Through this prayer we remember the seven sufferings of Mary. We place ourselves under her unbound love and seek her strength against our own sorrows.
Did you know that devotion to Our Lady of Sorrows is an old and, over time, a virtuous custom that have been established to enter into the heart of Mary?
The title, Our Lady of Sorrows, that was given to the Blessed Mother concentrates on her intense grief and suffering during the passion and death of the Lord.
This is a prayer specific to the Sorrows of Mary. If you’re looking for Mother Mary’s intercession for you for a miracle, you might be interested in praying the Powerful Mother Mary Prayer for a Miracle.
How to Say the Our Lady of Sorrows Prayer
Our mother of sorrows, with strength from above you stood by the cross, sharing in the sufferings of Jesus,
and with tender care you bore
Him in your arms, mourning and weeping.
We praise you for your faith, which accepted the life God planned for you. We praise you for your hope, which trusted that God would do great things in you. We praise you for your love in bearing with Jesus the sorrows of His passion.
Holy Mary, may we follow your example, and stand by all your children who need comfort and love.
Mother of God, stand by us in our trials and care for us in our many needs. Pray for us now and at the hour of our death.
Amen!
The seven sufferings of Mary are:
- Simeon’s Prophecy
- The Flight Into Egypt
- The Loss of the Child Jesus in the Temple
- Meeting Jesus on the Way of the Cross
- Witnessing the crucifixion and the death of Jesus on the cross
- The body of Jesus is laid on Mary’s arms
- The burial of Jesus
The Feast of Our Lady of Sorrows increased in fame in the twelfth century, even though it was available under different titles. Granted, other writings would place their roots in the eleventh century, particularly among the Benedictine monks.
By the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries, the devotion and feast were comprehensive throughout the Church.
As you honor the Blessed Mother, and pray to our Lady of Sorrows, you also honour her as the true disciple and example of faith.
Please pray as you do in the opening prayer of the Mass for the feast day.
Before the Second Vatican Council, there were two feasts committed to the sorrows of Mary.
The first feast was introduced in Cologne in 1413 as an expiation for the sins of the revolutionaries Hussites.
The second is contributed to the Servite order, whose main devotion is the Seven Sorrows. The order was founded in 1233.
How to Pray for Our Lady of Sorrows?
The tradition is to pray the Our Father once and followed by Hail Mary seven times at every division. At the very end, three Hail Marys must be prayed in honor of the tears of Our Lady.
It will also help if you pray the chaplet to say an Act of Contrition at the start, acknowledging the role of your sins had in the sufferings of Our Lady.
One way that helps facilitate the meditation of Mary’s sorrow is to say every sorrow before praying the seven Hail Marys.
The Chaplet of the Seven Sorrows is a wonderful practice in the Church and can help alleviate our own suffering.
You can also learn how to pray the Rosary of the 1000 Hail Marys.
