The Virgin Mary as a Child Praying, Francisco de Zurbaran, c. 1658-1660

Origin of the Chaplet 

The Chaplet of the Ten Evangelical Virtues of the Blessed Virgin Mary is not well known. It was composed by Saint Jeanne de Valoise (1464-1505) the daughter of Louis XI of France, who along with Blessed Gabriel Maria OFM (1460-1532) founded the enclosed contemplative order of religious women known as the Order of the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary (Ordo de Annuntiatione Beatae Mariae Virginis). The sisters are also known as Sisters of the Annunciation or Annonciades.

The spirituality that St. Jeanne de Valoise bequeathed to her nuns, is based on the desire to please God by living the Gospel in imitation of the Virgin. Contemplating Mary and entering gradually into the inclinations of her heart, is the most direct path to be united with her Son Jesus.

Devotion to the Chaplet has also been spread by the male religious order, the Congregation of Marian Fathers of the Immaculate Conception of the Most Blessed Virgin Mary (Congregatio Clericorum Marianorum ab Immaculata Conceptionis Beatissimae Virginis Mariae), founded in Poland in 1670 by Saint Stanislaus Papczynski (1631-1701). The Priests and brothers are also known as Marians of the Immaculate Conception or the Marians.

Both the Annonciades and the Marians were founded on the Rule of the Ten Evangelical Virtues of the Blessed Virgin Mary. This Rule includes detail about Our Blessed Mother's ten virtues and how to allow the Blessed Mother's ten evangelical virtues to illuminate the path to holiness for the Annonciades and the Marians. A PDF copy of this Rule can be downloaded from the Marians' website and on this website.

The Chaplet is uncomplicated, and involves ten Hail Marys. Saint Alphonsus Liguori (1696-1787) recorded in his "The Glories of Mary" that "the Blessed Virgin promised St. Matilda a happy death if she recited every day three 'Hail Marys' in honour of her power, wisdom and goodness. Moreover, she herself told St. Jane Frances de Chantal that the 'Hail Mary' was most acceptable to her, and especially when recited ten times in honour of her ten virtues." (Part V, I.6)

Information and photographs about the Annonciades is located on their Polish website.  

How to Pray the Chaplet

To pray the Chaplet, use only 10 beads of a Rosary or a 10-bead chaplet. Begin with the Sign of the Cross, followed by one Our Father. Then on each of the 10 beads, pray one Hail Mary, adding after the words “Holy Mary, Mother of God…” each of the 10 virtues in turn as follows. At the end pray the concluding prayers.

The Chaplet of the Ten Evangelical Virtues of the Blessed Virgin Mary 

Sign of the Cross

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Our Father

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread.  And forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. Amen.

Hail Mary

1st Bead: Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou amongst women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, Most Pure, pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death. Amen.

2nd Bead: Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou amongst women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, Most Prudent, pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death. Amen.

3rd Bead: Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou amongst women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, Most Humble, pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death. Amen.

4th Bead: Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou amongst women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, Most Faithful, pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death. Amen.

5th Bead: Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou amongst women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, Most Devout, pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death. Amen.

6th Bead: Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou amongst women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, Most Obedient, pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death. Amen.

7th Bead: Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou amongst women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, Most Poor, pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death. Amen.

8th Bead: Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou amongst women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, Most Patient, pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death. Amen.

9th Bead: Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou amongst women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, Most Merciful, pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death. Amen.

10th Bead: Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou amongst women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, Most Sorrowful, pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death. Amen.

Glory Be

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.

Concluding Prayers 

V. In Your Conception, O Virgin Mary, You were Immaculate.                                                                              R. Pray for us to God our Father, Whose Son, Jesus Christ, you brought forth into the world.

Let us pray:

Omnipotent Father, You prepared the Virgin Mary to be the worthy mother of Your Son. You let her share beforehand in the salvation Jesus Christ would bring by His death, Resurrection and Ascension and kept her sinless from the first moment of her conception. Help us by her prayers to live in Your presence without sin. We ask this in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever. Amen.

V. The Virgin Mary's Immaculate Conception                                                                                                              R. Be our health and our protection. Amen.

Chapel of the Crucifix, Church of Sant'Andrea delle Fratte, Rome, Crucifix c. 1680, Photographed September 2016

Prayer at the Cross you Encounter

Prayer of Saint Jeanne de Valoise when she encountered a cross:

O Good Jesus, through Your Passion on the Cross, through Your Most Holy Wounds, through the tears and sufferings of Your Mother standing under the cross, forgive me my sins and wipe out my sins.

Prayer to the Five Wounds of Christ 

Saint Jeanne de Valoise practiced the Devotion to the Five Wounds of Christ. She used the following prayer in times of temptation and in difficult moments of life. She said that the Five Wounds of Christ are five sources of salvation from which a person can constantly draw living water. The format of the prayer  intertwines the wounds and sufferings of Christ with the sufferings of Mary in this meditation. 

