Our Lady of Sorrows

Our Lady of Sorrows (Latin: Beata Maria Virgo Perdolens), Our Lady
Our Lady of Sorrows
of Dolours, the Sorrowful Mother or Mother of Sorrows (Latin:
Sancta Mater Dolorosa
Mater Dolorosa), and Our Lady of Piety, Our Lady of the Seven
Sorrows or Our Lady of the Seven Dolours are names by which the
Virgin Mary is referred to in relation to sorrows in her life. As Mater
Dolorosa, it is also a key subject forMarian art in the Catholic Church.

The Seven Sorrows of Mary are a popular Roman Catholic devotion. In

common religious Catholic imagery, the Virgin Mary is portrayed in a
sorrowful and lacrimating affect, with seven long knives or daggers
piercing her heart, often bleeding. Devotional prayers that consist of
meditation began to elaborate on her Seven Sorrows based on the
prophecy of Simeon. Common examples of piety under this title are
Servite rosary, or the Chaplet of the Seven Sorrows of Our Lady and the
Seven Joys of Mary and more recently, "Sorrowful and Immaculate
Heart of Mary".

The feast of Our Lady of Sorrows is liturgically celebrated every 15

September, while a feast of Friday of Sorrows is observed in some
Catholic countries.

Seven Swords Piercing the Sorrowful Heart of Mary in

Contents the Church of the Holy Cross, Salamanca, Spain.

Venerated in Roman Catholic Church

Seven Sorrows of Mary
Devotions to the Seven Sorrows Feast 15 September
Western Christianity Friday before Good Friday
Eastern Christianity Attributes Blessed Virgin Mary in
Liturgical feast mournful state, tears, bleeding
Our Lady of Compassion heart pierced by seven
The Seven Dolors of the Blessed Virgin Mary
daggers
Patronage
Patronage Slovakia, Hungary, Poland,
Gallery
Malta, Seven Sorrows of Mary,
See also Mississippi, Ronda, Cebu,
References Tanawan Bustos, Bulacan
Further reading
External links

Seven Sorrows of Mary

The Seven Sorrows (or Dolors) are events in the life of the Blessed Virgin Mary that are a popular devotion and are frequently
depicted in art.[1]

These Seven Sorrows should not be confused with the fiveSorrowful Mysteries of the Rosary.
 1. The Prophecy of Simeon. (Luke 2:34–35)
2. The escape and Flight into Egypt. (Matthew 2:13)
3. The Loss of the Child Jesus in the Temple of Jerusalem. (Luke 2:43–45)
4. The Meeting of Mary and Jesus on theVia Dolorosa.
5. The Crucifixion of Jesuson Mount Calvary. (John 19:25)
6. The Piercing of the Side of Jesus with a spear
, and His Descent from the Cross. (Matthew 27:57–59)
7. The Burial of Jesus by Joseph of Arimathea. (John 19:40–42)
It is a common practice for Catholics to say daily oneOur Father and seven Hail Marys for each.

Devotions to the Seven Sorrows

Western Christianity
Earlier, in 1233, seven youths in Tuscany founded the Servite Order (also known as
the "Servite Friars", or the "Order of the Servants of Mary"). Five years later, they
took up the sorrows of Mary, standing under the Cross, as the principal devotion of
their order.[2]

Over the centuries several devotions, and even orders, arose around meditation on
Mary's Sorrows in particular. The Servites developed the two most common
devotions to Our Lady's Sorrows, namely the Rosary of the Seven Sorrows and the
Black Scapular of the Seven Dolours of Mary. The Black Scapular is a symbol of the
Confraternity of Our Lady of Sorrows, which is associated with the Servite Order.[3]
Most devotional scapulars have requirements regarding ornamentation or design.
Mary surrounded by the Seven The devotion of the Black Scapular requires only that it be made of black woollen
Sorrows cloth.[4]

Eastern Christianity
On February 2, the same day as the Great Feast of the Meeting of the Lord,
Orthodox Christians and Eastern Catholics commemorate a wonder-working icon of
the Theotokos (Mother of God) known as "the Softening of Evil Hearts" or
"Simeon's Prophecy".[5][6]

It depicts the Virgin Mary at the moment that Simeon the Righteous says, "Yea, a
sword shall pierce through thy own soul also...." (Luke 2:35). She stands with her
hands upraised in prayer, and seven swords pierce her heart, indicative of the seven
sorrows.[5] This is one of the few Orthodox icons of the Theotokos which do not
depict the infant Jesus. The refrain "Rejoice, much-sorrowing Mother of God, turn
[6]
our sorrows into joy and soften the hearts of evil men!" is also used.

