Bridget knelt when she received these 15 Prayers from Our Lord. The following inscription is placed in the church to commemorate the event: “Pendentis, Pendente Dei verba accepit et verbum corde Brigitta Deum. Anno Jubilei MCCCL.”

Magnificent Promises to St. Bridget
Our Lord made the following promises to anyone who recited these prayers for a whole year:

1. I will deliver 15 souls of his lineage from Purgatory.
2. 15 souls of his lineage will be confirmed and preserved in grace.
3. 15 sinners of his lineage will be converted.
4. Whoever will recite these prayers will attain the first degree of perfection.
5. 15 days before his death I will give him My Precious Body in order that he may escape eternal starvation; I will give him My Precious Blood to drink lest he thirst eternally.
6. 15 days before his death he will conceive a deep contrition for all his sins and a perfect knowledge of them.
7. I will place before him My Victorious Cross for his help and defense against the attack of his enemies.
8. Before his death I will come with My dearest and beloved Mother.
9. I will graciously receive his soul and lead it to eternal joys.
10. And having led it there, I will give him a special draught from the fountain of My Deity, something I will not do for those who have not recited My Prayers.
11. Let it be known that whoever may have been living in a state of mortal sin for 30 years but who will recite devoutly, or have the intention to recite these Prayers, the Lord will forgive him all his sins.
12. I will defend him against evil temptations.
13. I will preserve and guard his five senses.
14. I will preserve him from sudden death.
15. His soul will be delivered from eternal death.
16. He will obtain all he asks from God and the Blessed Virgin.
17. If he has lived all his life doing his own will and he is to die the next day, his life will be prolonged.
18. Every time one recites these Prayers, he will gain 100 days indulgence.
19. He will be assured of being joined to the Supreme Choir of Angels.
20. Whoever teaches these Prayers to another will have continued joy and merit which will last throughout eternity.
21. There where these Prayers are being said or may be said in the future, God will be present there by His Grace.

All these privileges were promised to St. Bridget by a picture of our Lord Jesus Christ crucified on the condition that she say them everyday. They are promised also to those who say them devoutly everyday for the space of one year.

First Prayer
One Our Father & One Hail Mary
O Jesus Christ, Eternal Sweetness to those who love You, Joy surpassing all joys and all desires, Salvation and Hope of all sinners, by assuming a human nature even for a brief period of time for love of us, You have proved that You have no greater desire than to be among men. Please recall all the sufferings that You endured from the first moment of Your conception, and especially during your Passion, as it was decreed and ordained in the Divine Plan from all eternity.

Remember, O Lord, that after having washed the feet of Your disciples during the Last Supper, You gave them Your Precious Body and Blood. You consoled them as You related Your coming Passion.

Remember the sadness and bitterness which You experienced in Your Soul as You prayed: “My Soul is sorrowful even unto death.”

Remember all the fear, the anguish, and the pain that You suffered before Your crucifixion, when in the prime of Your life, after having prayed three separate times and bathed in a sweat of blood, You were betrayed by one of Your disciples, Judas. You were arrested by the people of the nation You had chosen and exalted. You were accused by false witnesses and unjustly condemned by three judges during the solemn Paschal season. Remember that You were despoiled of Your garments and in turn clothed with the garments of mockery. Your Face was buffeted and Your Head crowned with thorns. Your Eyes were blinded by blood. You were tied to a column, crushed with blows and overwhelmed with insults and abuses.

In memory of all these pains and sufferings You endured before Your Passion on the Cross, grant that before I die, I may, with true contrition, make a sincere and entire confession, make worthy satisfaction and be given remission of all my sins. Amen.

Second Prayer
One Our Father & One Hail Mary
O Jesus, True Liberty of Angels, Paradise of Delights, remember the horror and sadness You endured when Your enemies surrounded You like furious lions, and with thousands of blows, insults, lacerations, and unheard-of cruelties, tormented You at will.

