Rosary of the Seven Sorrows of Our Lady
The Rosary of the Seven Sorrows of Our Lady is a beautiful Catholic devotion that invites us to accompany the Blessed Virgin Mary through seven deeply painful moments in her life.
As we meditate on Mary’s sorrows, we also contemplate the suffering, death, and saving love of her Son, Jesus Christ. This devotion can help us bring our own grief to God, unite our suffering with the Cross, and learn from Mary’s faith, courage, and trust.
What Is the Rosary of the Seven Sorrows?
The devotion to Our Sorrowful Mother dates back to the thirteenth century. It remembers seven sorrows the Blessed Virgin Mary experienced because of the suffering and death of Jesus.
Unlike the traditional Rosary, which is divided into mysteries and decades, the Rosary of the Seven Sorrows is divided into seven sorrows. For each sorrow, we pray:
- One Our Father
- Seven Hail Marys
- One concluding prayer
After all seven sorrows, we pray three additional Hail Marys in honour of the tears of Our Sorrowful Mother.
You may use a special Seven Sorrows Rosary, but you do not need one. You can count the prayers using a regular rosary, your fingers, or a printed guide.
When Is the Feast of Our Lady of Sorrows?
The Catholic Church celebrates the Memorial of Our Lady of Sorrows on September 15, the day after the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross.
The Seven Sorrows Rosary is especially meaningful on this feast day, but you can pray it at any time of the year. It can be a comforting devotion during seasons of grief, suffering, change, or uncertainty.
What Are the Seven Sorrows of Mary?
The Seven Sorrows of Mary are:
- Simeon announces the suffering destiny of Jesus.
- Mary escapes into Egypt with Jesus and Joseph.
- Mary searches for the Child Jesus in Jerusalem.
- Mary meets Jesus as He carries His Cross.
- Mary stands beneath the Cross of Jesus.
- Mary receives the body of Jesus into her arms.
- Mary helps place the body of Jesus in the tomb.
How to Pray the Rosary of the Seven Sorrows
- Make the Sign of the Cross and pray the introductory prayers.
- Announce the First Sorrow.
- Read the Scripture reference and meditation.
- Pray one Our Father.
- Pray seven Hail Marys while meditating on the sorrow.
- Pray: Holy Mother, hear my prayers, and renew in my heart each wound of Jesus my Savior.
- Repeat these steps for all seven sorrows.
- Pray three Hail Marys in honour of the tears of Our Sorrowful Mother.
- Pray the closing prayers.
- If desired, finish with the Litany of Our Lady of Seven Sorrows.
Introductory Prayers
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
My God, I offer You this rosary for Your glory. I want to honour Your Holy Mother, the Blessed Virgin, by meditating upon and sharing in her suffering.
O my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, trusting in Your infinite love, I turn to You for forgiveness and mercy. I am truly sorry for the pains You suffered in Your most bitter Passion because of my sins. For love of You, and before Your holy presence, I utterly renounce and forsake all the sins of my whole life. I ask pardon of You with all my heart. I firmly resolve to amend my life and would rather die than offend You again.
O Blessed Virgin Mary, You are our tender Mother and the refuge of sinners. I run to You with confidence and love. Hide me under Your mantle of love and protection. As I meditate upon the swords of sorrow that pierced Your Immaculate Heart, obtain for me the forgiveness of my sins and the grace to live a life of heroic holiness.
O Blessed Mother, I unite my heart to Yours and offer this rosary for priests: for their growth in holiness, obedience to the Magisterium, boldness in the proclamation of the Gospel, and a profound love for the people of God. May all priests humbly lead the souls entrusted to their care into an intimate relationship with the Lord.
I also pray for the following intentions:
Pause and name your intentions.
Leader: Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of Your faithful and enkindle in them the fire of Your love.
Response: Send forth Your Spirit and they shall be created, and You shall renew the face of the earth.
The First Sorrow: The Prophecy of Simeon
Scripture: Luke 2:34–35
Simeon announces that Jesus will be rejected and that a sword of sorrow will pierce Mary’s soul.
O Mother of Sorrows, how deeply your heart was pierced with sorrow when Simeon announced that Jesus, your beloved Child, was to be a sign that would be rejected. Your heart knew that He was to be the suffering Messiah the prophets had foretold, the Man of Sorrows who would carry all our sins and heal us by His wounds.