Liturgical feast Our Lady who softens evil hearts,

Russian icon, 19th century

Our Lady of Compassion

The Feast of Our Lady of Sorrows grew in popularity in the 12th century, although under various titles. Some writings would place
its roots in the eleventh century, especially among the Benedictine monks.[7] The first altar to the Mater Dolorosa was set up in 1221
at the Cistercian monastery ofSchönau.
The formal feast of the Our Lady of Sorrows was originated by a provincial synod of Cologne in 1423. It was designated for the
Friday after the third Sunday after Easter and had the title: Commemoratio angustiae et doloris B. Mariae V. Its object was the
sorrow of Mary during the Crucifixion and Death of Christ. Before the sixteenth century this feast was limited to the dioceses of
North Germany, Scandinavia, and Scotland.[2]

According to Fr. William Saunders, "... in 1482, the feast was officially placed in the Roman Missal under the title of Our Lady of
Compassion, highlighting the great love our Blessed Mother displayed in suffering with her Son. The word compassion derives from
fer with".[7]
the Latin roots cum and patior which means "to suf

After 1600 it became popular in France and was set for the Friday before Palm Sunday. By a
Decree of 22 April 1727, Pope Benedict XIII extended it to the entire Latin Church, under the
title "Septem dolorum B.M.V.".[2] In 1954, it still held the rank of major double (slightly
lower than the rank of the September feast) in the General Roman Calendar. Pope John
XXIII's 1960 Code of Rubrics reduced it to the level of acommemoration.

The Seven Dolors of the Blessed Virgin Mary

In 1668 a second, separate feast was granted to the Servites, for the third Sunday in
September. Its object of the seven dolours of Mary. By inserting the feast into the General
Roman Calendar in 1814, Pope Pius VII extended the celebration to the whole of the Latin An annual Our Lady of
Sorrows procession in
Church. It was assigned to the third Sunday in September. In 1913, Pope Pius X moved the
Carroll Gardens, Brooklynis
feast to September 15, the day after theFeast of the Cross.[8] It is still observed on that date.
a tradition begun in the
1940s by immigrants from
In 1969 the Passion Week celebration was removed from the General Roman Calendar as a
Mola di Bari, celebrating
duplicate of the feast on 15 September.[9] Each of the two celebrations had been called a feast
their hometown patroness
of "The Seven Sorrows of the Blessed Virgin Mary" (Latin: Septem Dolorum Beatae Mariae
Virginis) and included recitation of the Stabat Mater as a sequence. Since then, the 15
September feast that combines and continues both is known as the Feast of "Our Lady of Sorrows" (Latin: Beatae Mariae Virginis
Perdolentis), and recitation of the Stabat Mater is optional.

Observance of the calendar as it stood in 1962 is still permitted as an extraordinary

form of the Roman Rite, and even where the calendar as revised in 1969 is in use,
some countries, such as Malta, have kept it in their national calendars. In every
country, the 2002 edition of theRoman Missal provides an alternativecollect for this
Friday:[10]

O God, who in this season

give your Church the grace
to imitate devoutly the Blessed Virgin Mary
Procession in honor of Our Lady of
in contemplating the Passion of Christ,
Sorrows as part of Holy Week
grant, we pray, through her intercession, observances in Cocula, Guerrero,
that we may cling more firmly each day Mexico
to your Only Begotten Son
and come at last to the fullness of his grace.

In some Mediterranean countries, parishioners traditionally carry statues of Our Lady of Sorrows in processions on the days leading
to Good Friday.

Patronage
Our Lady of Sorrows is thepatron saint of:
 people named Dolores, Dolorita, Lola and Pia.
Poland, by Pontifical decree ofPope Paul VI
Malta, on Friday of Sorrows, almost all parishes in Malta hold devotional
penitentiary processions with a size like statue of Our Lady of Sorrows through
the streets of the parish.
Slovakia
the Congregation of Holy Cross[11]
Order of the Servants of Mary
Mola di Bari and the Molise region of Italy
Nuestra Señora de la Soledad de Porta V aga, Queen and Patroness of theCity
and Province of Cavite, Philippines[12]

Mississippi, United States

Dolores, Abra, The Philippines
Dieric Bouts, Netherlandish,
Lanzarote, Canary Islands[13]
Mater Dolorosa, 1470–75
Mater Dolorosa (Berlin-Lankwitz)
Pinabacdao, Samar, Philippines
Jia-an, Jiabong, Samar
Ronda, Cebu, Philippines
Tanawan, Bustos, Bulacan, Philippines
Churches:

Our Lady of Sorrows Basilica[14]

fr:Église Notre-Dame-des-Sept-Douleurs, Montreal, Canada
Senhora das Dores Church, Póvoa de Varzim, Portugal
Nuestra Señora de los Dolores, Montevideo
St. Mary's Church (Fairfax Station, Virginia)
[15]
Our Lady of Sorrows Church (Santa Barbara, California)
Church of Our Lady of Seven Sorrows, Rabštejn nad Střelou, Czech Republic