An English version of the translation of the Prayer to the Five Wounds of Christ in Polish:

In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

[1]

Christ's wound in the right hand. Pray the Our Father.

And the Sorrow of Mary: the prophecy of Simeon and flight into Egypt. Prayer the Hail Mary.

Dear Jesus, through the painful words of Simeon that Mary heard, through the hardship of flight into Egypt, through Your pain of the wound of the right hand, I ask You for the sanctity of my thoughts.

[2]

Christ's wound in the left hand, Our Father.

And the Sorrow of Mary: seeking the Lord Jesus who remained in the Temple. Pray the Hail Mary.

Dear Jesus, through the anxious and troubled search for You for three days during the pilgrimage to Jerusalem, through Your pain of the wound of the left hand, I ask You for repentance of heart.

[3]

Christ's wound in the right foot, Our Father.

And the Sorrow of Mary: Christ in the Garden of Olives and the encounter with the Lord Jesus, bearing the cross, Hail Mary.

Dear Jesus, through the sorrow of the Mother seeing You on the Way of the Cross, through Your pain of the wound of the right foot, I ask You for holy feelings and the joy of compassion.

[4]

Christ's wound in the left foot, Our Father.

And the Sorrow of Mary: The suffering and death of the Lord Jesus on the Cross, Hail Mary.

Dear Jesus, through the sorrow of the Heart of the Mother seeing the Son dying on the Cross, through Your pain of the wound of the left foot, I ask You for a holy desire to be united with You.

[5]

The wound of Christ in the Heart, Our Father.

And the Sorrow of Mary: Piercing of the Heart of Jesus with a spear, removal of the Body of Jesus from the Cross and laying in the tomb, Hail Mary.

Dear Jesus, through the sorrow of the Mother seeing the piercing of the Heart of the Son with a spear, the removal from the Cross and the laying in the tomb, and through the Wound of Your pierced side, I ask You for the grace to transform my heart in imitation of Your loving Heart.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, and now, and always, and for ever and ever. Amen.

Crucified Jesus, Lord and our King, from Your five wounds we can draw the water of life and salvation, and always infuse our hearts with true peace.

Grant that, like Mary at the foot of the cross, we may cling to you with confidence!

The Ten Virtues of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Scripture

1.   Mother of God, Most Pure (Purity or Chastity)

Mathew 1:18 -  Now the generation of Christ was in this wise. When as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child, of the Holy Ghost.  

Christi autem generatio sic erat : cum esset desponsata mater ejus Maria Joseph, antequam convenirent inventa est in utero habens de Spiritu Sancto.

Mathew 1:20-21 -  But while he thought on these things, behold the angel of the Lord appeared to him in his sleep, saying: Joseph, son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife, for that which is conceived in her, is of the Holy Ghost. And she shall bring forth a son: and thou shalt call his name JESUS. For he shall save his people from their sins.

Haec autem eo cogitante, ecce angelus Domini apparuit in somnis ei, dicens : Joseph, fili David, noli timere accipere Mariam conjugem tuam : quod enim in ea natum est, de Spiritu Sancto est. Pariet autem filium : et vocabis nomen ejus Jesum : ipse enim salvum faciet populum suum a peccatis eorum.

Mathew 1:23 - Behold a virgin shall be with child, and bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.

Ecce virgo in utero habebit, et pariet filium : et vocabunt nomen ejus Emmanuel, quod est interpretatum Nobiscum Deus.

Luke 1:27-28 - To a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin's name was Mary. And the angel being come in, said unto her: Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women.

ad virginem desponsatam viro, cui nomen erat Joseph, de domo David : et nomen virginis Maria. Et ingressus angelus ad eam dixit : Ave gratia plena : Dominus tecum : benedicta tu in mulieribus.

Luke 1:34- 35 - And Mary said to the angel: How shall this be done, because I know not man? And the angel answering, said to her: The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the most High shall overshadow thee. And therefore also the Holy which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God.

Dixit autem Maria ad angelum : Quomodo fiet istud, quoniam virum non cognosco? Et respondens angelus dixit ei : Spiritus Sanctus superveniet in te, et virtus Altissimi obumbrabit tibi. Ideoque et quod nascetur ex te sanctum, vocabitur Filius Dei.

The Madonna of Humility, Fra Angelico, c. 1440

2.   Mother of God, Most Prudent (Prudence)

Luke 2:19 - But Mary kept all these words, pondering them in her heart.

Maria autem conservabat omnia verba haec, conferens in corde suo.

Luke 2:51-52 - And he went down with them, and came to Nazareth, and was subject to them. And his mother kept all these words in her heart. And Jesus advanced in wisdom, and age, and grace with God and men.