By these torments and insulting words, I beg You my Savior, deliver me from all my visible and invisible enemies and may I, under Your protection, attain the perfection of eternal salvation. Amen.

Third Prayer
One Our Father & One Hail Mary
O Jesus, Creator of Heaven and Earth, Whom nothing can encompass or limit! You Who do enfold and hold all under Your loving power, remember the very bitter pain You suffered when, with big blunt nails and with blows delivered one after another, the Jews nailed Your Sacred Hands and Feet to the Cross. Remember, O Lord, Your Infinite Anguish when Your cruel tormentors, not finding You in a sufficiently pitiable state to satisfy their rage and cruelty, enlarged Your wounds. Remember Your Painful Agony when Your executioners added more pain to Your sufferings when they stretched Your Body on the Cross and dislocated Your Bones by pulling them mercilessly apart.

I beg of You, O Jesus, by the memory of this Most Holy and Most Loving suffering of the Cross, to grant me the grace to fear You and love You. Amen.

Fourth Prayer
One Our Father & One Hail Mary
O Jesus, Heavenly Physician, raised aloft on the Cross that our wounds might be healed by Your own! Remember the bruises and weaknesses You suffered in Your whole Being that never was there pain like that which You endured. From the crown of Your Head to the soles of Your Feet, there was not a spot on Your Body that was not in torment. And yet forgetting all Your sufferings, You did not cease to pray to Your Heavenly Father for Your enemies, saying: “Father, forgive them for they know not what they do.”

Through this great mercy and in memory of this suffering, may the remembrance of Your Most Bitter Passion effect in us a perfect contrition and the remission of all our sins. Amen.

Fifth Prayer
One Our Father & One Hail Mary
O Jesus, Mirror of Eternal Splendor, remember the sadness You experienced when You saw by the light of Your Divinity the predestination of those who would be saved by the merits of Your Sacred Passion. At the same time, You saw the great multitude of reprobates who would be damned for their sins making You complain bitterly of those hopeless, lost and unfortunate sinners.

Through this abyss of compassion and especially through the goodness You displayed to the good thief when You said to him: “This day you will be with Me in Paradise.” I beg of You, O sweet Jesus, that at the hour of my death You will show me mercy. Amen.

Sixth Prayer
One Our Father & One Hail Mary
O Jesus, Most Loving and Most Desirable King! Remember the grief You suffered when You were fastened and raised aloft on the Cross, naked, like a common criminal. Your relatives and friends had forsaken You except Your Beloved Mother and a few who remained with You during Your Agony.

Remember Your grief as You entrusted Your Mother to Your faithful disciple when You addressed them: “Woman, behold your son. Behold your Mother.”

By the sword of sorrow that pierced the soul of Your Holy Mother, I beg You, O Savior, to have mercy on me in all my corporal and spiritual afflictions, and to assist me in all my trials, especially at the hour of my death. Amen.

Seventh Prayer
One Our Father & One Hail Mary
O Jesus, Inexhaustible Fountain of Compassion, Who by a gesture of Profound Love said from the cross: “I thirst!” suffered from the thirst of the salvation of all men. I beg You, my Savior, to inflame in our hearts the desire for perfection in all our acts, to extinguish in us the concupiscence of the flesh and the ardors of worldly desires. Amen.

Eighth Prayer
One Our Father & One Hail Mary
O Jesus, Sweetness of Hearts and Delight of the Spirit! By the bitterness of the gall and vinegar that You tasted on the Cross for Love of us, grant us the grace to receive Your Precious Body and Blood worthily during our life and at the hour of our death, that they may serve as remedy and consolation of our souls. Amen.

Ninth Prayer
One Our Father & One Hail Mary
O Jesus, Kingly Virtue and Joy of the Mind, recall the Pain You endured when, plunged into an ocean of bitterness at the approach of death, insulted and outraged by the Jews, You cried out in a loud voice that You were abandoned by Your Father as You said: “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me!”