Gallery
Our Lady of Sorrows, depicted as "Mater Dolorosa" (Mother of Sorrows) has been the subject of some key works of Roman Catholic
Marian art. Mater Dolorosa is one of the three common artistic representations of a sorrowful Virgin Mary, the other two being
Stabat Mater and Pietà.[16]

In this iconography, Our Lady of Seven Sorrows is at times simply represented in a sad and anguished mode by herself, her
expression being that of tears and sadness. In other representations the Virgin Mary is depicted with seven swords in her heart, a
reference to the prophecy of Simeon at thePresentation of Jesus at the Temple.
Madonna in Sorrow, by Titian, 1554 Madonna in Sorrow, by Juan de Juni,
1571

Mater dolorosa, by El Greco c. 1590 Dolorosa, Murillo, 1665

The Madonna in Sorrow by Giovanni Nuestra Señora de la Soledad de Porta

Battista Salvi da Sassoferrato, 17th Vaga, Philippines.
century
Our Lady of Sorrows, El Viso del Alcor, Sorrowful Mother of Warfhuizen,
Seville, Spain. Warfhuizen, Netherlands

Nuestra Señora de Dolores, Our Lady of Sorrows, Saint Anne

Metropolitan Cathedral of Chihuahua, Parish, Molo, Iloilo City, Philippines
Mexico (1875)
 Mater Dolorosa, Masantol Pampanga, Mater Dolorosa, Our Lady of Sorrows
Philippines

Our Lady of Sorrows of Umbe, Biscay, Our Lady of Sorrows of Chandavila, La

Spain Codosera, Spain

See also
Acts of Reparation to the Virgin Mary
Mission San Francisco de Asísin San Francisco, California, known also as Mission Dolores
Pietà
Marian art in the Catholic Church
Scapular of the Seven Sorrows of Mary
Seven Joys of Mary
Sorrowful and Immaculate Heart of Mary
Stabat Mater
The Glories of Mary

References
1. Ball, Ann (2003). "Seven Sorrows of Mary".Encyclopedia of Catholic Devotions and Practices
. Huntington IN: Our
Sunday Visitor. p. 525. ISBN 0-87973-910-X.
2. Holweck, Frederick. "Feasts of the Seven Sorrows of the Blessed iV
rgin Mary." The Catholic Encyclopedia(http://ww
w.newadvent.org/cathen/14151b.htm)Vol. 14. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1912. 15 September 2016
3. Order of Friar Servants of Mary:The Confraternity of Our Lady of Sorrows(http://www.servite.org/confrat.htm)-
retrieved on 22-Mar-2009
 4. Francis de Zulueta, 2008,Early Steps In The Fold, Miller Press, ISBN 978-1-4086-6003-4, p. 301
5. Churchly joy: Orthodox devotions for the church yearby Sergeĭ Nikolaevich Bulgakov, Boris Jakim 2008 ISBN 0-
8028-4834-6 pages 10-11
6. Orthodox life, Volumes 54-55, Holy Trinity Monastery (Jordanville, N.Y.) page 7
7. Saunders, William. "The Feast of Our Lady of Sorrows",Arlington Catholic Herald, 2000 (http://www.catholiceducatio
n.org/en/culture/catholic-contributions/the-feast-of-our-lady-of-sorrows.html)
8. "Calendarium Romanum", Libreria Editrice Vaticana, 1969, p. 103
9. Calendarium Romanum(Typis Polyglottis Vaticanis 1969). p.119
10. Roman Missal, Friday of the Fifth Week of Lent
11. "Patrons", Congregation of Holy Cross(https://www.holycrossusa.org/article/our-lady-of-sorrows/)
12. Recognition, Mons. (http://vsoledaddeportavaga.weebly.com/bendicioacuten-del-obispo-de-imus.html)Luis Antonio
Tagle, Bishop of Imus, 15 August 2009.
13. "Miraculous' stone with image of Mary 'grows' in Bicol"(http://www.gmanews.tv/story/101031/Miraculous-stone-with-i
mage-of-Mary-grows-in-Bicol), gmanews.tv
14. Our Lady of Sorrows Basilica, Chicago(http://ols-chicago.org/)
15. [1] (http://www.our-lady-of-sorrows-santa-barbara.com)
16. Arthur de Bles, 2004 How to Distinguish the Saints in Art by Their Costumes, Symbols and Attributes
ISBN 1-4179-
0870-X page 35

This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Herbermann, Charles, ed. (1913). "Feasts of the Seven
Sorrows of the Blessed Virgin Mary". Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton.

Further reading
The Seven Sorrows of Mary, by Joel Giallanza, C.S.C. 2008, published by A
ve Maria Press, ISBN 1-59471-176-3

External links
The Seven Sorrows Devotion

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