possibly an unpopular opinion on Tumblr but I love denominations. I love different traditions, I love that for 2000 years we have preserved two different dates for celebrating Easter. I love that we have different expressions of worship and when one doesn't work for someone they can find another. I love that we have room for different theology and people can meet God where it's comfortable
It's more important to have a relationship with God than to be doctrinally correct. It's more important that the church can be open to all people than it is to always agree. It's more important to tolerate difference than to promote dogma. And it's more important to share our differences than it is to remain pure in our denominationalism.
And across many traditions, different doctrines, and diverse worship, God still makes us one body in Christ.
EDIT: you guys are starting to interact so i feel like i should preface this by saying i am not(!) Catholic for a reason, the most important being that i do disagree with a number of the most basic doctrines 😭 and i know even within Catholicism opinions differ, but... trust me guys. i enjoy milk but i am not about to buy a cow. if that ever changes, i'll let you know. much love. ❤️
i am Protestant since i was a little girl, but i come from a non-practising Catholic family. i have a deep deep respect for Pope Leo XIV, as had i for Francis (may his memory be a blessing), both as men and as clergy, and there are certain Catholic things i am drawn to. i do the sign of the cross sometimes as a clutching-my-pearls gesture, and i adore rosaries as a concept. i bought myself one back in the day, and i used it to wrap around my hand to have something tangible to keep my ADHD in line while i pray and make me focus easier, but the chain snapped and i took it as a sign. i do feel like i want to get a new one though. but this is where it stops.
yesterday i was writing a certain text i needed God for, so i swung myself into a Catholic church in between classes to curl up in the back pew and scribble into my notepad. the next thing i notice, the young priest who just walked out of the confessionary box next to me is already vested, so i was like okay... now would be a really awkward time to run so i'm staying. i need to pass time anyway.
i am a respectful girl, okay? when in Rome, i act like the Romans. i genuflect, i do the sign of the cross, i shake hands, i echo what little i picked up from previous experiences with Catholic mass. i, very firmly, don't take the Eucharist – i don't belong here, communion in my faith is different, i don't play about that.
but the feeling that stays with me, no matter how many (4) times i have attended mass in recent memory (i have a long standing Conclave [2024] hyperfixation okay?) is that the liturgy is beautiful, the churches are beautiful, visually i really love watching it, but i feel the same way as if i was attending a university lecture. i'm just curling up in the back row and watching and learning. but each time i can pray, i'm asking God "forgive me, that i can't focus on you, but i feel like an alien here, i'm not comfortable. i do not belong, this is not mine".
is this even possible? is this what ecumenism is supposed to be like? is this only my special interest talking? i admit i am a little lost. thoughts?
Diagrams for an Ecumenical Divine Mercy Chaplet on Different Bead Layouts
I've developed these adaptations to help Christians from different traditions pray an ecumenical version of the Catholic Divine Mercy Chaplet, no matter which prayer bead layout they have.
If you'd prefer diagrams for praying the original words of the Chaplet on Anglican or Lutheran beads, you can find them here.
As always, when adapting Catholic rosaries and chaplets, I make no claims about the traditional promises associated with the original or whether they apply to adaptations. I have great respect for my Catholic siblings, and don't intend to present these adaptations as better than the original.
To God be all the glory.
When it comes to adapting the Divine Mercy Chaplet, I was faced with some interesting decisions. If you want to read more about my process, or you would like to see all of the prayers and scriptures written out, check below the cut!
The Prayers
Trinity Prayer/Sign of the Cross
"In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen"
If making the sign of the cross, touch your forehead on "... the Father," your chest/breastbone on "... the Son," your left shoulder on "... Holy," and your right shoulder on "Spirit."
Opening Prayer (From Hebrews 4:14-16)
"Having then a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let’s hold tightly to our confession. For we don’t have a high priest who can’t be touched with the feeling of our infirmities, but one who has been in all points tempted like we are, yet without sin. Let’s therefore draw near with boldness to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and may find grace for help in time of need." (WEB)
The Lord's Prayer/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.
For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever and ever. Amen."