Through this anguish, I beg of You, my Savior, not to abandon me in the terrors and in the pains of my death. Amen.

Tenth Prayer
One Our Father & One Hail Mary
O Jesus, You Who are the Beginning and End of all things, of life and of virtue, remember that for our sakes, You were plunged into an abyss of suffering from the soles of Your Feet to the crown of Your Head. Meditating upon Your Innumerable Wounds, teach me to keep Your Commandments through pure love. The fulfillment of Your Divine Commandments is easy for those who love You. Amen.

Eleventh Prayer
One Our Father & One Hail Mary
O Jesus, Deep Abyss of Mercy, for the sake of the Wounds which pierced the very Marrow of Your Bones and the very Depths of Your Being, I beg You to draw a miserable sinner like me who is overwhelmed by great offenses away from sin. Hide me from Your Face justly irritated against me. Hide me in Your Wounds until Your anger and just indignation will have passed away. Amen.

Twelfth Prayer
One Our Father & One Hail Mary
O Jesus, Mirror of Truth, Symbol of Unity and Link of Charity, remember the multitude of Wounds that afflicted You from head to foot – Your Wounds that tore and reddened Your Whole Being by the spilling of Your adorable Blood. O Great and Universal Pain which You suffered in Your Divine Flesh for love of us! Sweetest Jesus, what is there that You could have done for us that You have not done?

May Your Sufferings bear fruit in my soul through the faithful remembrance of Your Passion. May Your Love grow in my heart each day until that moment when I shall behold You in Eternity. You Who are the Treasure House of all Goodness and all Joy, O Sweetest Jesus, I beg You to grant me this precious gift of Heaven. Amen.

Thirteenth Prayer
One Our Father & One Hail Mary
O Jesus, Strong Lion, Immortal and Invincible King, remember the pain which You endured when all Your mortal and physical strength was entirely exhausted, and You bowed Your Head saying: “All is consummated.”

By this anguish and grief, I beg You, O Lord, to have mercy on me at the hour of death, when my mind will be greatly troubled and my soul will be in great anguish. Amen.

Fourteenth Prayer
One Our Father & One Hail Mary
O Jesus, only Son of the Father, Splendor and Figure of His Substance, remember the simple but humble recommendation You made of Your Soul to Your Eternal Father when You said: “Father, into Your Hands I commend My Spirit.”

With Your Body and Your Heart all broken, and the springs of Your Mercy opened themselves to redeem us, You expired.

By Your Precious Death, O King of Saints, I beg You to comfort me and give me strength to resist the devil, the flesh and the world so that being dead to the world, I may live for You alone. I beg You to receive me, a pilgrim and an exile returning to You at the hour of my death. Amen.

Fifteenth Prayer
One Our Father & One Hail Mary
O Jesus, True and Fruitful Vine, remember the abundant outpouring of Blood which You generously shed in the same way that grape is crushed and pressed down in the wine press. May all Your Saints praise You forever. Amen.

Remember that Your Side was pierced by a soldier’s lance and Blood and Water issued forth from Your Body until not even a single drop was left. Like a bundle of myrrh You were held aloft on the Cross, Your Tender Body withered and the marrow or Your Bones dried up.

Through this Bitter Passion and by the outpouring of Your Precious Blood, I beg of You, dear Jesus, to receive my Soul when I am in my death agony. Amen.

Conclusion
O Sweet Jesus! Pierce my heart so that my tears of penitence and love may be my bread day and night. May I be converted entirely to You, may my heart be Your perpetual habitation, may my conversion be pleasing to You, and may the end of my life be so praiseworthy that I may merit Heaven and there with Your Saints praise You forever. Amen.

Prayer
My Lord Jesus Christ, remember that I am a sinner.

Most Holy Virgin Mary, pray for me. You shall always be praised and blessed. Pray for this sinner to Your Beloved Son. Precious Beauty of the Angels, the Prophets and Patriarchs, Crown of the Martyrs, Apostles, Confessors, Glory of the Seraphs, Crown of the Virgins, save me from the most fearful figure of the demon when my soul departs from my body.

