Mater Dolorosa in Stone

How the Pray the Seven Sorrows of Our Lady Chaplet

Halfway between the birthday of Our Lady on September 8th and the memorial of Our Lady of Sorrows on September 15th, I’d like to introduce the Seven Sorrows of Our Lady chaplet, and explain how to pray it. Since September is particularly dedicated to Our Lady of Sorrows, this is the perfect month to learn how to pray this chaplet. It commemorates the seven swords that pierced the heart of Our Lady as she suffered with her son.

Our Lady pierced by seven swords
How to pray the Chaplet

This chaplet is somewhat similar to the Rosary, although using Rosary beads for it can be a little confusing. The reason is that for this chaplet, you pray seven sets of seven Ave Marias, and the ten-plus-one beads of the usual Rosary or tenner doesn’t lend itself very well to the purpose. But what did the Lords gave us fingers for?

When you start the chaplet, make the sign of the cross and pray:

“Mary, who was conceived without sin and who suffered for us, pray for us.”

Then say the Sorrow you are meditation on, and pray seven Ave Marias. At the conclusion of each set of seven, pray:

“Holy Mother hear my prayer, and renew in my heart each wound of Jesus my Savior.”

Repreat this until you have meditated on all seven Sorrows.

Stabat Mater Tryptichon

What to Meditate On

In this chaplet, we remember each of the seven sorrows of Our Lady while praying the seven Aves mentioned above. These are:

  1. The Prophecy of Simeon (Luke 2:34-35)
  2. The Flight to Egypt (Matthew 2:13-21)
  3. The Loss of Jesus for Three Days (Luke 2:41-50)
  4. The Carrying of the Cross (John 19:17)
  5. The Crucifixion of Jesus (John 19:18-30)
  6. Taking Jesus Down from the Cross (John 19:39-40)
  7. Placing Jesus in the Tomb (John 19:39-42)
Mater Dolorosa

How to Conclude the Chaplet

When you are done with the last Sorrow, pray this closing prayer:
“O Mary, you truly became the Queen of all martyrs as these seven bitter swords of sorrow pierced your Immaculate Heart! By the merits of your tearful distress obtain for us and for all sinners the graces of perfect contrition and conversion. Help us always, dear Mother, to imitate you by taking up our crosses and following Jesus with limitless love and generosity. Amen.”

Seven Swords Pierced Mary's Heart

Short Version

If you are looking for a short prayer to pray this month in particular, or to add to your usual Rosary, the opening prayer, said three times, may serve, so I will repeat it here once more:

“Mary, who was conceived without sin and who suffered for us, pray for us.”

Pietà photo 1888

September: Our Lady of Sorrows

The month of September is dedicated to Our Lady of Sorrows, Mater Dolorosa: On September 15th, we celebrate the memorial of Our Lady of Sorrows.

Our Lady of Sorrows

From very early on, Mary was keenly aware that the Son of God, who was also her son, was born to suffer, to be the “man of sorrows” the prophet spoke about. This month, September, we particularly remember Mary’s role in the life and passion of Our Lord, how she suffered when He was still a child during the flight to Egypt and when Simeon prophesied over the child Jesus during the Presentation. More suffering followed when she lost Jesus for three days when He was twelve, and finally when she went with Him every step of the way during His passion. She was the first to pray the Stations of the Cross, even as they were unfolding.

Stabat Mater

Many Western composers have put to music a hymn from the 13th century, “Stabat Mater”, “The Mother was standing”. On the memorial of Our Lady of Sorrows, this hymn is sung at the liturgy.  The first two stanzas run:

Stabat mater dolorósa
juxta Crucem lacrimósa,
dum pendébat Fílius.		At the Cross her station keeping,
Stood the mournful Mother weeping,
Close to Jesus to the last:
Cuius ánimam geméntem,
contristántem et doléntem
pertransívit gládius.		Through her heart, his sorrow sharing,
All his bitter anguish bearing,
now at length the sword has pass’d.

Of course, there are a lot more stanzas to it, and if you are looking for a version of the Stabat Mater online, you will find anything from three-minute videos to over an hour long compositions. I happen to like this rendering of Antonio Vivaldi‘s version a lot:

Andreas Scholl: Stabat Mater

The Prophesy of Simeon

The sword that “at length” pierces Our Lady is a reference to the prophesy of Simeon:

“And Simeon blessed them, and said unto Mary his mother, Behold, this child is set for the fall and rising again of many in Israel; and for a sign which shall be spoken against; Yea, a sword shall pierce through thy own soul also, that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.” (Luke 2:34-35, KJV)

Since Mary’s sorrows are seven in number, depictions of Our Lady of Sorrows with seven swords piercing her, or Mary surrounded by pictures showing her seven sorrows, are numerous.

During the month of September, many people pray the Seven Sorrows of Mary in much the same way they otherwise pray the Stations of the Cross.