The Golden Arrow Prayer (Sister Mary of Saint Peter)
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.
📌 📌 Origin: revealed by Jesus to Sister Mary of Saint Peter (Carmelite of Tours, 1816–1848). She saw the Sacred Heart of Christ, pierced by the “Golden Arrow”, pour out torrents of grace for the conversion of sinners. It is a prayer of reparation for blasphemy and for the profanation of Sunday.
Little Chaplet of the Holy Face of Tours
Purpose: to honor the five senses of Our Lord Jesus Christ and to ask God for the triumph of Holy Church and the defeat of her enemies.
Composition: a cross, 39 beads (6 large and 33 small) and the Holy Face medal.
If you do not have the chaplet, you can count on your fingers — the Lord listens either way.
On the Cross
O God, come to my assistance. O Lord, make haste to help me.
(Pray one Glory Be)
1st large bead
My Jesus, mercy.
(Pray one Glory Be)
In honor of Our Lord’s sense of touch — say 6 times:
Arise, O Lord, and let Thy enemies be scattered, and let them that hate Thee flee before Thy Face.
2nd large bead
My Jesus, mercy.
(Pray one Glory Be)
In honor of Our Lord’s sense of hearing — say 6 times:
Arise, O Lord, and let Thy enemies be scattered, and let them that hate Thee flee before Thy Face.
3rd large bead
My Jesus, mercy.
(Pray one Glory Be)
In honor of Our Lord’s sense of sight — say 6 times:
Arise, O Lord, and let Thy enemies be scattered, and let them that hate Thee flee before Thy Face.
4th large bead
My Jesus, mercy.
(Pray one Glory Be)
In honor of Our Lord’s sense of smell — say 6 times:
Arise, O Lord, and let Thy enemies be scattered, and let them that hate Thee flee before Thy Face.
5th large bead
My Jesus, mercy.
(Pray one Glory Be)
In honor of Our Lord’s sense of taste — say 6 times:
Arise, O Lord, and let Thy enemies be scattered, and let them that hate Thee flee before Thy Face.
6th large bead
My Jesus, mercy.
(Pray one Glory Be)
In honor of Our Lord’s public life — say 3 times:
Arise, O Lord, and let Thy enemies be scattered, and let them that hate Thee flee before Thy Face.
Holy Face Medal — Closing prayer
O God, our protector, look upon us, and cast Thine eyes upon the Face of Thy Christ.
Prayers of the 4
(the founders)
a) Sister Mary of Saint Peter — Prayer of the Holy Name:
Admirable is the Holy Name of God.
📌 📌 Origin: Our Lord told Sister Mary of Saint Peter that we cannot know all the good we do each time we say this prayer.
b) Léon Papin-Dupont — “The Holy Man of Tours”: his legacy is the prayer he lived in adoration, the contemplation of the Holy Face. The prayer associated with him is this aspiration:
O Lord, show us Thy Face and we shall be saved!
📌 📌 Origin: aspiration indulgenced by Pope Pius IX on 11 December 1876, closely tied to Dupont’s apostolate (he spread the devotion to the Holy Face from Tours).
c) Servant of God Maria Concetta Pantusa:
Through My Holy Face the world will be saved.
📌 📌 Origin: words Jesus spoke to the Servant of God Maria Concetta Pantusa in the revelations of the devotion.
d) Blessed Maria Pierina De Micheli — Aspiration of the Medal (inscription on the Holy Face Medal):
O Lord, let the light of Thy Face shine upon us.
📌 📌 Origin: the Holy Face Medal, requested by Our Lady through Sister Pierina, bears the Face of Jesus from the Holy Shroud with this inscription. The Virgin told her: “Ask for everything while looking at the Holy Face of Jesus.”