Through this bitter sorrow, obtain for us the grace never to reject Jesus or refuse Him anything. Help us to surrender our lives completely to Him and to live according to His most holy will in everything.
Pray:
- One Our Father
- Seven Hail Marys
Then pray:
Holy Mother, hear my prayers, and renew in my heart each wound of Jesus my Savior.
The Second Sorrow: The Flight into Egypt
Scripture: Matthew 2:13–15
Mary escapes into Egypt with Jesus and Joseph because Herod wants to kill the Child Jesus.
O Mother of Sorrows, what pain filled your heart as you fled your home and country, knowing that the tyrant Herod was intent on murdering your little Child, whom you loved above all else.
The hardships of travel, the long journey, and life as a refugee were nothing compared to the torment of such evil directed toward Jesus.
Through this bitter sword of sorrow, obtain for us the grace never to risk the life of Jesus in our souls through deliberate sin.
Pray:
- One Our Father
- Seven Hail Marys
Then pray:
Holy Mother, hear my prayers, and renew in my heart each wound of Jesus my Savior.
The Third Sorrow: The Child Jesus Is Lost in Jerusalem
Scripture: Luke 2:41–51
Mary and Joseph search for Jesus for three days before finding Him in the Temple.
O Mother of Sorrows, what grief filled your heart as you and Joseph searched desperately for Jesus when you could not find Him among your relatives and friends returning home from Jerusalem.
When your Son replied that He must be about His Father’s business, you accepted that He had begun the mission that would lead to His sacrificial death.
The sorrow of those three days of separation prepared you for the three days of suffering you endured while His body lay lifeless in the tomb.
Through this bitter sword of sorrow, obtain for us the grace to accept the ways of Divine Providence, even when we do not understand them.
Pray:
- One Our Father
- Seven Hail Marys
Then pray:
Holy Mother, hear my prayers, and renew in my heart each wound of Jesus my Savior.
The Fourth Sorrow: Mary Meets Jesus Carrying His Cross
Scripture: Luke 23:26–31
Mary encounters her beloved Son as He carries His Cross towards Calvary.
O Mother of Sorrows, how it must have wounded your tender maternal heart to see your beloved Son Jesus carrying His Cross to Calvary, the place of execution.
How it must have pained you to see Him so bloodied, beaten, and reviled as He strained to fulfil His deepest desire: to give His life as a ransom for us.
Through this bitter sword of sorrow, obtain for us the grace to deny ourselves, pick up our crosses, and follow Jesus with perseverance and love.
Pray:
- One Our Father
- Seven Hail Marys
Then pray:
Holy Mother, hear my prayers, and renew in my heart each wound of Jesus my Savior.
The Fifth Sorrow: Mary Stands at the Foot of the Cross
Scripture: John 19:25–27
Mary remains close to Jesus during His Crucifixion and death.
O Mother of Sorrows, here the prophecy of Simeon comes to its ultimate fulfilment: the sword of sorrow pierces your heart as you stand beneath the Cross of your Son.
Crucified spiritually with your crucified Son, you offered Him to the Father and united yourself completely with His self-offering and sacrificial death.
We simply cannot fathom the pain of your offering or the depth of love that inspired it.
Through this bitter sword of sorrow, obtain for us the grace to unite all our sufferings with our crucified Lord with unselfish generosity and love.
Pray:
- One Our Father
- Seven Hail Marys
Then pray:
Holy Mother, hear my prayers, and renew in my heart each wound of Jesus my Savior.
The Sixth Sorrow: Mary Receives the Body of Jesus
Scripture: John 19:38
The body of Jesus is taken down from the Cross and placed in His mother’s arms.
O Mother of Sorrows, your heart was drowned in grief as you embraced the lifeless body of your Son. He who was your very life was now dead. Your light in this life was extinguished.
Yet you accepted this sorrow with love, knowing that it was all part of the Father’s plan of salvation.
Through this bitter sword of sorrow, obtain for us the grace to accept with patience and love the sorrows that befall us in this vale of tears, firmly believing that God works all things for the good of those who love Him.
Pray:
- One Our Father
- Seven Hail Marys
Then pray:
Holy Mother, hear my prayers, and renew in my heart each wound of Jesus my Savior.
The Seventh Sorrow: Jesus Is Placed in the Tomb
Scripture: John 19:39–42
Mary helps place the body of her beloved Son in the tomb.