The Apostles' Creed
"I believe in God, the Father almighty, Creator of heaven and earth, and in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died and was buried; he descended into hell; on the third day he rose again from the dead; he ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of God the Father almighty; from there he will come to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and life everlasting.
Amen."
Agnus Dei
"Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world, have mercy on us. Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world, grant us peace.”
Prayer to the Father (from Romans 8:32)
Eternal Father, you did not spare your own Son, but delivered Him up for us all.
For the Sake of His Sorrowful Passion
"For the sake of his sorrowful Passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world."
Closing Prayer (from Ephesians 3:20-21)
"Now to him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to him be the glory in the assembly and in Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen." (WEB)
Suggested Meditations
When we pray repetitive prayers, we don't do it because saying it more times makes it more powerful or meaningful. We do it because it forces us to slow down and spend more time with God, and it gives us structure for meditating on spiritual truths.
Since the Divine Mercy Chaplet doesn't have prescribed meditations, some folks might struggle to know what to reflect on during the repetitions. Here are some suggestions:
Meditate on the Passion. We are invoking Christ's suffering and sacrifice with each bead. Wonder at the greatness of God's mercy in relation to what it cost.
For each set of beads (decade, week, etc.), consider a specific intention. Each set of beads could be a prayer for God's mercy to intervene in our world (war, hunger, disease) or in the lives of individuals (friends, family).
Can you earnestly pray for God to have mercy "on the whole world" when that includes your enemies? Now is a good time to practice.
The Adaptation Process
In my mind, the Chaplet as it already exists is very much ecumenical. I highly recommend that non-Catholics who are interested in using beads, but need audio guides start with the original Divine Mercy Chaplet. There is only one Hail Mary, if that bothers you, and even if you're skeptical about St. Faustina's visions, the prayers attributed to her are still beautiful and sound.
Since the aim of these adaptations is to remove barriers, I still went ahead and replaced the Hail Mary with the Agnus Dei.
As part of creating an onramp for non-Catholics, I love to use a scripture as an opening prayer, so I swapped out the Faustina opening and closing prayers for scriptures related to God's mercy to create matching bookends.
The next question was what to do about the Eternal Father prayer. In this prayer, said on the larger beads, invokes Christ's sacrifice on the cross in a very specific way. It offers to the Father the "Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity" of Jesus for the forgiveness of sins. This language intentionally parallels the Catholic theology of the Eucharist.
To my protestant ears, this wasn't challenging on a first encounter, since I understood myself to be pleading Christ's sacrifice for my salvation even when I was a strict memorialist. Believers who are Orthodox, High-Church Anglicans, and even some Lutherans may be comfortable with the connection to Eucharistic theology as well. However, some protestants may find that this specific invocation violates their conscience.
Again, since my aim is to remove barriers, I opted to replace the traditional Eternal Father prayer with a variation based on Romans 8:32. The first half of this verse emphasizes both the Father and Christ's sacrifice, so in that way it can take a similar role and tone.
At this point I had a bit of a problem: I'd almost Ship of Theseus'd my way into replacing every element of the original Chaplet. Realizing this, I had to take a moment to assess whether I should scrap this specific effort altogether.
Ultimately, I determined that it was still worth continuing with this adaptation. I don't want to replace any historical prayers, but provide more options and resources to believers who, like me, occasionally go looking for some weird, niche prayer, and this definitely fits the bill. Since the prayer on the smaller beads, which make up the bulk of the Chaplet, remains unchanged, I think this could still be referred to as a Divine Mercy Chaplet in a colloquial sense.
Circling back to my statement on the original Chaplet's ecumenism, I'm also planning to publish diagrams for praying the original, non-adapted words of the Divine Mercy Chaplet on Anglican and Lutheran beads.
Edit (11/12/25): Link to diagrams for traditional prayers added
Pope Francis and Archbishop Justin Welby of Canterbury
The Lord calls each of us to be builders of unity; and although we are not yet one, our imperfect communion should not prevent us from walking together. […] Our differences do not diminish the importance of the things that unite us: they cannot prevent us from recognizing one another as brothers and sisters in Christ by reason of our common baptism.
