Our Lady of Sorrows - September 15

Our Lady of Sorrows
  September 15

At the cross her station keeping

stood the mournful Mother weeping,

close to Jesus to the last. (Sabat Mater)

The purpose of every feast day in honor of Our Blessed Mother is to bring us into a closer union with her Son. The intention of the Devotion of the Seven Sorrows is no different. By uniting ourselves with both the Passion of Christ and His holy Mother, we enter into Jesus' Heart and honor Him greatly.


The events of the Seven Sorrows (Dolors) are taken from Scripture events and the devotion has a long history. Before it was officially approved by the Church by Pope Pius VII in 1815, the Servite Order, because of their devotion, had permission to celebrate the Feast of the Seven Dolors starting in 1668.

Our Lady of Sorrows Devotion

O God, come to my assistance; O Lord, make haste to help me. Glory be to the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

I grieve for you, O Mary most sorrowful, in the affliction of your tender heart at the prophecy of the holy and aged Simeon. Dear Mother, by your heart so afflicted, obtain for me the virtue of humility and the gift of the holy fear of God.

I grieve for you, O Mary most sorrowful, in the anguish of your most affectionate heart during the flight into Egypt and your sojourn there. Dear Mother, by your heart so troubled, obtain for me the virtue of generosity, especially toward the poor, and the gift of piety.

I grieve for you, O Mary most sorrowful, in those anxieties which tried your troubled heart at the loss of your dear Jesus. Dear Mother, by your heart so full of anguish, obtain for me the virtue of chastity and the gift of knowledge.

I grieve for you, O Mary most sorrowful, in the consternation of your heart at meeting Jesus as He carried His Cross. Dear Mother, by your heart so troubled, obtain for me the virtue of patience and the gift of fortitude.

I grieve for you, O Mary most sorrowful, in the martyrdom which your generous heart endured in standing near Jesus in His agony. Dear Mother, by your afflicted heart obtain for me the virtue of temperance and the gift of counsel.

I grieve for you, O Mary most sorrowful, in the wounding of your compassionate heart, when the side of Jesus was struck by the lance before His Body was removed from the Cross. Dear Mother, by your heart thus transfixed, obtain for me the virtue of fraternal charity and the gift of understanding.

I grieve for you, O Mary most sorrowful, for the pangs that wrenched your most loving heart at the burial of Jesus. Dear Mother, by your heart sunk in the bitterness of desolation, obtain for me the virtue of diligence and the gift of wisdom.

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Art
The Madonna in Sorrow – Giovanni Battista Salvi da Sassoferrato
Our Lady of Seven Sorrows – Adiraen Isenbrant
Sorrowing Mother – Rogier van der Weyden
The Man of Sorrows - Hans Memling