Our Lady of Sorrows rosary, also known as the Rosary of the Seven Sorrows of the Virgin Mary and the 7 Dolors of Mary, helps us contemplate the lamentations of Mary throughout the life of Christ.
In each of the 7 mysteries of the Our Lady of Sorrows rosary the Virgin Mary endures her sufferings in union with God. By praying the Rosary of Our Lady of Sorrows we can learn to endure our own sufferings in a similar way.
Why Pray the Our Lady of Sorrows Rosary?
Those who pray the Our Lady of Sorrows rosary daily are promised special graces through the intercession of the Virgin Mary. These include helping us to grow in holiness and to develop a deeper relationship with Jesus.
This ancient 13th century prayer is also called the 7 Dolors of Mary because ‘dolors’ are deeply wounding incidents causing intense pain and lamentation. When we join the Virgin Mary on her journey with Jesus, we come to understand what it means to know him and to love him through His mother’s sorrowful heart. We also come to understand the nature of God, and how we should respond to pain and suffering, as his children.
Our Lady of Sorrows Rosary
Introductory prayer
My God, I offer you this Rosary in honour of the seven principal Sorrows of Mary, for your greatest glory, for my conversion and that of all people through your beloved Son, Jesus Christ, our salvation and our unique way to come to you, in union with the Holy Ghost for ever and ever. AMEN.
Act of contrition
My God, I am sorry for my sins with all my heart. In choosing to do wrong and failing to do good, I have sinned against you whom I should love above all things. I firmly intend, with your help, to do penance, to sin no more, and to avoid whatever leads me to sin. Our Savior Jesus Christ suffered and died for us. In his name, my God, have mercy. AMEN.
Our Lady of Sorrows Rosary
The First Sorrow
The Prophecy Of Simeon (Luke 2:34–35)
Sorrow as sharp as a sword shall pierce Mary’s heart because of her Child. Mary is in the Temple, having come with Joseph to present the Child to God. They meet Simeon, the holy man, and Anna, the prophetess. Simeon takes the Baby in his arms, saying he will now die in peace because he has seen Christ, then he foretells the sorrow to come.
℣: O God, come to my assistance;
℟: O Lord, make haste to help me
℣: Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
℟: As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. AMEN.
I grieve for you, O Mary, most sorrowful, in the affliction of your tender heart at the prophecy of the holy and aged Simeon. Dear Mother, by your heart so afflicted, obtain for me the virtue of humility and the gift of the holy fear of God.
Seven Hail Marys
Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women and blessed is the fruit of of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now, and at the hour of our death. Amen.
Our Lady of Sorrows Rosary
The Second Sorrow
The flight into Egypt (Matthew 2:13–23)
Soon the sword of sorrow strikes. Herod the King seeks to kill the Child. Warned in sleep by an angel, Joseph takes Jesus and His Mother Mary, setting out for Egypt, where they lived in obscurity and poverty until it was safe to return to Nazareth.
℣: O God, come to my assistance;
℟: O Lord, make haste to help me
℣: Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
℟: As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. AMEN.
I grieve for you, O Mary most sorrowful, in the anguish of your most affectionate heart during the flight into Egypt and your sojourn there. Dear Mother, by your heart so troubled, obtain for me the virtue of generosity, especially toward the poor, and the gift of piety.
Seven Hail Marys
Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women and blessed is the fruit of of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now, and at the hour of our death. Amen.
Our Lady of Sorrows Rosary
The Third Sorrow
Losing Jesus for Three Days (Luke 2:43-51)
When Jesus is twelve, He is taken to Jerusalem for the Feast of Passover. On the return journey Joseph and Mary find at the end of the first day that Jesus is not with them. Racked with anxiety, they search for Him. Nobody in the streets, not even the beggars, can tell them where He is. Not till the third day do they find Him, in the Temple.
℣: O God, come to my assistance;
℟: O Lord, make haste to help me
℣: Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
℟: As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. AMEN.
I grieve for you, O Mary most sorrowful, in those anxieties which tried your troubled heart at the lost of your dear Jesus. Dear Mother, by your heart so full of anguish, obtain for me the virtue of chastity and the gift of knowledge.
Seven Hail Marys
Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women and blessed is the fruit of of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now, and at the hour of our death. Amen.
Our Lady of Sorrows Rosary
The Fourth Sorrow
Meeting Jesus on his way to Calvary
Mary has known fear and sorrow, but none so great as seeing her beloved Son stumbling under the weight of the Cross. She hears the jeering shouts from the crowd and has no power to help Him. Pity and love are in her eyes as she gazes at His blood-stained face. To many around her He is no better than a criminal, and her heart is breaking as she follows Him to Calvary or Golgotha.
℣: O God, come to my assistance;
℟: O Lord, make haste to help me
℣: Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
℟: As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. AMEN.
I grieve for you, O Mary most sorrowful, in the consternation of your heart at meeting Jesus as He carried His cross. Dear Mother, by your heart so troubled, obtain for me the virtue of patience and the gift of fortitude.
Seven Hail Marys
Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women and blessed is the fruit of of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now, and at the hour of our death. Amen.
Our Lady of Sorrows Rosary
The Fifth Sorrow
The Crucifixion and Death of Jesus on the Cross (John 19:25-27)
With John, Mary stands at the foot of the Cross. “A sword shall pierce thy soul,” Simeon told her. Truly her heart is pierced with sorrow. Her beloved Son is dying and she shares in His suffering. She does not ask God to take away this agony. She is His Mother, so close to Him that His pain is hers, too. And now He speaks from the Cross: “Woman, behold thy son.” Jesus give His Mother to John, and to us. For all eternity she is our Mother.
