Our Lady of Sorrows (Mater Dolorosa) is the title of the Blessed Virgin Mary honoring her suffering as the Mother of the Redeemer, above all as she stood at the foot of the Cross. The Church keeps her memorial on September 15, the day after the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, and in many countries also remembers her on the Friday before Palm Sunday. Below is the meaning of the title, the seven sorrows of Mary, the feasts, a traditional prayer, and ways to honor Our Lady of Sorrows.
Why Our Lady of Sorrows?
When Mary presented the infant Jesus in the Temple, old Simeon told her, “thy own soul a sword shall pierce” (Luke 2:35). That sword reached its depth on Calvary: “Now there stood by the cross of Jesus, his mother” (John 19:25). Mary’s sorrow is not despair: she stands, united to her Son’s offering, and becomes the Mother of all his disciples. Honoring her sorrows helps us to stay close to Jesus in our own suffering.
The seven sorrows of Mary
- The prophecy of Simeon (Luke 2:34–35).
- The flight into Egypt (Matthew 2:13–15).
- The loss of the Child Jesus in the Temple for three days (Luke 2:41–50).
- Mary meets Jesus carrying his Cross.
- Jesus dies on the Cross (John 19:25–30).
- Jesus is taken down from the Cross and laid in Mary’s arms.
- Jesus is laid in the tomb.
Pray them with the Seven Sorrows Rosary, meditating on each sorrow with seven Hail Marys.
The feasts of Our Lady of Sorrows
- September 15: the memorial of Our Lady of Sorrows in the General Roman Calendar (in 2027, a Wednesday). At Mass the sequence Stabat Mater may be sung. See the Stabat Mater.
- Friday of Sorrows: the Friday before Palm Sunday (March 19, 2027), still kept with devotion in Spain, Latin America, Malta and the Philippines as Viernes de Dolores.
- The Servite Order, founded in Florence in the thirteenth century by the Seven Holy Founders, spread the devotion everywhere.
- Our Lady of Sorrows is the patroness of Slovakia, where September 15 is a national holiday.
A traditional prayer to Our Lady of Sorrows
From Father Lasance’s With God (1911), a prayer to be said before her altar or image:
Holy Mary, Mother of sorrows, whose heart was pierced with a fresh sword of grief at every station on the way of the Cross, obtain for us, we beseech thee, O most loving Mother, a perpetual remembrance of our blessed Saviour’s cross and death, and a true and tender devotion to all the mysteries of His most holy Passion; obtain for us the grace to hate sin, even as He hated it in the agony of the Garden; to endure wrong and insult with all patience, as He endured them in the judgment-hall; to be meek and humble in all our trials, as He was before His judges; to love our enemies even as He loved His executioners, and prayed for them upon the cross; and to glorify God and do good to our neighbors, even as He did in every mystery of His sufferings. O Queen of martyrs, who, by the dolors of thy immaculate heart on Calvary, didst merit to share the Passion of our blessed Redeemer, obtain for us some portion of thy compassion, that for the love of Jesus crucified, we may be crucified to the world in this life; and in the life to come, may, by His infinite merits and thy powerful intercession, reign with Him in glory everlasting. Amen.
How to honor Our Lady of Sorrows
- Pray the Seven Sorrows Rosary, especially on Fridays and in Lent and September.
- Pray the Stations of the Cross, with a verse of the Stabat Mater between each station. See the Stations of the Cross.
- Stay with someone who suffers, as Mary stayed at the Cross.
- Offer your sorrows in union with hers for the conversion of sinners.
Frequently asked questions
When is the feast of Our Lady of Sorrows?
September 15, the day after the Exaltation of the Holy Cross. Many also keep the Friday before Palm Sunday.
Why is Our Lady of Sorrows shown with seven swords?
The seven swords piercing her heart represent her seven sorrows.
Who is the patron of those who suffer?
Our Lady of Sorrows is invoked by all who suffer, especially mothers who have lost children and those who grieve.
More Marian prayers
- Seven Sorrows Rosary
- Stabat Mater
- Exaltation of the Holy Cross
- Presentation of the Lord (Simeon’s prophecy)
- Marian feast days
- Catholic prayer after a miscarriage
Texts and sources
- Prayer: F. X. Lasance, With God (1911), A Visit to Our Lady of Sorrows, public domain (Wikisource).
- Scripture: Luke 2:35; John 19:25, Douay-Rheims Bible (Challoner), public domain.