On May 31, 1862, the collection of small books containing these prayers was blessed by His Holiness Pope Pius IX. On August 22, 1863, this collection was recommended by the Great Congress of Malines (now Mechellen City, Belgium).
Visitors to the Church of Saint Paul in Rome can see the natural size Crucifix sculptured by Pierre Cavalini (above the Blessed Sacrament Chapel's Tabernacle) before which Saint Bridget knelt when she received these 15 Prayers from Our Lord. The following inscription commemorating the miracle of Christ conversing with Bridget from the Crucifix:
"Pendentis, Pendente Dei verba accepit aure accipit et verbum corde Brigitta Deum. Anno Jubilei MCCCL."
The Secret of Happiness
Approved by Pope Pius IX
Magnificent Promises to Saint Bridget of Sweden
The Promises
Saint Bridget prayed for a long time to know how many blows Our Lord suffered during His terrible Passion. Rewarding her patience, one day He appeared to her and said:
"I received 5480 blows upon My Body. If you wish to honor them in some way, recite fifteen Our Fathers and fifteen Hail Marys with the following Prayers, which I Myself shall teach you, for an entire year. When the year is finished, you will have honored each of My Wounds."
Our Lord grants these promises to all who devoutly recite the 15 Saint Bridget Prayers every day for a 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 recites 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 feel a deep contrition for all his sins and will have a perfect knowledge of them.
7. I will place before him the sign of My Victorious Cross for his help and defense against the attacks of his enemies.
8. Before his death I shall come with My Dearest Beloved Mother.
9. I shall graciously receive his soul, and will lead it into eternal joys.
10. And having led it there I shall give him a special draught from the fountain of My Deity, something I will not 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 shall protect him from strong temptations.
13. I shall preserve and guard his 5 senses.
14. I shall preserve him from a sudden death.
15. His soul will be delivered from eternal death.
16. He will obtain all he asks for 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 gains 100 days indulgence.
19. He is assured of being joined to the supreme Choir of Angels.
20. Whoever teaches these Prayers to another, will have continuous joy and merit which will endure eternally.
21. There where these Prayers are being said or will be said in the future God is present with His grace.
THE FIFTEEN PRAYERS
revealed by OUR LORD to ST. BRIDGET OF SWEDEN
in the CHURCH of ST. PAUL of ROME
First Prayer
Pray 1 Our Father... and 1 Hail Mary...
O Jesus Christ! Eternal Sweetness to those who love You, Joy surpassing all joys & all desires, Salvation & Hope of all sinners, You who have proved that You have no greater desire than to be among men, assuming human nature even for a course of time for love of men, recall all the sufferings that You have endured at the first moment of Your conception, & especially during Your Passion, as it was decreed & ordained in the Divine Plan from all eternity.
Remember, O Lord, that You gave Your Precious Body & Blood to Your disciples after having washed their feet during the Last Supper; that You sweetly console them as You foretold them Your coming Passion.
Remember the sadness & bitterness which You experienced in Your Soul as You prayed:
“ My soul is sorrowful even unto death.”
Remember all the fear, the anguish & the pain that You suffered in Your tender Body before Your crucifixion when, in the bloom of Your youth, after having prayed three separate times & bathed in a sweat of blood, You were betrayed by Judas, Your disciple; arrested by the people of a nation You had chosen & exalted; accused by false witnesses & unjustly condemned by three judges during the solemn paschal season. Remember that You were despoiled of Your garments & clothed with the garments of mockery; that Your Face & Eyes were veiled; that You were buffeted & crowned with thorns, fastened to a column, crushed with blows & overwhelmed with ignominious insults & abuses.
In memory of all these pains & sufferings which You endured before Your Passion on the Cross, grant me before my death true contrition, a sincere & entire confession, worthy satisfaction & the remission of all my sins. Amen.
Second Prayer
Pray 1 Our Father... and 1 Hail Mary...
O Jesus! True liberty of angels, Paradise of delights, remember the horror & sadness which You endured when, like furious lions, Your enemies surrounded You, & by Thousands of blows, insults, lacerations & unheard-of cruelties, tormented You at will.
By these torments & insulting words, I beg You, O my Savior, to deliver me from all my enemies, both visible & invisible, & may I attain under Your protection & perfection of eternal salvation. Amen.
Third Prayer
Pray 1 Our Father... and 1 Hail Mary...
O Jesus! Creator of Heaven & earth, Whom nothing can encompass nor limit! You Who enfold & hold all in the palm of Your loving hands! Remember the very bitter pain which You suffered when, with big blunt nails, the Jews nailed Your Sacred Hands & Feet to the Cross. Remember O Lord, Your infinite anguish when Your cruel tormentors, not finding the lengths of Your arms & body sufficient to match the holes they had made on the cross, satisfied their rage & cruelty by enlarging Your wounds. Remember Your painful agony when Your executioners added more pain to your sufferings when they stretched Your Body on the cross & dislocated Your bones by pulling them mercilessly apart.
I beg of You, O Jesus, by the memory of this most holy & most Loving suffering of the Cross, to grant me the grace to fear You & to Love You. Amen.
Fourth Prayer
Pray 1 Our Father... and 1 Hail Mary...
O Jesus! Heavenly Physician, raised aloft on the Cross in order that our wounds, ours might be healed by Your own!, Remember the bruises & the weakness of all Your Members which were distended to such a degree that never was there pain like unto Yours. From the crown of Your Head to the Soles of Your Feet there was not a spot on Your Body that was not in the torment. & 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, & in memory of this suffering, grant that the remembrance of Your Most bitter Passion may effect in us a perfect contrition & the remission of all our sins. Amen.
Fifth Prayer
Pray 1 Our Father... and 1 Hail Mary...
