Hi everyone who still checks in on this blog from time to time! If you are reading this, I give you extra credit points for being faithful :) I'm so sorry for my long absence. It is one of my goals to start blogging more regularly again, so don't give up on my quite yet :) But before I spend some time updating this blog with our busy summer of 2021, I wanted to take the time to share an important Catholic tradition for the month of September. September honors Our Lady's Seven Sorrows, and there is a beautiful devotion to Our Lady's Sorrows that dates back to the 13th century, and then became re-introduced in the 1980s during the approved apparitions of Our Lady of Kibeho in Rwanda. Our Lady asked one of the 8 visionaries to spread this devotion to the world (so I'm sharing it with you to try to help out) :) It is a beautiful devotion, and one that I think is powerful during our troubled times. All of us have sorrows that we can unite with Our Lady's to bring extra graces to ourselves, those we love, and to our world that is in dire need of graces. So, if you have time, try to do this devotion at least once during this month. The Feast Day of Our Lady of Sorrows is September 15th...but any day you do this devotion will console Our Lady's heart!!! Plus, there are some pretty powerful promises attributed to this devotion, so you will be consoled too! :)
Our Lady of Sorrows, pray for us!!!
St. Bridget of Sweden (1303-1373) reported that Our Lady promised to grant seven graces to those who honor her and draw near to her and her Son every day by praying seven Hail Marys while meditating on her tears and sorrows:
1. I will grant peace to their families.
2. They will be enlightened about the divine mysteries.
3. I will console them in their pains and will accompany them in their work.
4. I will give them as much as they ask for as long as it does not oppose the adorable will of my divine Son or the sanctification of their souls.
5. I will defend them in their spiritual battles with the infernal enemy and I will protect them at every instant of their lives.
6. I will visibly help them at the moment of their death; they will see the face of their mother.
7. I have obtained this grace from my divine Son: that those who propagate this devotion to my tears and sorrows will be taken directly from this earthly life to eternal happiness, since all their sins will be forgiven, and my Son will be their eternal consolation and joy.
The Seven Sorrows of Mary
1. The Prophecy of Simeon
2. The Flight into Egypt
3. The Loss of the Child Jesus in the Temple
4. Mary meets Jesus Carrying the Cross
5. The Crucifixion–Mary Stands at the Foot of the Cross
6. Mary Receives the Dead Body of Jesus
7. The Burial of Jesus and Closing of the Tomb
To pray the Chaplet, start with an Act of Contrition. Then pray one Our Father and seven Hail Marys for each Sorrow. At the very end, pray three Hail Marys in honor of Our Lady's tears and these optional responses:
V. Pray for us, Virgin most sorrowful.
R. That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.
Let us pray.
Grant, we beseech Thee, O Lord Jesus Christ, that the most blessed Virgin Mary, thy Mother, may intercede for us before the throne of Thy mercy, now and at the hour of our death, whose most holy soul was transfixed with the sword of sorrow in the hour of Thine own Passion. Through Thee, Jesus Christ, Savior of the world, who lives and reigns with the Father and the Holy Spirit, forever and ever. Amen.
Totus Tuus,
~Maria
For a beautiful print-out of the devotion to share with others, go to:
To order a beautiful 7 Sorrows Rosary booklet with reflections from Immaculee, a survivor of the Rwandan genocide and a national Catholic speaker who promotes devotion to Our Lady, go to:
Other sources used:
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