Et descendit cum eis, et venit Nazareth : et erat subditus illis. Et mater ejus conservabat omnia verba haec in corde suo. Et Jesus proficiebat sapientia, et aetate, et gratia apud Deum et homines.

3.   Mother of God, Most Humble (Humility)

Luke 1:48 - Because he hath regarded the humility of his handmaid; for behold from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed.

Quia respexit humilitatem ancillae suae : ecce enim ex hoc beatam me dicent omnes generationes,

The Virgin in Prayer, Sassoferrato, c. post 1640

4.   Mother of God, Most Faithful (Faith)

Luke 1:45 -  And blessed art thou that hast believed, because those things shall be accomplished that were spoken to thee by the Lord.

Et beata, quae credidisti, quoniam perficientur ea, quae dicta sunt tibi a Domino.

John 2:5 -  His mother saith to the waiters: Whatsoever he shall say to you, do ye.

Dicit mater ejus ministris : Quodcumque dixerit vobis, facite.

5.   Mother of God, Most Devout (Devotion)

Luke 1:46-47 - And Mary said: My soul doth magnify the Lord. And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour.

Et ait Maria : Magnificat anima mea Dominum: et exsultavit spiritus meus in Deo salutari meo.

Acts 1:13-14 - And when they were come in, they went up into an upper room, where abode Peter and John, James and Andrew, Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew, James of Alpheus, and Simon Zelotes, and Jude the brother of James. All these were persevering with one mind in prayer with the women, and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brethren.

Et cum introissent in coenaculum, ascenderunt ubi manebant Petrus, et Joannes, Jacobus, et Andreas, Philippus, et Thomas, Bartholomaeus, et Matthaeus, Jacobus Alphaei, et Simon Zelotes, et Judas Jacobi. Hi omnes erant perseverantes unanimiter in oratione cum mulieribus, et Maria matre Jesu, et fratribus ejus.

The Virgin of the Swaddling Clothes, Bartolome Esteban Murillo, c. 1665-1660

6.   Mother of God, Most Obedient (Obedience)

Luke 1:38 -  And Mary said: Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it done to me according to thy word. And the angel departed from her.

Dixit autem Maria : Ecce ancilla Domini : fiat mihi secundum verbum tuum. Et discessit ab illa angelus.

Luke 2:21-22 - And after eight days were accomplished, that the child should be circumcised, his name was called JESUS, which was called by the angel, before he was conceived in the womb. And after the days of her purification, according to the law of Moses, were accomplished, they carried him to Jerusalem, to present him to the Lord.

Et postquam consummati sunt dies octo, ut circumcideretur puer, vocatum est nomen ejus Jesus, quod vocatum est ab angelo priusquam in utero conciperetur. Et postquam impleti sunt dies purgationis ejus secundum legem Moysi, tulerunt illum in Jerusalem, ut sisterent eum Domino,

Luke 2:27 -  And he came by the Spirit into the temple. And when his parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him according to the custom of the law,

Et venit in spiritu in templum. Et cum inducerent puerum Jesum parentes ejus, ut facerent secundum consuetudinem legis pro eo,

7.   Mother of God, Most Poor (Poverty)

Luke 2:7 -  And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him up in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.

Et peperit filium suum primogenitum, et pannis eum involvit, et reclinavit eum in praesepio : quia non erat eis locus in diversorio.

The Lamentation of Christ, Catharina van Hemessen, c. 1550

8.   Mother of God, Most Patient (Patience)

John 19:25 - Now there stood by the cross of Jesus, his mother, and his mother's sister, Mary of Cleophas, and Mary Magdalen.

Stabant autem juxta crucem Jesu mater ejus, et soror matris ejus, Maria Cleophae, et Maria Magdalene.

9.   Mother of God, Most Merciful (Mercy or Charity)

Luke 1:39-40 - And Mary rising up in those days, went into the hill country with haste into a city of Juda. And she entered into the house of Zachary, and saluted Elizabeth.

Exsurgens autem Maria in diebus illis, abiit in montana cum festinatione, in civitatem Juda: et intravit in domum Zachariae, et salutavit Elisabeth.

Luke 1:56 - And Mary abode with her about three months; and she returned to her own house.

Mansit autem Maria cum illa quasi mensibus tribus : et reversa est in domum suam.

10.   Mother of God, Most Sorrowful (Sorrow or Compassion)

Luke 2:35 -  And thy own soul a sword shall pierce, that, out of many hearts, thoughts may be revealed.

et tuam ipsius animam pertransibit gladius ut revelentur ex multis cordibus cogitationes.

The passages from Holy Scripture are taken from the Douay-Rheims Bible: http://www.drbo.org/index.htm.

Immaculate Queen of Peace, pray for us.