Our Lady of Sorrows (Latin:
Beata Maria Virgo Perdolens), the
Sorrowful Mother or
Mother of Sorrows (Latin:
Mater Dolorosa, at times just
Dolorosa), and
Our Lady of the Seven Sorrows or
Our Lady of the Seven Dolours are names by which the
Blessed Virgin MaryThe Blessed Virgin Mary, sometimes shortened to the Blessed Virgin or the Virgin Mary, is a traditional title used by most Christians and most specifically used by liturgical Christians such as Roman Catholics, Anglicans, Lutherans, Eastern Orthodox and Eastern Catholics, and some others to...
is referred to in relation to sorrows in her life.
Under this title, she is the
patron saintA patron saint is a saint who is regarded as the intercessor and advocate in heaven of a nation, place, craft, activity, class, or person. Patron saints, because they have already transcended to the metaphysical, are able to intercede effectively for the needs of their special charges...
of
SlovakiaThe Slovak Republic is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe with a population of over five million and an area of about . Slovakia borders the Czech Republic and Austria to the west, Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east and Hungary to the south. The largest city is its capital, Bratislava...
; the
Congregation of Holy CrossThe Congregation of Holy Cross or Congregatio a Sancta Cruce is a Roman Catholic congregation of priests and brothers founded in 1837 by Blessed Father Basil Anthony-Marie Moreau, CSC, in Le Mans, France....
; the village of
Mola di BariMola di Bari, more commonly referred to simply as Mola, is a small coastal town of about 26,000 inhabitants located approximately 22 kilometres south of Bari in the Southern Italian region of Apulia ....
and the
MoliseMolise is a region of Southern Italy, the second smallest of the regions. It was formerly part of the region of Abruzzi e Molise and now a separate entity...
region of
ItalyItaly , officially the Italian Republic , is a country located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe and on the two largest islands in the Mediterranean Sea, Sicily and Sardinia. Italy shares its northern, Alpine boundary with France, Switzerland, Austria and Slovenia...
; the state of
MississippiMississippi is a state located in the Southern United States. Jackson is the state capital and largest city. The state's name comes from the Mississippi River, which flows along its western boundary, and takes its name from the Ojibwe word misi-ziibi . The state is heavily forested outside of the...
, USA; and in the Philippines, the cities of
Dolores-Places:*Argentina**Dolores, Buenos Aires*Belize**Rancho Dolores*Guatemala**Dolores, El Petén*Mexico** Dolores Hidalgo, a town in Guanajuato** Dolores, Baja California Sur** Dolores, Chihuahua*Philippines** Dolores, Quezon*Spain** Dolores, Alicante...
,
QuezonQuezon is a province of the Philippines located in the CALABARZON region in Luzon. The province was named after Manuel L. Quezon, the second President of the Philippines, and its capital is Lucena City...
;
San AndresSan Andrés , or San Andres, may refer to:*Argentina**San Andrés, city located in General San Martín Partido, northern zone of Greater Buenos Aires.**San Andrés de Giles, Buenos Aires Province*Bolivia...
,
CatanduanesCatanduanes is an island province of the Philippines located in the Bicol Region in Luzon. Its capital is Virac and the province lies to the east of Camarines Sur across Maqueda Channel. As of 2007, the population of the province is 232,757.-Etymology:...
; and
City of San FernandoThe City of San Fernando, is a first class, component city in the Philippine province of Pampanga. It is the capital city of Pampanga and the regional center of Central Luzon...
,
PampangaPampanga is a province of the Philippines located in the Central Luzon region. Its capital is the City of San Fernando, Pampanga. Pampanga is bordered by the provinces of Bataan and Zambales to the west, Tarlac and Nueva Ecija to the north, and Bulacan to the southeast...
.
Our Lady of Sorrows (Latin:
Beata Maria Virgo Perdolens), the
Sorrowful Mother or
Mother of Sorrows (Latin:
Mater Dolorosa, at times just
Dolorosa), and
Our Lady of the Seven Sorrows or
Our Lady of the Seven Dolours are names by which the
Blessed Virgin MaryThe Blessed Virgin Mary, sometimes shortened to the Blessed Virgin or the Virgin Mary, is a traditional title used by most Christians and most specifically used by liturgical Christians such as Roman Catholics, Anglicans, Lutherans, Eastern Orthodox and Eastern Catholics, and some others to...
is referred to in relation to sorrows in her life.