Prayer of the Holy Face Medal
The inscriptions on the Medal (what is engraved)
The Holy Face Medal, requested by Our Lady through Blessed Maria Pierina De Micheli, has two sides:
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One side: the image of the Holy Face of Jesus (the Ecce Homo of the Holy Shroud), with the inscription:
O Lord, let the light of Thy Face shine upon us. (Illumina, Domine, vultum tuum super nos — Ps 66)
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Other side: a Host surrounded by rays, with the inscription around it:
Stay with us always, O Lord. (Mane nobiscum, Domine — Lk 24:29)
The daily prayer (to merit the graces of the Medal)
To merit the graces of the Holy Face Medal, one should wear it and pray five Glory Be’s each day in honor of the Divine Face. Doing so, one will surely see, sooner or later, the proof of its efficacy.
Glory Be (repeat 5 times, in honor of the Five Wounds and the Divine Face):
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.
Aspiration of the Medal (to pray while contemplating the Face)
O Lord, let the light of Thy Face shine upon us.
💡 💡 What Blessed Maria Pierina said about the Medal
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Our Lady revealed to her: “A divine remedy is needed, and this remedy is the Holy Face of Jesus. Ask for everything while looking at the Holy Face of Jesus.”
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Our Lord promised: “Each time My Face is contemplated, I will pour out My Love into hearts, and through My Holy Face the salvation of many souls will be obtained.”
Rosary of Reparation to the Holy Face
“The spreading of My image pleases Me greatly. I will especially bless the families in whose homes My Face is venerated. In those homes sinners will be converted, the good will grow in perfection and the lukewarm will become fervent.” — Promise of Our Lord to Sister Mary of Saint Peter
Beginning
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Sign of the Cross (5 times, in honor of the Five Wounds of Christ)
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Creed (Apostles’ Creed)
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1 Our Father, 1 Hail Mary and 1 Glory Be
Offering:
O adorable Holy Face of the Divine Redeemer, mirror of suffering, holy emblem of sorrow. By the cruel torments Thou didst suffer on Thy Cross, accept our sufferings to console Thee, Jesus.
On the large beads (instead of the Our Father)
Eternal Father, I offer Thee the adorable Face of Thy Divine Son, to appease the wrath of Thy Justice, to obtain the sanctification of the clergy, the forgiveness of sinners and relief for the souls in purgatory.
On the small beads (instead of the Hail Marys)
O Holy Face of Jesus, have mercy on us and on the whole world.
The 5 Mysteries (contemplating the Passion)
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The Agony in the Garden of Olives — the Face of Jesus bathed in a sweat of blood, accepting the Father’s will.
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The Scourging — the Face enduring humiliations and blows to redeem our faults.
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The Crowning with Thorns — the Face wounded by the thorns, in silence and meekness.
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The Way to Calvary — the Face covered with blood and sweat, carrying the Cross.
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The Crucifixion and Death — the Face of the Lord giving up His Spirit out of love.
(In each decade, pray the large-bead and small-bead prayers above.)
At the end of each mystery
Holy Face of Jesus, soften our Cross!
After the decades — 3 Hail Marys in honor of the Sorrows of Our Lady
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For Our Lady’s sorrow on meeting Jesus on the way to Calvary → “Our Lady of Sorrows, pray for us.”
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For the sorrow of seeing Him stripped, crucified, in agony and dying on the Cross → “Our Lady of Sorrows, pray for us.”
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For the sorrow of receiving the dead Body of Jesus in her arms → “Our Lady of Sorrows, pray for us.”
Closing — Act of Love
O adorable Face of my Jesus, my only love, my light and my life, grant that I may see only Thee, know nothing but Thee, love Thee alone, and live only with Thee, from Thee, by Thee and for Thee. Amen.
1 Glory Be to finish.
Act of Reparation to the Holy Face
Meaning: it is the heart of the work of reparation. Jesus asked Sister Mary of Saint Peter to console His Face, outraged by sins. This prayer is an act of love and reparation — offering one’s own life to console the Face of the Redeemer and to make amends for the offenses of the world.
O Jesus Christ, Priest, we wish to offer Thee our lives, sufferings and prayers, in union with the Immaculate Heart of Mary, in reparation to Thy Holy Face, for our sins and for the sins of the whole world, especially of those consecrated to Thee in religious and priestly life.