Oh, Most Holy Fount of Piety and Beauty of Jesus Christ, Joy of Heaven, Consolation of the Clergy, Remedy in our work with You, Virgin Most Prudent, the Angels are happy. Recommend my soul and the souls of all devout Christians. Pray for us to Your Blessed Son and take us to the Eternal Paradise where You reign and live forever and there we will venerate You eternally. Amen.

Sovereign Virgin Mary, Mother of the Living God, because You have delivered Him, pray for all of us sinners so that He may pardon us and grant us eternal glory.

Blessed be forever the Sacred Passion and Death of our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.

Prayer to the Shoulder Wound of Christ
O Loving Jesus, meek Lamb of God, I, miserable sinner, salute and worship the Most Sacred Wound of Your Shoulder on which You did bear Your heavy Cross, which so tore Your Flesh and laid bare Your Bones as to inflict on You an anguish greater than any other wound of Your Most Blessed Body. I adore You, O Jesus Most Sorrowful; I praise and glorify You, and give You thanks for this Most Sacred and Painful Wound, beseeching You by that exceeding pain and by the crushing burden of Your heavy Cross to be merciful to me, a sinner, to forgive me all my mortal and venial sins, and to lead me on towards Heaven along the Way of Your Cross. Amen.

It is related in the annals of Clairvaux that St. Bernard asked our Lord which was His greatest unrecorded suffering and our Lord answered: “I had on My Shoulder, while I bore My Cross on the Way of Sorrows, a grievous Wound, which was more painful than the others, and not recorded by men. Honor this Wound with your devotion and I will grant you whatsoever you do ask through its virtue and merit. And in regard to all those who shall venerate this Wound, I will remit to them all their venial sins and will no longer remember their mortal sins.”

To Jesus Forsaken
Dearest Jesus!

For how many ages have You hung upon Your Cross and still men pass You by and regard You not. How often have I passed You by, heedless of Your great Sorrow, Your many Wounds, Your Infinite Love. How often have I stood before You, not to comfort and console You, but to add to Your Sorrows, to deepen Your Wounds, to spurn Your Love.

You have stretched forth Your Hands to raise me up and I have taken those Hands and bent them back on the Cross. You have loved me with an Infinite Love and I have taken advantage of that love to sin the more against You.

Lamb of God Who takes away the sins of the world, have mercy on us. Amen.

Primer on the Fifteen Prayers
All Fifteen Prayers must be prayed each time. It takes 15 to 30 minutes of normal praying time. The procedure is to pray, after preparing yourself, the Fifteen Prayers, as follows:

1. Pray one Our Father.
2. Pray one Hail Mary.
3. Pray the First Prayer.
4. Repeat 1 & 2, and pray the Second Prayer.
5. Complete the Fifteen Prayers in the same manner.
6. Conclude with the final Prayer.

Optional prayers are “Prayer to the Shoulder Wound of Christ” and “To Jesus Forsaken.” Although these two prayers do not form part of the Fifteen Prayers, these are good prayers to recite whenever you can.

The Fifteen Prayers do not have to be recited daily without interruption, but these have to be prayed 366 times within one year. You may recite the Fifteen Prayers as many times in a day as you wish to make up for the days that you may have failed to pray. However care must be taken to miss reciting them as few times as possible.

To pray the Fifteen Prayers properly, settle down. Observe silence for a minute or so before starting. Ask the Holy Spirit to guide and enlighten you in the recitation of these beautiful prayers.

These Fifteen Prayers can serve as the Way of the Cross.

Discover for yourself the true Secret of Happiness through the Fifteen Prayers. Say them with devotion and concentrate on the thought in each prayer. If you make it a habit to spend fifteen minutes or so saying the Fifteen Prayers everyday, you will find peace in reconciling with God, peace in your relationship with others, peace in your heart. You will discover, in your own way, the Secret of Happiness! ✟