Under this title, she is the
patron saintA patron saint is a saint who is regarded as the intercessor and advocate in heaven of a nation, place, craft, activity, class, or person. Patron saints, because they have already transcended to the metaphysical, are able to intercede effectively for the needs of their special charges...
of
SlovakiaThe Slovak Republic is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe with a population of over five million and an area of about . Slovakia borders the Czech Republic and Austria to the west, Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east and Hungary to the south. The largest city is its capital, Bratislava...
; the
Congregation of Holy CrossThe Congregation of Holy Cross or Congregatio a Sancta Cruce is a Roman Catholic congregation of priests and brothers founded in 1837 by Blessed Father Basil Anthony-Marie Moreau, CSC, in Le Mans, France....
; the village of
Mola di BariMola di Bari, more commonly referred to simply as Mola, is a small coastal town of about 26,000 inhabitants located approximately 22 kilometres south of Bari in the Southern Italian region of Apulia ....
and the
MoliseMolise is a region of Southern Italy, the second smallest of the regions. It was formerly part of the region of Abruzzi e Molise and now a separate entity...
region of
ItalyItaly , officially the Italian Republic , is a country located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe and on the two largest islands in the Mediterranean Sea, Sicily and Sardinia. Italy shares its northern, Alpine boundary with France, Switzerland, Austria and Slovenia...
; the state of
MississippiMississippi is a state located in the Southern United States. Jackson is the state capital and largest city. The state's name comes from the Mississippi River, which flows along its western boundary, and takes its name from the Ojibwe word misi-ziibi . The state is heavily forested outside of the...
, USA; and in the Philippines, the cities of
Dolores-Places:*Argentina**Dolores, Buenos Aires*Belize**Rancho Dolores*Guatemala**Dolores, El Petén*Mexico** Dolores Hidalgo, a town in Guanajuato** Dolores, Baja California Sur** Dolores, Chihuahua*Philippines** Dolores, Quezon*Spain** Dolores, Alicante...
,
QuezonQuezon is a province of the Philippines located in the CALABARZON region in Luzon. The province was named after Manuel L. Quezon, the second President of the Philippines, and its capital is Lucena City...
;
San AndresSan Andrés , or San Andres, may refer to:*Argentina**San Andrés, city located in General San Martín Partido, northern zone of Greater Buenos Aires.**San Andrés de Giles, Buenos Aires Province*Bolivia...
,
CatanduanesCatanduanes is an island province of the Philippines located in the Bicol Region in Luzon. Its capital is Virac and the province lies to the east of Camarines Sur across Maqueda Channel. As of 2007, the population of the province is 232,757.-Etymology:...
; and
City of San FernandoThe City of San Fernando, is a first class, component city in the Philippine province of Pampanga. It is the capital city of Pampanga and the regional center of Central Luzon...
,
PampangaPampanga is a province of the Philippines located in the Central Luzon region. Its capital is the City of San Fernando, Pampanga. Pampanga is bordered by the provinces of Bataan and Zambales to the west, Tarlac and Nueva Ecija to the north, and Bulacan to the southeast...
.
The Seven Sorrows of Mary are a popular
devotionCatholic devotions are prayer forms which are not part of the official public liturgy of the Church but are part of the popular spiritual practices of Catholics. Many are officially sanctioned by the Church as profitable for spiritual growth but not necessary for salvation...
in the
Roman Catholic ChurchThe Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church. With more than a billion members, over half of all Christians and more than one-sixth of the world's population, the Catholic Church is a communion of the Western, or Latin Rite Church, and...
. There is a devotional prayer which consists of meditation on her Seven Sorrows. Also, there is a corresponding devotion to the Seven Joys of Mary. The term "
Sorrowful and Immaculate Heart of MaryThe gang or cult Sorrowful and Immaculate Heart of Mary was launched by Juliano Verbard in 2002 on the island of Réunion, a French territory in the Indian Ocean...