O Jesus! Mirror of Eternal Splendor, remember the sadness which You experienced when, seeing by the light of Your Divinity the predestination of those who would be saved by the merits of Your Sacred Passion, You saw at the time the great multitude of reprobates who would be damned for their sins, making You complain bitterly of those hopeless, lost & unfortunate sinners.
Through this abyss of compassion & especially through the goodness You displayed to the good thief when You said to him:
"This day, You shalt 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
Pray 1 Our Father... and 1 Hail Mary...
O Jesus! Most loving & most desirable King! Remember the grief that You suffered when, naked & like a common criminal, You were fastened to & raised aloft on the Cross, when all Your relatives & friends has forsaken You, except Your Beloved Mother, who remained close to 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 Your grief & the sword of sorrow that pierced the soul of Your Holy Mother, I beg of You, O my Savior, to have mercy on me in all my corporal & spiritual affliction, & to assist me in all my trials, especially at the hour of my death. Amen.
Seventh Prayer
Pray 1 Our Father... and 1 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 for the salvation of all men. I beg of You O my Savior, to inflame in our hearts the desire to tend toward perfection in all our acts, & to extinguish in us the ardors of worldly desires. Amen.
Eighth Prayer
Pray 1 Our Father... and 1 Hail Mary...
O Jesus! Sweetness of hearts & Delight of the spirit! By the bitterness of the gall & vinegar that You tasted on the Cross for Love of us, grant us the grace to receive worthily Your Precious Body & Blood during our life & at the hour of our death, that they may serve as a remedy of consolation for our souls. Amen.
Ninth Prayer
Pray 1 Our Father... and 1 Hail Mary...
O Jesus! Kingly virtue, Joy of the mind! Recall the pain You endured when, plunged in an ocean of bitterness at the approach of death, insulted, & 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 hast You forsaken me?"
Through this anguish, I beg of You, O my Savior, not to abandon me in the terrors & in the pains of my death. Amen.
Tenth Prayer
Pray 1 Our Father... and 1 Hail Mary...
O Jesus! Beginning & end of all things, of life & of virtue! Remember that for our sake You were plunged in an abyss of suffering, from the soles of Your Feet to the crown of Your Head. In consideration of the enormity of Your Wounds, teach me to keep through pure love, Your divine Commandments, whose way is wide & easy for those who love You. Amen.
Eleventh Prayer
Pray 1 Our Father... and 1 Hail Mary...
O Jesus! Deep abyss of Mercy! I beg of You, for the sake of the wounds which pierced to the very marrow of Your Bones & to the very depth of Your being, to draw me, a miserable sinner overwhelmed by great offenses, away from sin. Hide me from Your Face justly irritated against me. Hide me in Your Wounds, until Your anger & just indignation shall have passed away. Amen.
Twelfth Prayer
Pray 1 Our Father... and 1 Hail Mary...
O Jesus! Mirror of Truth, symbol of unity & Link of charity! Remember the multitude of wounds that covered You from head to foot, torn & reddened by the spilling of Your adorable Blood. O great & universal pain which You suffered in Your Divine Flesh for the Love of us! Sweetest Jesus! What is there that You could have done for us that You have not done?
May all Your Precious Wounds be engraved in my heart that I may faithfully remember Your Passion. May Your Love grow in my heart each day that in thanksgiving I may remain faithful to You till eternity. Amen.
Thirteenth Prayer
Pray 1 Our Father... and 1 Hail Mary...
O Jesus! Strong Lion, Immortal & Invincible King! Remember the pain You endured when all Your moral & physical strength was entirely exhausted, & You bowed Your Head, saying:
"All is consummated!"
By this anguish & grief, I beg of You O Lord Jesus, to have mercy on me at the hour of my death when my mind will be greatly troubled & my soul in great anguish. Amen.
Fourteenth Prayer
Pray 1 Our Father... and 1 Hail Mary...
O Jesus! Only Son of the Father, Splendor & 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!"
And with Your Body all torn, & Your Heart Broken, & the bowels of Your Mercy open to redeem us, You expired.
By this Precious Death, I beg of You O King of Saints, to comfort me & to give me strength to resist the devil, the flesh & the world, so that being dead to the world, I may live for You alone. I beg of You to receive me, a pilgrim & an exile returning to You at the hour of my death. Amen.
Fifteenth Prayer
Pray 1 Our Father... and 1 Hail Mary...
O Jesus! True & fruitful Vine! Remember the abundant outpouring of Blood which You so generously shed from Your Sacred Body as juice from grapes in the wine press. From Your Side, pierced with a lance by a soldier, blood & water issued forth until there was not left in Your Body a single drop, & finally, like a bundle of myrrh lifted to the top of the Cross Your delicate Flesh was destroyed, the very Substance of Your Body withered, & the Marrow of Your Bones dried up.
Through this bitter Passion & through the outpouring of Your Precious Blood, I beg of You, O Sweet Jesus, to receive my soul when I am in my death agony. Amen.
Conclusion
Pray 1 Our Father... and 1 Hail Mary...
O Sweet Jesus! Pierce my heart so that my tears of penitence & love may be my bread day & night. May I be converted entirely to You, that my heart may become Your dwelling place. May my conversation be pleasing to You, & may the end of my life be so praiseworthy that I may merit Heaven & there with Your saints, praise You forever. Amen.
Pray Our Father... and Hail Mary... (5x)
O Lord Jesus Christ, Son of the living God, receive this prayer in that most exceeding love with which you bore all the wounds of Your most Sacred Body, & by so much love remember to grant me Your servant, all sinners & all the faithful, living & dead, Your mercy, forgiveness, grace, & eternal life. AMEN.