Accept, Lord, this our humble reparation for all sins of pride, heresy and sensuality. Lord Jesus Christ, Priest, may the light of Thy Holy Face enlighten us.
Let us pray: Lord Jesus Christ, whose most holy Face was hidden by the Passion and now shines like the sun in its power: grant that, sharing in Thy sufferings on earth, we may rejoice in heaven contemplating Thy glory. Who livest and reignest with the Father, in the unity of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Novena to the Holy Face
Meaning: nine days of continuous reparation and adoration, with a virtue to practice each day. It is the deepest form of the devotion — ideal for those who truly wish to commit themselves.
Preparatory prayer (every day):
Lord, I seek Thy Face! Do not cast me away from it because of my sins; take not Thy Holy Spirit from me. Make the light of Thy Face shine upon me; teach me the way of Thy commandments. Eternal Father, look upon the Face of Thy Son and, through His infinite merits, grant me an ardent desire to make reparation for the outrages committed against Thy Divine Majesty, and the grace I wish to obtain in this novena. Amen.
The 9 days and their virtues:
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Day 1 — Detachment from earthly things; may Jesus be our treasure.
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Day 2 — Docility to the inspirations of grace.
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Day 3 — Faithfulness in keeping God’s commandments.
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Day 4 — Doing penance and accepting trials in a spirit of expiation.
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Day 5 — Having the courage of faith, not fearing what others think.
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Day 6 — Putting to death in oneself the desires that offend the Holy Face.
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Day 7 — May the zeal for reparation set the heart on fire.
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Day 8 — Bearing insults patiently, in a spirit of reparation.
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Day 9 — Always contemplating the adorable Face of Jesus.
Final prayer (every day):
Almighty and merciful God, we beseech Thee that, venerating the most holy Face of Thy Son, disfigured in the Passion because of our sins, we may merit to contemplate it eternally in the splendor of heavenly glory. Through the same Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Prayer to the Holy Face, by Saint Thérèse
Meaning: Saint Thérèse was so devoted to the Holy Face that her religious name was “Thérèse of the Child Jesus and of the Holy Face”. She wrote this prayer contemplating the disfigured Face of Jesus in the Passion — and she is one of our mystic saints, so it fits perfectly.
O Jesus, who in Thy bitter Passion didst become “the reproach of men and the man of sorrows”, I adore Thy Divine Face, on which shines the beauty and tenderness of the Godhead, and which has now become for me as the face of a “leper” (Is 53:4).
Yet under those disfigured features I recognize Thy infinite love, and I ardently desire to love Thee and to make Thee loved by all people.
The tears that flowed so abundantly from Thy eyes appear to me as precious pearls, which I long to gather, so that with their infinite worth I may ransom the souls of poor sinners.
O Jesus, Thy Face is the only beauty that delights my heart. I gladly renounce on earth the sweetness of Thy gaze and the ineffable kiss of Thy divine lips, but I beg Thee: imprint Thy divine image on my heart and set me on fire with Thy love, so that one day I may contemplate Thy glorious Face in Heaven. Amen.
Prayer of the Holy Name
Meaning: the “twin sister” of the Golden Arrow — the other prayer of reparation dictated by Jesus to Sister Mary of Saint Peter, against blasphemy. Our Lord said that we cannot know all the good we do each time we pray it.
Admirable is the Holy Name of God.
May the most holy, most sacred, adorable, incomprehensible and ineffable Name of God be always hallowed, loved, adored and glorified in Heaven, on earth and throughout the universe, 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.
Litany of the Holy Face
Meaning: a complete litany that contemplates the disfigured Face of Christ in the Passion, invoking each moment of His suffering. Perfect for praying as a family.
Lord, have mercy on us. Christ, have mercy on us. Lord, have mercy on us. Jesus Christ, hear us. Jesus Christ, graciously hear us. God the Father of Heaven, have mercy on us. God the Son, Redeemer of the world, have mercy on us. God the Holy Spirit, have mercy on us. Holy Trinity, one God, have mercy on us.