" refers to the combined devotion of both the
Immaculate HeartImmaculate Heart may refer to:*Immaculate Heart of Mary, a religious idea related to Immaculate Conception*Sisters, Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, a religious order...
and the Seven Sorrows of Mary as first used by the Franciscan Tertiary
Berthe PetitBerthe Petit was a Franciscan Tertiary known for her devotion to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. She had reported visions of Jesus and Mary since an early age, and specific conversations with Jesus Christ for many years thereafter.She was born Berthe-Frances-Marie-Ghslaine Petit, in Enghien, Belgium...
.
The Seven Sorrows
The Seven Sorrows (or
Dolors) are events in the life of the Blessed Virgin Mary which are a popular devotion and are frequently depicted in art.
It is a common devotion for Catholics to say daily a
Hail MaryThe Angelic Salutation, Hail Mary, or Ave Maria is a traditional Catholic prayer asking for the intercession of the Virgin Mary, the mother of Jesus. The Hail Mary is used within Roman Catholicism, and it forms the basis of the Rosary...
for each.
- The Prophecy
The Nunc dimittis is a canticle from a text in the second chapter of Luke named after its first words in Latin....
of SimeonSimeon the Righteous is the "just and devout" man of Jerusalem who, according to , met the Virgin Mary, Joseph, and Jesus as they entered the Temple to fulfill the requirements of the Law of Moses on the fortieth day from Jesus' birth...
over the Infant JesusThe Child Jesus represents Jesus from his birth to the age of twelve. At thirteen he was considered to have become adult, in accordance with both the Jewish custom of his own time, and that of most Christian cultures until recent centuries...
. (Gospel of LukeThe Gospel of Luke is the third and longest of the four canonical Gospels. This synoptic gospel is an account of the life and ministry of Jesus of Nazareth. It details his story from the events of his birth to his Ascension...
2:34)
- The Flight into Egypt
The flight into Egypt is a biblical event described in the Gospel of Matthew , in which Joseph fled to Egypt with his wife Mary and infant son Jesus after a visit by Magi because they learn that King Herod intends to kill the infants of that area...
of the Holy FamilyThe Holy Family consists of the Child Jesus, the Virgin Mary, and Saint Joseph.-Feast of the Holy Family:The Feast of the Holy Family is a liturgical celebration in the Roman Catholic Church in honor of Jesus of Nazareth, his mother, the Blessed Virgin Mary, and his foster father, Saint Joseph, as...
. (Gospel of MatthewThe Gospel of Matthew is one of the four canonical gospels in the New Testament. This synoptic gospel is an account of the life and ministry of Jesus of Nazareth...
2:13)
- The Loss of the Child Jesus for Three Days
The Finding in the Temple, also called "Christ among the Doctors" or the Disputation , was an episode in the early life of Jesus. It is the only event of the later childhood of Jesus mentioned in a gospel....
. (Luke 2:43)
- The Meeting of Jesus and Mary along the Way of the Cross. (Luke 23:26)
- The Crucifixion
Crucifixion is an ancient method of painful execution in which the condemned person is tied or nailed to a large wooden cross and left to hang until dead...
, where Mary stands at the foot of the cross. (Gospel of JohnThe Gospel of John , is the last of the four canonical gospels. This non synoptic gospel is an account of the life and ministry of Jesus of Nazareth...
19:25)
- The Descent from the Cross
The Descent from the Cross , or Deposition of Christ, is the scene, as depicted in art, from the Gospels' accounts of Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus taking Christ down from the cross after his crucifixion . In Byzantine art the topic became popular in the 9th century, and in the West from the...
, where Mary receives the dead body of Jesus in her arms. (Matthew 27:57)
- The Burial
Joseph of Arimathea was, according to the Gospels, the man who donated his own prepared tomb for the burial of Jesus after Jesus' Crucifixion. A native of Arimathea, he was apparently a man of wealth, and probably a member of the Sanhedrin, which is the way bouleutēs, literally "counsellor", in ...
of Jesus. (John 19:40)
Devotions to the Seven Sorrows
The feast of the Our Lady of Sorrows was originated by a provincial synod of Cologne in 1413 as a response to the iconoclast Hussites. It was designated for the Friday after the third Sunday after Easter. It had the title:
Commemoratio angustix et doloris B. Marix V.. Before the 16th century, the feast was celebrated only in parts of Northern Europe.
