Memorial of Our Lady of Sorrows

On September 15, the Catholic Church commemorates the Memorial of Our Lady of Sorrows, a day to reflect upon Mary’s sorrows as the mother of Christ and how we can follow her example. Even though Mary experienced the pain of seeing her beloved son crucified, she never stopped trusting in God.

Reflecting on the feast, Pope Francis has said, "Mary, Mother of Sorrows, remains at the foot the cross. She simply stands there. She does not run away, or try to save herself, or find ways to alleviate her grief. Here is the proof of true compassion: to remain standing beneath the cross.”

A devotion to Mary, Our Lady of Sorrows, first began to grow in popularity in the Mediterranean around the 11th century. Then, in the 13th century, the Servants of the Blessed Virgin Mary devoted their newly formed order to the Seven Sorrows of Mary, which are the Prophecy of Simeon in which he tells her that a sword would pierce her, the flight into Egypt, the disappearance of the child Jesus for three days, meeting Jesus on the way to Calvary, the crucifixion, Jesus being taken down from the cross, and his burial.

In 1692, Pope Innocent XII authorized a celebration of the feast on the third Sunday of September. It was later transferred to the Friday before Palm Sunday. However, in 1814, Pope Pius VII moved the feast back to September, while extending it to the entire Church. A century later, Pope Pius X fixed the date as September 15, the day after the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross.

Pope Pius VII also approved a series of meditations on the Seven Sorrows of Mary.

Meditations on the Seven Sorrows of Mary

(Approved by Pope Pius VII for daily meditation in 1815)

Opening: 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.

1 The Prophecy of Simeon: 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. Hail Mary….

2. The Flight into Egypt: 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. Hail Mary...

3. The Child Jesus Missing for Three Days: 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. Hail Mary…

4. Mary meets Jesus on the way to Calvary: 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. Hail Mary…

5. The Crucifixion and death of Jesus: 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. Hail Mary…

6. Jesus is taken down from the cross: 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. Hail Mary…

7. Jesus is laid in the tomb: 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. Hail Mary…

Let Us Pray: Let intercession be made for us, we beseech You, O Lord Jesus Christ, now and at the hour of our death, before the throne of Your mercy, by the Blessed Virgin Mary, Your Mother, whose most holy soul was pierced by a sword of sorrow in the hour of Your bitter Passion. Through You, O Jesus Christ, Savior of the world, who with the Father and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns world without end. Amen.