Pope Francis, in his address to the 2024 Anglican Primates' Meeting.
Please know this is said with the utmost respect to the Jews of the world. So, I have been doing a good amount of thinking on my Christianity and something broke in my head. Or fixed. Perspective is a marvelous thing.
So, I am converting to Judaism. I have found a rabbi who is willing to bear with me (the third one I reached out to funny enough). I set aside my feelings of insecurity, of being rejected for my Catholic upbringing, for feeling like "the Jews have been through enough," and finally realized that the path I was on *was* Jewish, even if I wasn't there yet. I did a lot of research--a LOT a lot of research--which included talking to another Jewish conversion student friend of mine.
I showed up to a workshop at this congregation. It's a Reconstructionist congregation. The listing on the course page *did* say all were welcome, but I definitely decided to be bold and inform the rabbi I was coming instead of asking for permission. I was aware of my potential gaffe so I showed up with a plate of cookies. After a deep breath, I walked in, set down the plate, and got settled. A few bits of idle chatter later, the rabbi introduced me and mentioned the cookies I had brought. In my insecurity, I blurted out "it's a bribe" and half the people present called back in eerie unison "you're in!"
Now, that was the miracle. If you're familiar with Jewish conversion practices, the Jews do not (usually) seek conversions. They usually are more than happy to accept converts. Your mileage may vary and do be patient with Jews who are simply hurting from 2000 years of antisemitism. It isn't you, but a bit of kindness can do a world of difference. When you seek conversion, you reach out to a rabbi and work with them on your journey. The time varies but it's usually 6 months to 2 years. Traditionally, when you're ready you stand in front of three rabbis and answer questions to test if you're a good fit. Once that is done AMAB individuals get circumcised (sometimes this is ceremonial and not real) and all converts (traditionally) are immersed in a mikvah (think of it like a Jewish baptism, but it's much more nuanced).
Now, less traditional rabbis--especially Reconstructionist rabbis--are much less strict on the technicalities of conversion. Circumcision and immersion are not always required and the Jewish dissertation defense is frequently informal. But you do need other Jews to tell you that you are a Jew. So *technically* I had done a long period of study and self reflection under the tutelage of another more experienced (potentially) Jewish person and been told by a group of more than three Jews that "I'm in." Hat trick complete! I've checked the boxes!
Of course, I'm not Jewish. Not yet, at least. The door might be open but I still need to be the one to walk through it. I need to believe it. Ultimately, the other Jews might have seen something in me that I am still nervous about. I came with earnestness and humility. I had a sense of humor. I was bold enough to swim against the current but humble enough to seek a way to minimize the potential hurt on these vulnerable Jews. I even brought food! And in the end, that is so very Jewish. And the insecurity is probably the most Jewish thing about me.
I have been engaging seriously and intentionally with philosophy for the first time in my life recently, and something that I find striking is how intertwined Christian and Islamic philosophy is.
In general, medieval philosophers across the old world were aware of the various religions and traditions that existed and referenced them freely. What made them distinct was often the theological or cosmological basis of their logic, but similarities were also common. Christianity’s Aquinas and Islam’s Avicenna were both interested in adjusting Aristotelian philosophy to fit a monotheistic framework, for example.
Ancient philosophers and theologians (inasmuch as there was a distinction between them) who subscribed to the Abrahamic tradition shared more in common with each other than any other tradition, and in fact many later developments such as secularism and religious tolerance were first introduced in the Muslim world. Even if two philosophers were of different faiths, they recognized the wisdom of other traditions and used them as the basis of their own work often enough.
The depiction of Christianity and Islam as two religions that have been at odds from the beginning is no mere oversimplification. It is a falsehood, especially in the realm of thought. Rulers and militant sects of all faiths have always existed and exploited religious differences for their own gain, but cooperation and coexistence are always an option.
As a Christian, I personally encourage other Christians to engage honestly and enthusiastically with the great works of other faiths and traditions. Study is rewarding and enriching, and our understanding allows us to better connect with everyone we meet.