Earlier, in 1233, seven youths in Tuscany founded the
Servite OrderThe Servite Order is one of the five original Catholic mendicant orders. Its objects are the sanctification of its members, preaching the Gospel, and the propagation of devotion to the Mother of God, with special reference to her sorrows...
(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.
Over the centuries several devotions, and even orders, arose around meditation on Mary's Sorrows in particular. The
Servite developed the two most common devotions to Our Lady's Sorrows, namely the
Rosary of the Seven SorrowsThe Rosary of the Seven Sorrows, also known as the Chaplet of Seven Sorrows or the Servite Rosary, is a Rosary based prayer that originated with the Servite Order. It is often said in connection with the Seven Sorrows of Mary....
and the Black
Scapular of the Seven Dolours of MaryThe Scapular of the Seven Dolours of Mary is a Roman Catholic devotional scapular that dates back to the thirteenth century.In 1255 Pope Alexander IV sanctioned the Servite Order and that order gained a significant number of followers who were devoted to the the Seven Sorrows of Mary...
. The Black Scapular is a symbol of the Confraternity of Our Lady of Sorrows, which is associated with the
Servite OrderThe Servite Order is one of the five original Catholic mendicant orders. Its objects are the sanctification of its members, preaching the Gospel, and the propagation of devotion to the Mother of God, with special reference to her sorrows...
. Most devotional
scapularThe term scapular as used today refers to two specific, yet related, Christian Sacramentals, namely the monastic and devotional scapulars, although both forms may simply be referred to as "scapular"....
s have requirements regarding ornamentation or design. The devotion of the Black Scapular requires only that it be made of black woollen cloth.
Liturgical feast
The first altar to the
Mater Dolorosa was set up in 1221 at the monastery of
SchönauSchönau can refer to several places:*in Germany:**Schönau , a town in Baden-Württemberg***Schönau Abbey, in this town**Schönau im Schwarzwald, a town in Baden-Württemberg...
. Especially in Mediterranean countries, parishioners traditionally carry statues of Our Lady of Sorrows in processions on the days leading to
Good FridayGood Friday, also called Holy Friday, Black Friday, or Great Friday, is a holiday observed primarily by adherents to Christianity commemorating the crucifixion of Jesus and his death at Calvary...
.
No feast in her honour was included in
St Pius VPope St. Pius V , born Antonio Ghislieri , was pope from 1566 to 1572 and is a saint of the Roman Catholic Church...
's 1570
Tridentine CalendarThe Tridentine Calendar is the calendar of saints to be honoured in the official liturgy of the Roman Rite during the course of the liturgical year. It was established in 1570 by Pope Pius V, when he implemented a decision of the Council of Trent by promulgating his Roman Missal...
. Vatican approval for the celebration of a feast in honor of Our Lady of Sorrows was first granted to the Servite
orderA religious order is a lineage of communities and organizations of people who live in some way set apart from society in accordance with their specific religious devotion, usually characterized by the principles of its founder's religious practice. The order is composed of initiates and, in some...
in 1667.
By inserting the feast into the
Roman Catholic calendar of saintsThe General Roman Calendar indicates the days of the year to which are assigned the liturgical celebrations of saints and of the mysteries of the Lord that are to be observed wherever the Roman Rite is used...
in 1814,
Pope Pius VIIPope Pius VII, OSB , born Count Barnaba Niccolò Maria Luigi Chiaramonti, was Pope from March 14, 1800 to August 20, 1823.-Early life:...
extended the celebration to the whole of the
Latin ChurchThe Latin Church or Rite is the majority Rite or particular church within the Catholic Church, comprising roughly 80% of its membership. The Latin Rite is one of the 23 sui iuris particular Churches within the Catholic Church...
. It was assigned to the third Sunday in September. In 1913,
Pope Pius XPope St. Pius X , born Giuseppe Melchiorre Sarto, was the 258th Pope of the Roman Catholic Church, serving from 1903 to 1914, succeeding Pope Leo XIII . He was the first pope since Pope Pius V to be canonized. Pius X codified Catholic doctrines to inspire conformity in the church and rejected...
moved the feast to September 15, the day after the
Feast of the CrossIn the Christian liturgical calendar, there are several different feasts known as Feasts of the Cross, all of which commemorate the cross used in the crucifixion of Jesus...