Holy Face of the Son of the living God, have mercy on us. Holy Face, mirror of the divine majesty, have mercy on us. Holy Face of our Savior, have mercy on us. Holy Face, drenched in sweat and blood, have mercy on us. Holy Face, humiliated by the traitor’s kiss, have mercy on us. Holy Face, brutally bruised by blows, have mercy on us. Holy Face, heaped with ignominy and insults, have mercy on us. Holy Face, veiled and cruelly mocked, have mercy on us. Holy Face, tormented by fever and thirst, have mercy on us. Holy Face, at the judgment, before the raging crowd, have mercy on us. Holy Face, bathed in tears of sorrow, have mercy on us. Holy Face, imprinted on Veronica’s veil, have mercy on us. Holy Face, covered with horrible blasphemies, have mercy on us. Holy Face, bowed toward us as Thou didst die on the Cross, have mercy on us. Holy Face, disfigured by wounds and blows, have mercy on us. Holy Face, miraculously revealed on the Holy Shroud, have mercy on us. Holy Face, glorified by the Resurrection, have mercy on us. Holy Face, joy of all the angels and saints, have mercy on us. Holy Face, by whose veneration we obtain help in our distress, have mercy on us.
Lamb of God, who takest away the sin of the world, show us Thy Holy Face, turn Thy Holy Face toward us, that we may be saved. Amen.
Consecration to the Holy Face
Meaning: total self-giving — the one who prays consecrates himself to the devotion and commits to spreading the image of the Holy Face.
O good Jesus, who desirest to save the world of today with the same infinite love with which Thou didst create and redeem it, count me among those who work for the triumph of Thy love on earth. For this end, receive my whole being! Dispose of me as Thou wilt!
I want to spread the image of Thy Divine Face, so that in every soul Thy image may forever replace the image of hatred, selfishness and the idolatry of sex. O Jesus, call apostles to take up this mission.
May the waves of Thy merciful Love spread over the whole world and, overwhelming the evil one and destroying evils, renew the earth and lead all people to live the Gospel in the light of that Sun which is Thy Divine Face. Amen.
O Lord, let Thy Holy Face shine upon us.
Prayer of Reparation to the Holy Face for the Kiss of Betrayal
Meaning: Jesus revealed to Blessed Maria Pierina De Micheli, when she was only 12, that no one gave Him a kiss of love on His Face to make reparation for the kiss of Judas. This prayer is the answer — the “consoling kiss” we offer Christ in reparation for the betrayal and for every time we ourselves have betrayed Him by sin.
O most lovable Jesus, whose august and serene Face was wounded not only by blows and thorns, but by the deep pain of betrayal. I place myself before Thy Divine Image to make reparation for the cynical kiss of Judas, the kiss of false friendship that sealed Thy suffering.
Lord, I contemplate Thy sorrow as I remember that one of Thine own, with a kiss — a sign of love — handed Thee over to Thy enemies. Holy Face, betrayed by Judas, have mercy on us!
I make reparation, my Redeemer, for every time I too have betrayed Thee with kisses of hypocrisy, pretending to love while my heart was far from Thee, or when I handed Thee over through sin.
In answer to the kiss of betrayal, I offer Thee, Jesus, a kiss of sincere love, adoration and reparation. May the light of Thy Face shine upon me and upon my family, and may the traitor’s kiss never again find a place in my heart.
Holy Face, imprinted on Veronica’s veil, have mercy on us. Holy Face, adorable Face of Jesus, I love Thee and adore Thee.
Amen.
(At the end, pray: Creed, Our Father, Hail Mary and Glory Be.)
“Let the light of Thy Face shine upon us, O Lord.” (Ps 66)
Prayer of Saint Gertrude (frees 1,000 souls from purgatory)
Meaning: Our Lord told Saint Gertrude the Great that this prayer would release 1,000 souls from purgatory each time it is prayed. It is one of the most powerful prayers of reparation in the devotion.
Eternal Father, I offer Thee the Most Precious Blood of Thy Divine Son, Jesus, in union with all the Masses said throughout the world today, for all the holy souls in purgatory, for sinners everywhere, for sinners in the universal Church, for those in my own home and for my neighbors. Amen.
