SEPTEM DOLORES
The Seven Sorrows of Mary
Walk with the Mother of God through the seven swords that pierced her heart.
THE DEVOTION
A Devotion of the Heart
The devotion to the Seven Sorrows of Mary was spread above all by the Order of the Servants of Mary (the Servites), founded in Florence in 1233 by the Seven Holy Founders. Through the centuries the faithful have meditated on these seven moments of Mary’s life, each drawn from Scripture or from the Church’s long tradition of prayer.
FIRST SORROW
The Prophecy of Simeon
Luke 2:34-35
“Behold, this child is destined for the fall and rise of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be contradicted, and you yourself a sword will pierce.”
Luke 2:34-35
Forty days after His birth, Mary and Joseph present the Child Jesus in the Temple. The holy old man Simeon takes Him in his arms and blesses God, then turns to Mary with words that will remain in her heart for the rest of her life: a sword of sorrow will pierce her soul. From this moment Mary knows that her motherhood will be bound to the suffering of her Son.
Grace to ask: Ask for the grace to accept God’s will with trust, even when the future is hidden.
Pray one Our Father and seven Hail Marys.
SECOND SORROW
The Flight into Egypt
Matthew 2:13-15
“Rise, take the child and his mother, flee to Egypt, and stay there until I tell you.”
Matthew 2:13-15
Warned by an angel that Herod seeks to destroy the Child, Joseph rises in the night and takes Jesus and Mary into exile. Mary carries the Saviour of the world along a dangerous road into a foreign land, poor and uncertain, protecting with her own life the One who came to save all.
Grace to ask: Pray for refugees, exiles and all families in danger, and for the grace to protect the life of Jesus in our own souls.
Pray one Our Father and seven Hail Marys.
THIRD SORROW
The Loss of the Child Jesus in the Temple
Luke 2:41-50
“Son, why have you done this to us? Your father and I have been looking for you with great anxiety.”
Luke 2:41-50
Returning from the Passover in Jerusalem, Mary and Joseph discover that the twelve-year-old Jesus is not with them. For three days they search with anguish until they find Him in the Temple among the teachers. Mary does not fully understand His answer, yet she keeps all these things in her heart.
Grace to ask: Ask for the grace never to lose Jesus through sin, and to seek Him with all our heart when He seems far away.
Pray one Our Father and seven Hail Marys.
FOURTH SORROW
Mary Meets Jesus on the Way to Calvary
Luke 23:26-27; Fourth Station of the Cross
“A large crowd of people followed Jesus, including many women who mourned and lamented him.”
Luke 23:26-27; Fourth Station of the Cross
Christian tradition, honoured in the Fourth Station of the Way of the Cross, contemplates the moment when Mary meets her Son carrying the Cross. Bruised, mocked and exhausted, He walks toward His death. Their eyes meet in a silence filled with love. She cannot lift the Cross from Him, but she does not abandon Him.
Grace to ask: Ask for the grace to carry our daily crosses with patience, and to stay close to Jesus when He suffers in others.
Pray one Our Father and seven Hail Marys.
FIFTH SORROW
Mary Stands at the Foot of the Cross
John 19:25-27
“Standing by the cross of Jesus were his mother… When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple there whom he loved, he said to his mother, ‘Woman, behold, your son.’”
John 19:25-27
For three hours Mary stands beneath the Cross as her Son is crucified. She hears His words of forgiveness, His cry of abandonment and His final surrender into the Father’s hands. Uniting her heart to His offering, she becomes, by His dying gift, the Mother of the beloved disciple and of all disciples.
Grace to ask: Ask for the grace to stand faithfully with Jesus, and to welcome Mary into our home as John did.
Pray one Our Father and seven Hail Marys.
SIXTH SORROW
Mary Receives the Body of Jesus
Mark 15:42-46; John 19:38-40
“Joseph of Arimathea… asked for the body of Jesus… and taking him down, wrapped him in the linen cloth.”
Mark 15:42-46; John 19:38-40
The lifeless body of Jesus is taken down from the Cross and, as Christian art and devotion have long contemplated, laid in the arms of His Mother. The hands that once held the Infant of Bethlehem now hold the wounded body of the Redeemer. Her grief is beyond words, yet her faith does not fail.
Grace to ask: Pray for all who mourn, and for the grace to receive Jesus worthily in Holy Communion.
Pray one Our Father and seven Hail Marys.
SEVENTH SORROW
Jesus Is Laid in the Tomb
John 19:41-42
“Now in the place where he had been crucified there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb… So they laid Jesus there.”
John 19:41-42
The body of Jesus is placed in a new tomb and the stone is rolled across the entrance. Mary returns in the darkness of that first Holy Saturday, her heart keeping vigil. Alone among the disciples, she holds fast to faith and hope in the promise of the Resurrection.
Grace to ask: Ask for the grace of persevering faith and hope in times of darkness, and for a holy death.
Pray one Our Father and seven Hail Marys.
HOW TO PRAY
The Seven Sorrows Rosary
The Method
- Begin with the Sign of the Cross and an Act of Contrition.
- Announce the first Sorrow and meditate on it briefly.
- Pray one Our Father and seven Hail Marys.
- Continue in the same way through all seven Sorrows.
- Conclude with three Hail Marys in honour of Our Lady’s tears.
- End with the closing prayer below.
PRAYER
Closing Prayer
V. Pray for us, O most sorrowful Virgin.
R. That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.
Let us pray. Lord Jesus, we now implore, both for the present and for the hour of our death, the intercession of the most Blessed Virgin Mary, Your Mother, whose holy soul was pierced at the time of Your Passion by a sword of grief. Grant us this favour, O Saviour of the world, who lives and reigns with the Father and the Holy Spirit, forever and ever. Amen.
The Seven Sorrows Rosary (also called the Servite Rosary or Chaplet of the Seven Sorrows) was especially encouraged in the Church-approved apparitions of Our Lady at Kibeho, Rwanda (approved by the local bishop in 2001).
OUR MISSION