. It is still observed on that date.
In connection with this feast, two processions are held in
MaltaMalta , officially the Republic of Malta , is a densely populated developed European country in the European Union. The Southern European island nation is an archipelago that includes the inhabited islands of Malta, Gozo and Comino, along with a number of smaller, uninhabited islands...
, one in
Zebbug on September 15, and another in St Paul's Bay on the following Sunday. The main parishes of Malta celebrate the feast on the last Friday before Good Friday, where it is a day of fasting. The most popular procession is held in
VallettaValletta is the capital city of Malta, colloquially known as Il-Belt in Maltese. It is located in the central-eastern portion of the island of Malta and the city proper has a population of 6,315....
.
The feast is also a public holiday in Slovakia, whose patron is Our Lady of Sorrows.
Another feast, originating in the seventeenth century, was extended to the whole of the Latin Church in 1727. It was originally celebrated on Friday in Passion Week, just a week before
Good FridayGood Friday, also called Holy Friday, Black Friday, or Great Friday, is a holiday observed primarily by adherents to Christianity commemorating the crucifixion of Jesus and his death at Calvary...
. In 1954, it still held the rank of Major Double (slightly lower than the rank of the September 15 feast) in the General Roman Calendar. In 1962 the feast was reduced to a
CommemorationIn the Tridentine Mass period of the Roman Rite, when a higher-ranked liturgical celebration impeded the celebration of a lesser that, either permanently or by coincidence, fell on the same day, the prayer of the lower-ranked celebration was usually added to that of the higher...
. By 1969 the Vatican had come to consider it a duplication of the September 15 feast, and the Passion Week feast was omitted in that year's revision of the
Roman Catholic calendar of saintsThe General Roman Calendar indicates the days of the year to which are assigned the liturgical celebrations of saints and of the mysteries of the Lord that are to be observed wherever the Roman Rite is used...
.
Each celebration was called a feast of "The Seven Sorrows of the Blessed Virgin Mary." The September 15 feast that now combines and continues both of them is known as the Feast of "Our Lady of Sorrows" (
Beatae Mariae Virginis Perdolentis). The
sequenceA sequence is a chant sung or recited during the Mass, before the proclamation of the Gospel. By the time of the Council of Trent there were sequences for many feasts in the Church's year....
known as
Stabat MaterStabat Mater is a thirteenth century Roman Catholic sequence variously attributed to Innocent III and Jacopone da Todi. Its title is an abbreviation of the first line, Stabat mater dolorosa . The hymn, one of the most powerful and immediate of extant medieval poems, meditates on the suffering of...
may be sung at mass on that day.
Iconography
Our Lady of Sorrows has been the subject of some key works of
Roman Catholic Marian artThe Blessed Virgin Mary has been one of the major subjects of Christian Art, Catholic Art and Western Art for many centuries. Literally hundreds of thousands of pieces of...
. In
iconographyIconography is the branch of art history which studies the identification, description, and the interpretation of the content of images. The word iconography literally means "image writing", and comes from the Greek εἰκών "image" and γράφειν "to write". A secondary meaning is the painting of icons...
, Our Lady of Seven Sorrows is at times represented as the Virgin Mary wounded by seven swords in her heart, a reference to the prophecy of Simeon at the Presentation. In other depictions, the expression of the Virgin is that of tears and sadness.
See also
- Seven Joys of Mary
- The Glories of Mary
The Glories of Mary is a classic book in the field of Roman Catholic Mariology, written during the 18th century by Saint Alphonsus Liguori, a Doctor of the Church....
- Scapular of the Seven Sorrows of Mary
- Roman Catholic Marian art
The Blessed Virgin Mary has been one of the major subjects of Christian Art, Catholic Art and Western Art for many centuries. Literally hundreds of thousands of pieces of...
- Acts of Reparation to the Virgin Mary
Roman Catholic tradition and Mariology include specific prayers and devotions as acts of reparation for insults and blasphemies against the Blessed Virgin Mary...
- Sorrowful and Immaculate Heart of Mary
The gang or cult Sorrowful and Immaculate Heart of Mary was launched by Juliano Verbard in 2002 on the island of Réunion, a French territory in the Indian Ocean...
Books