SEPTEMBER
Our Lady of Sorrows
Every September, the Church honors Our Lady of Sorrows, the faithful Mother who stood by the Cross. Her feast day (Sept. 15) follows the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, reminding us of her perfect union with Christ's suffering. Learn about her Seven Sorrows and how her example gives us strength in our own trials.
Ora pro nobis, Sancta Dei Genetrix.
Finding Strength at the Foot of the Cross
A Heart United in Suffering
The month of September is dedicated by the Church to Our Lady of Sorrows. The primary feast, celebrated on September 15th, comes just one day after the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross. This pairing is intentional and beautiful: we first honor the Cross of Christ, and the very next day, we honor the faithful heart of the Mother who stood beside it.
This devotion is a powerful meditation on Mary's intense suffering during the life and Passion of her Son. We do not honor her sorrow for its own sake, but for the profound faith, strength, and love she displayed in the midst of it. She is the perfect model for how we should endure our own crosses.
The Sword That Pierced Her Soul
The devotion to Mary's sorrows is deeply biblical. At the Presentation of Jesus in the Temple, the holy man Simeon prophesied to Mary: "Behold, this child is set for the fall and rising of many in Israel... and a sword will pierce your own soul too." (Luke 2:34-35).
This "sword" was a life of suffering, a heart pierced by her perfect union with her Son's redeeming mission. Tradition holds up seven of these sorrows as a "Rosary of Sorrows" for our meditation:
Chaplet of the Seven Sorrows
also known as the Servite Rosary
Unlike the traditional Rosary's 10 Hail Marys, this chaplet is structured around the number seven.
The method is the prayer. For each of the seven sorrows, you:
Announce the Sorrow.
Meditate on the event.
Pray one Our Father and seven Hail Marys.
You repeat this pattern for all seven sorrows (see below).
After completing all seven sorrows, conclude by praying three Hail Marys in honor of Mary's tears.
The Seven Sorrows
The Prophecy of Simeon
The Flight into Egypt
The Loss of the Child Jesus in the Temple
Mary Meets Jesus on the Way to Calvary
The Crucifixion and Death of Jesus
The Taking Down of Jesus from the Cross
(The Pietà)
The Burial of Jesus
Chaplet of the Seven Sorrows
also known as the Servite Rosary
Unlike the traditional Rosary's 10 Hail Marys, this chaplet is structured around the number seven.
The method is the prayer. For each of the seven sorrows, you:
Announce the Sorrow.
Meditate on the event.
Pray one Our Father and seven Hail Marys.
You repeat this pattern for all seven sorrows (see below).
After completing all seven sorrows, conclude by praying three Hail Marys in honor of Mary's tears.
The Seven Sorrows
The Prophecy of Simeon
The Flight into Egypt
The Loss of the Child Jesus in the Temple
Mary Meets Jesus on the Way to Calvary
The Crucifixion and Death of Jesus
The Taking Down of Jesus from the Cross (The Pietà)
The Burial of Jesus
Sub tuum praesidium confugimus, Sancta Dei Genetrix. Nostras deprecationes ne despicias in necessitatibus, sed a periculis cunctis libera nos semper, Virgo gloriosa et benedicta. Amen.
How to Honor Our Lady of Sorrows
This devotion is a source of great comfort for those who are suffering. We can turn to Mary as a mother who truly understands our pain.
Pray the Stabat Mater
This famous 13th-century hymn, which begins "At the Cross her station keeping..." is a powerful meditation on Mary's grief at Calvary.
Meditate on Her Sorrows
Pray the "Chaplet of the Seven Sorrows" (also known as the Servite Rosary) or simply reflect on the seven sorrows one by one, asking for the grace to bear your own trials with her faith.
Unite Your Sufferings
When you experience grief, anxiety, or pain, offer it to Jesus through the hands of Mary. Ask her, who stood by the Cross, to stand by you in your moment of need.
Prayers of Devotion
A Prayer to Our Lady of Sorrows
O Most Holy Virgin, Mother of our Lord Jesus Christ, by the overwhelming grief you experienced when you witnessed the martyrdom, crucifixion, and death of your divine Son, look upon me with eyes of compassion and awaken in my heart a tender compunction for my sins, that I may be a true mourner with you. Stand by me in all my trials, and obtain for me the grace to be patient, for you are the comforter of the afflicted. Amen.
An Invocation
Holy Mother, pierced with grief, in our trials, be our relief. Amen.
A Closing Thought
Mary's greatest sorrow was not just that her Son died, but that He died for our sins. Yet, she never despaired. She stood. She trusted. She is our mother in faith, teaching us that even in the darkest hour, God's redeeming love is at work.
A Closing Thought
Mary's greatest sorrow was not just that her Son died, but that He died for our sins. Yet, she never despaired. She stood. She trusted. She is our mother in faith, teaching us that even in the darkest hour, God's redeeming love is at work.