℣: O God, come to my assistance;
℟: O Lord, make haste to help me
℣: Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
℟: As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. AMEN.
I grieve for you, O Mary most sorrowful, in the martyrdom which your generous heart endured in standing near Jesus in His agony. Dear Mother, by your afflicted heart, obtain for me the virtue of temperance and the gift of counsel.
Seven Hail Marys
Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women and blessed is the fruit of of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now, and at the hour of our death. Amen.
Our Lady of Sorrows Rosary
The Sixth Sorrow
Jesus is Taken Down from the Cross (John 19:38-42)
It is over. Dark clouds have appeared in the sky and upon the world. Jesus is dead. Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus take down the Body from the Cross. and Mary receives It in her arms. She is filled with a sadness that no human heart has known. This is her Son. Once she had cradled Him in her arms. listened to His voice, watched Him working at the carpenter’s bench. Now He is dead. She does not weep, her grief is too great for tears.
℣: O God, come to my assistance;
℟: O Lord, make haste to help me
℣: Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
℟: As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. AMEN.
I grieve for you, O Mary most sorrowful, in the wounding of your compassionate heart, when the side of Jesus was struck by the lance before His Body was removed from the cross. Dear Mother, by your heart thus transfixed, obtain for me the virtue of fraternal charity and the gift of understanding.
Seven Hail Marys
Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women and blessed is the fruit of of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now, and at the hour of our death. Amen.
Our Lady of Sorrows Rosary
The Seventh Sorrow
Jesus is Laid in the Tomb (Matthew 27:59-61)
Hastily the Body is wrapped in a clean linen cloth. Nicodemus has brought myrrh and aloes, and the Body is bound in the Shroud with them. nearby is a new tomb, belonging to Joseph of Arimathea, and there they lay Jesus. Mary and John and the holy women follow them and watch as the great stone to the sepulcher is rolled. it is the end.
℣: O God, come to my assistance;
℟: O Lord, make haste to help me
℣: Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
℟: As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. AMEN.
I grieve for you, O Mary most sorrowful, for the pangs that wrenched your most loving heart at the burial of Jesus. Dear Mother, by your heart sunk in the bitterness of desolation, obtain for me the virtue of diligence and the gift of wisdom.
Seven Hail Marys
Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women and blessed is the fruit of of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now, and at the hour of our death. Amen.
Amen
Our Lady of Sorrows Rosary
Concluding Prayers:
Queen of Martyrs, your heart suffered so much. I beg you, by the merits of the tears you shed in these terrible and sorrowful times, to obtain for me and all the sinners of the world the grace of complete sincerity and repentance. AMEN.
℣: Mary, who was conceived without sin and who suffered for us
℟: pray for us.
℣: Mary, who was conceived without sin and who suffered for us
℟: pray for us.
℣: Mary, who was conceived without sin and who suffered for us
℟: pray for us.
Make the Sign of the Cross
In the name of The Father, and The Son, and The Holy Spirit. AMEN.
Modern-Day Revival of the 7 Dolors of Mary
The Rosary of the Seven Sorrows of the Virgin Mary was reintroduced for our generation by seers in Rwanda after apparitions from Our Lady of Kibeho in the 1980s. This historic vision and the travesty that followed shortly afterward when the people did not heed the messages and repent, are a message for us today.
The Virgin Mary appeared to three seers in Kibeho, Rwanda beginning on November 28, 1981. One of them, Marie Claire Mukangango, was devoted to the message of the Rosary of the Seven Sorrows of the Virgin Mary. This devotion along with Our Lady of Kibeho’s call to repentance were messages that the seers in Rwanda received 10 years before the Rwandan genocide that killed nearly three quarters of a million people.
Our Lady of Kibeho told Marie Claire that the world must “Repent, repent, repent! Convert while there is still time.”
Heaven Warned Rwanda Long before the Genocide
The Virgin Mary warns that the world is in a revolt against God and on the edge of a catastrophe. The people of Rwanda did not heed the warning of Our Lady of Kibeho, and in 1994, between April 7 and July 15, a terrible genocide caused the people to kill their own neighbors. This historical travesty was documented in an autobiography entitled, Left to Tell: Discovering God Amidst the Rwandan Holocaust, by Immaculee Ilibagiza, who’s family was brutally murdered in the genocide.
The urgency of this message remains true to this day. Will we heed the call and take up our beads to pray the Our Lady of Sorrows rosary with fervor?
Imaculee’s story is a grave lesson for our time. She said, “I have seen hatred and I have seen love. And love is more powerful.” As the children of God we are called to love our enemies. The Seven Sorrows of Mary rosary helps us grow in love despite persecution and hardships.
Are you struggling with an habitual sin?
Please read a reflection on Our Lady of Sorrows Irresistible Novena by Mary’s Secretary to learn how you can benefit from this prayer and how to write your own written formal prayer at the start of your 9 day novena. She references an instructional video from Fr. Ripperger that can be found here. Also click the devotion to Our Lady of Sorrows to pray a 9-day novena to Our Lady of Sorrows.
Learn more about Immaculee and the Rwandan Genocide
Immaculee tells the story of what led to the Rwandan genocide, her suffering, and how she was able to FORGIVE the man who killed her family in this video.
2 Responses
Thank you. Your website is so beautiful in every way. It has been instructional as well as uplifting. In particular, your detailed instruction on the various Rosary prayers has been most helpful and helped me to grow a deeper relationship with our Blessed Mother. May God bless and keep you.
Thank you very much, Tess. It makes me happy knowing that others find the prayers uplifting. I give God the glory for everything. He has given me so much in this life, none deserved. I am just grateful to use my skills to post prayers online for free so that more people can know Him and love Him and worship Him from the heart.