The Chaplet (or Rosary) of the Seven Sorrows was spread by the Servite Order, founded in Florence in the thirteenth century with devotion to the sorrowing Mother as its special charism. Its seven sorrows are drawn from the Gospels and the tradition of the Passion, from Simeon's prophecy to the burial of Jesus. The Directory on Popular Piety and the Liturgy places devotion to Our Lady of Sorrows within the Church's contemplation of the Passion: standing with Mary at the foot of the cross, we learn compassion for Christ and for all who suffer. Her memorial is kept on 15 September.

What you need

• A Seven Sorrows chaplet (seven groups of seven beads, each preceded by a larger bead, with three small beads at the end), or an ordinary rosary counted in sevens
• A Bible or the passages listed in each step
• About twenty minutes

When to pray it

Fridays, throughout Lent and Holy Week, and on 15 September, the memorial of Our Lady of Sorrows; also fitting in times of grief and when praying for those who mourn.

Steps

1. 1

   Step 1: Open with the Sign of the Cross and an Act of Contrition

   Make the Sign of the Cross▾. Pray an Act of Contrition▾, asking pardon for the sins that caused the sorrows you are about to contemplate. You may add a short prayer for the grace to share Mary's compassion for her Son.

2. 2

   Step 2: The First Sorrow: the Prophecy of Simeon

   Scripture: Luke 2:34-35. Simeon tells Mary, "and you yourself a sword will pierce." Reflect for a moment on the sorrow she carried in silence from that day. Then pray one Our Father▾ and seven Hail Marys▾.

3. 3

   Step 3: The Second Sorrow: the Flight into Egypt

   Scripture: Matthew 2:13-15. Warned in a dream, Joseph takes the child and his mother by night into Egypt to escape Herod. Consider Mary's fear and trust as an exile with a hunted child. Pray one Our Father▾ and seven Hail Marys▾.

4. 4

   Step 4: The Third Sorrow: the Loss of the Child Jesus in the Temple

   Scripture: Luke 2:41-50. For three days Mary and Joseph search for the twelve-year-old Jesus: "Son, why have you done this to us?" Consider her anguish and her pondering of his answer. Pray one Our Father▾ and seven Hail Marys▾.

5. 5

   Step 5: The Fourth Sorrow: Mary meets Jesus on the Way to Calvary

   Scripture: Luke 23:27-31, and the fourth Station of the Cross. Tradition holds that Mary met her Son carrying the cross through the streets of Jerusalem. Consider the meeting of their eyes. Pray one Our Father▾ and seven Hail Marys▾.

6. 6

   Step 6: The Fifth Sorrow: Mary stands at the foot of the Cross

   Scripture: John 19:25-27. "Standing by the cross of Jesus was his mother." Jesus gives her to the beloved disciple, and to the Church, as Mother. Consider her standing through the three hours. Pray one Our Father▾ and seven Hail Marys▾.

7. 7

   Step 7: The Sixth Sorrow: the Body of Jesus is taken down from the Cross

   Scripture: John 19:38-40 (also Mark 15:42-46). Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus take down the body, and tradition places it in Mary's arms, the scene of the Pietà. Consider her holding him. Pray one Our Father▾ and seven Hail Marys▾.

8. 8

   Step 8: The Seventh Sorrow: the Burial of Jesus

   Scripture: John 19:41-42 (also Luke 23:50-56). The body is laid in a new tomb and the stone is rolled across; Mary goes home to wait in faith for the third day. Pray one Our Father▾ and seven Hail Marys▾.

9. 9

   Step 9: Pray three Hail Marys in honour of Mary's tears

   On the three final beads pray three Hail Marys▾ in honour of the tears Our Lady shed in her sorrows, asking for true sorrow for our sins and compassion for the suffering of Christ.

10. 10

    Step 10: Close with the versicle and prayer

    V. Pray for us, O most sorrowful Virgin. R. That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ. Let us pray: Lord Jesus, we now implore, both for the present and for the hour of our death, the intercession of the most Blessed Virgin Mary, your Mother, whose holy soul was pierced at the time of your Passion by a sword of grief. Grant us this favour, O Saviour of the world, who live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit, for ever and ever. Amen. Make the Sign of the Cross▾.

Tips

• Pray it slowly; seven Hail Marys is time enough to stay in the scene with Mary rather than watch it from outside.
• The Stabat Mater, the medieval hymn of Mary at the cross, is a fitting opening or closing.
• Offer each sorrow for someone who is carrying that kind of sorrow now: a worried parent, a refugee family, a bereaved mother.

Related devotions

• The Seven Sorrows of Mary

Related saints

• Saint Joseph