The aspiration of the Medal
O Lord, let the light of Thy Face shine upon us. (Ps 66 — engraved on the Holy Face Medal, requested by Our Lady through Blessed Maria Pierina)
The aspiration indulgenced by Pope Pius IX
O Lord, show us Thy Face and we shall be saved. (indulgenced on 11 December 1876, linked to the apostolate of Léon Papin-Dupont)
The aspiration of the Medal (other side)
Stay with us always, O Lord. (Mane nobiscum, Domine — Lk 24:29)
The aspiration of the Rosary (small beads)
O Holy Face of Jesus, have mercy on us and on the whole world.
The aspiration of the Rosary (large beads)
Eternal Father, I offer Thee the adorable Face of Thy Divine Son, to appease the wrath of Thy Justice, to obtain the sanctification of the clergy, the forgiveness of sinners and relief for the souls in purgatory.
Offering of the Holy Face to the Eternal Father
Meaning: it offers the adorable Face of Christ, full of tears and blood, to the Eternal Father — in expiation for the sins of the world, reparation for blasphemies, enlightenment of priests, conversion of sinners and relief of the souls in purgatory. It is one of the most complete prayers in the devotional.
Our Father who art in Heaven, God of infinite love, full of goodness and mercy: through the Immaculate Heart of Mary, Mother of Sorrows, in union with Saint Joseph, all the holy Angels, Saints and Blessed, and in the name of all humanity and of all the souls in purgatory, I offer Thee the Face of Thy most loving Son, covered with tears and blood.
I offer it with ineffable love, together with every breath, heartbeat, thought, word and action of every human being.
I offer Thee this most holy and adorable Face with all love, in expiation for all the sins of the world, in reparation for all blasphemies, to appease Thy divine Wrath, to enlighten priests and religious, for the conversion of sinners, especially the most hardened, for the relief of the souls in purgatory and, in a special way, for the souls of departed priests. Amen.
The Divine Praises, in Reparation for Blasphemy
Meaning: this is the foundation of the devotion. The Holy Face was born precisely to make reparation for offenses against the Holy Name of God and for blasphemies. This sequence of blessings (“Blessed be…”) is the traditional way of making amends for those offenses — perfect for praying as a family.
Blessed be God. Blessed be His Holy Name. Blessed be Jesus Christ, true God and true Man. Blessed be the Name of Jesus. Blessed be His Most Sacred Heart. Blessed be His Most Precious Blood. Blessed be Jesus in the Most Holy Sacrament of the Altar. Blessed be the Holy Spirit, the Paraclete. Blessed be the great Mother of God, Mary most holy. Blessed be her holy and Immaculate Conception. Blessed be her glorious Assumption. Blessed be the name of Mary, Virgin and Mother. Blessed be Saint Joseph, her most chaste spouse. Blessed be God in His Angels and in His Saints.
Prayer of Blessed Maria Pierina De Micheli
Meaning: a short and profound prayer by Blessed Maria Pierina herself — one of the four founders of the devotion. She asks that we may share in Our Lady’s sorrow and love before the Face of Christ in the Passion.
O blessed Face of my kind Savior, by the tender love and piercing sorrow of Our Lady as she beheld Thee in Thy cruel Passion, grant us to share in this intense sorrow and love, so that we may fulfill the holy will of God to the utmost of our ability. Amen.
The aspiration of reparation (small beads of the rosary)
Holy Face of the Lord, relieve our sorrow!
The aspiration at the end of each mystery
Face of Jesus, soften our Cross!
The aspiration of love (opening beads)
Holy Face of the Lord, inflame us with Thy Love!
The aspiration of the kiss of love
My Jesus, mercy. (the prayer of the Chaplet, in honor of the outraged Face)
The aspiration of the promise (what Jesus told Sister Maria Pierina)
Whoever contemplates Me consoles Me! (Christ’s words: “Each time My Face is contemplated, I will pour out My Love into hearts”)
The aspiration of consolation
Contemplate My Face, and you will enter the depths of sorrow of My Heart.