The “Holy God” prayer, also known as the Trisagion, is an ancient invocation of the Holy Trinity. While used in various liturgies, it is most famously recited during the Chaplet of Divine Mercy, revealed to St. Faustina Kowalska. This powerful plea asks for God's mercy upon us and the whole world.
The Trisagion (“Thrice Holy”) is an ancient prayer, with historical roots tracing to the 5th-century Council of Chalcedon. It has long been part of both Eastern and Western Christian worship. In the Roman Missal, it features prominently in the Adoration of the Holy Cross on Good Friday. Its widespread use in personal devotion today is largely due to the revelations of Divine Mercy to St. Faustina Kowalska in the 1930s, which placed this prayer within the Divine Mercy Chaplet.
This prayer is a profound act of adoration addressed to the Holy Trinity. The threefold invocation—“Holy God, Holy Mighty One, Holy Immortal One”—acknowledges the distinct yet unified persons of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Echoing the seraphic hymn from Isaiah 6, it places our plea for mercy in the context of God's absolute holiness and power. By asking for mercy “on us and on the whole world,” we express solidarity with all humanity, entrusting everyone to God's infinite compassion.
This prayer is recited three times to conclude the Divine Mercy Chaplet, which is often prayed at 3:00 PM, the Hour of Mercy. It is especially powerful when offered for the dying or for the conversion of hardened sinners. The Church also incorporates this ancient prayer into the Solemn Liturgy of Good Friday. Many of the faithful pray it on Divine Mercy Sunday or whenever they feel a profound need to implore God’s mercy for the world.
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