Every year on September 15, the Church celebrates the Memorial of Our Lady of Sorrows, turning our attention to a Mother who remained beside her Son from the joys of His infancy to the darkness of Calvary.

The devotion of the Seven Sorrows of Mary, also known as the Seven Dolors, invites Catholics to meditate on seven moments in the life of the Blessed Virgin in which she shared particularly deeply in the suffering of Christ.

The devotion developed over centuries and became especially associated with the Servite Order, whose spirituality has long emphasized contemplation of the sorrows of the Mother of God. The seven sorrows lead us through the Gospel—from Simeon’s prophecy in the Temple to the burial of Christ.

To pray the devotion is not simply to contemplate Mary’s grief. Her sorrows continually direct us toward Jesus. By accompanying Mary through these seven moments, we contemplate the mystery of Christ’s suffering through the eyes of the woman who knew and loved Him as His Mother.

Here is how to pray the Seven Sorrows of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

The First Sorrow: The Prophecy of Simeon

Sorrow as sharp as a sword shall pierce Mary’s heart because of her Child. Mary is in the Temple, having come with Joseph to present the Child to God. They meet Simeon, the holy man, and Anna, the prophetess.

Simeon takes the Baby in his arms, saying he will now die in peace because he has seen Christ, then he foretells the sorrow to come.

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

Prayer

1. 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, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women and blessed is the fruit of of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now, and at the hour of our death. Amen.

The Second Sorrow: The Flight into Egypt

Soon the sword of sorrow strikes. Herod the King seeks to kill the Child.

Warned in sleep by an angel, Joseph takes Jesus and His Mother Mary, setting out for Egypt, where they lived in obscurity and poverty until it was safe to return to Nazareth.

Prayer

2. 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, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women and blessed is the fruit of of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now, and at the hour of our death. Amen.

The Third Sorrow: The Loss of the Child Jesus for Three Days

When Jesus is twelve, He is taken to Jerusalem for the Feast of Passover.

On the return journey Joseph and Mary find at the end of the first day that Jesus is not with them.

Racked with anxiety, they search for Him. Nobody in the streets, not even the beggars, can tell them where He is. Not till the third day do they find Him, in the Temple.

Prayer

3. I grieve for you, O Mary most sorrowful, in those anxieties which tried your troubled heart at the lost 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, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women and blessed is the fruit of of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now, and at the hour of our death. Amen.

The Fourth Sorrow: Mary Meets Jesus on the Way to Calvary

Mary has known fear and sorrow, but none so great as seeing her beloved Son stumbling under the weight of the Cross.

She hears the jeering shouts from the crowd and has no power to help Him. Pity and love are in her eyes as she gazes at His blood-stained face. To many around her He is no better than a criminal, and her heart is breaking as she follows Him to Calvary or Golgotha.

Prayer

4. 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, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women and blessed is the fruit of of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now, and at the hour of our death. Amen.

The Fifth Sorrow: The Crucifixion and Death of Jesus

With John, Mary stands at the foot of the Cross. “A sword shall pierce thy soul,” Simeon told her.

Truly her heart is pierced with sorrow. Her beloved Son is dying and she shares in His suffering. She does not ask God to take away this agony.

She is His Mother, so close to Him that His pain is hers, too. And now He speaks from the Cross: “Woman, behold thy son.” Jesus give His Mother to John, and to us. For all eternity she is our Mother.

Prayer

5. 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, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women and blessed is the fruit of of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now, and at the hour of our death. Amen.

The Sixth Sorrow: Jesus Is Taken Down from the Cross

It is over.  Dark clouds have appeared in the sky and upon the world. Jesus is dead.

Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus take down the Body from the Cross. and Mary receives It in her arms. She is filled with a sadness that no human heart has known. This is her Son. Once she had cradled Him in her arms, listened to His voice, watched Him working at the carpenter’s bench. Now He is dead.

She does not weep, her grief is too great for tears.

Prayer

6. 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, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women and blessed is the fruit of of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now, and at the hour of our death. Amen.

The Seventh Sorrow: The Burial of Jesus

Hastily the Body is wrapped in a clean linen cloth. Nicodemus has brought myrrh and aloes, and the Body is bound in the Shroud with them.

Nearby is a new tomb, belonging to Joseph of Arimathea, and there they lay Jesus. Mary and John and the holy women follow them and watch as the great stone to the sepulchre is rolled.

It is the end.

Prayer

7. 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, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women and blessed is the fruit of of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now, and at the hour of our death. Amen.

Prayer of St. Alphonsus de Liguori

The devotion may conclude with this prayer attributed in the source to St. Alphonsus de Liguori:

O afflicted Virgin, O soul great in virtues, as in sorrows, both the one and the other spring from that great fire burning in thyr heart for God, the only love of thy heart!

Mother, have pity on me, who has not loved God, and who has so greatly offended Him. Thy sorrows, it is true, assure me of pardon, but that is not sufficient. I wish to love God. Who could obtain for me that grace if not thee, who are the Mother of holy love! O Mary, Thou consolest everyone; favor me also, with thy consolations. Amen.

Why Catholics Meditate on Mary’s Sorrows

The Seven Sorrows place Mary beside Christ at some of the most painful moments of the Gospel.

They begin with a prophecy of the Cross and end at the sealed tomb. Between them are exile, separation, fear, helplessness and death.

Yet Mary remains faithful through each one.

That is what gives the devotion its enduring spiritual power. Christians do not meditate on Mary’s sorrow simply for the sake of sorrow. We remain with Mary because she remains with Christ.

Her life teaches us how to stand beside Jesus even when we do not understand what God is doing, when prayer seems to receive no answer, and when following Christ leads us to the foot of the Cross.

The Seven Sorrows therefore become more than memories of Mary’s suffering. They become a school of fidelity.

And at the center of every sorrow is the same person at the center of Mary’s life: Jesus Christ.