O Mother of Sorrows, who could express the cruel anguish of this moment?
The same Child whom you once wrapped in swaddling clothes amidst unspeakable joy, you now wrap silently in His burial shroud. Your tears mingle with the blood and dirt covering His broken body.
But even in this moment, your trust in His promise did not die. Your mourning was not without hope, for you knew that He would rise again from the grave, just as He had promised.
Through this bitter sword of sorrow, obtain for us the grace to believe with unshakable hope in the victory of our Lord, even in the darkest moments of life.
Pray:
- One Our Father
- Seven Hail Marys
Then pray:
Holy Mother, hear my prayers, and renew in my heart each wound of Jesus my Savior.
Three Final Hail Marys
Pray three Hail Marys in honour of the tears of Our Sorrowful Mother.
Closing Prayers
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.
Repeat three times:
Mary, who was conceived without sin and who suffered for us, pray for us.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Litany of Our Lady of Seven Sorrows
The Litany of Our Lady of Seven Sorrows is traditionally attributed to Pope Pius VII. It may be prayed after completing the Rosary of the Seven Sorrows.
Leader: Lord, have mercy on us.
Response: Christ, have mercy on us.
Leader: Lord, have mercy on us. Christ, hear us.
Response: Christ, graciously hear us.
God, the Father of Heaven, have mercy on us.
God the Son, Redeemer of the world, have mercy on us.
God the Holy Spirit, have mercy on us.
Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us.
Holy Virgin of virgins, pray for us.
Mother of the Crucified, pray for us.
Sorrowful Mother, pray for us.
Mournful Mother, pray for us.
Sighing Mother, pray for us.
Afflicted Mother, pray for us.
Forsaken Mother, pray for us.
Desolate Mother, pray for us.
Mother most sad, pray for us.
Mother surrounded by anguish, pray for us.
Mother overwhelmed by grief, pray for us.
Mother transfixed by a sword, pray for us.
Mother crucified in your heart, pray for us.
Mother bereaved of your Son, pray for us.
Sighing Dove, pray for us.
Mother of Sorrows, pray for us.
Fount of tears, pray for us.
Sea of bitterness, pray for us.
Field of tribulation, pray for us.
Mass of suffering, pray for us.
Mirror of patience, pray for us.
Rock of constancy, pray for us.
Remedy in perplexity, pray for us.
Joy of the afflicted, pray for us.
Ark of the desolate, pray for us.
Refuge of the abandoned, pray for us.
Shield of the oppressed, pray for us.
Conqueror of the incredulous, pray for us.
Solace of the wretched, pray for us.
Medicine of the sick, pray for us.
Help of the faint, pray for us.
Strength of the weak, pray for us.
Protectress of those who fight, pray for us.
Haven of the shipwrecked, pray for us.
Calmer of tempests, pray for us.
Companion of the sorrowful, pray for us.
Retreat of those who groan, pray for us.
Terror of the treacherous, pray for us.
Standard-bearer of the Martyrs, pray for us.
Treasure of the Faithful, pray for us.
Light of Confessors, pray for us.
Pearl of Virgins, pray for us.
Comfort of Widows, pray for us.
Joy of all Saints, pray for us.
Queen of your Servants, pray for us.
Holy Mary, who alone are beyond compare, pray for us.
Leader: Pray for us, most Sorrowful Virgin.
Response: That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.
Let Us Pray
O God, in whose Passion, according to the prophecy of Simeon, a sword of grief pierced through the most sweet soul of Thy glorious Blessed Virgin Mother Mary: grant that we, who celebrate the memory of her Seven Sorrows, may obtain the happy effect of Your Passion, Who lives and reigns world without end. Amen.
Prayers Used in the Seven Sorrows Rosary
The Our Father
Our Father, who art in Heaven,
hallowed be Thy name.
Thy kingdom come.
Thy will be done
on earth as it is in Heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread,
and forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those who trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil. Amen.
The Hail Mary
Hail Mary, full of grace,
the Lord is with thee.
Blessed art thou among women,
and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.
Holy Mary, Mother of God,
pray for us sinners,
now and at the hour of our death. Amen.
A Simple Way to Begin This Devotion
If praying the entire devotion feels overwhelming at first, begin with one sorrow each day.
Read the Scripture passage slowly. Consider what Mary may have experienced and how she continued to trust God. Then bring your own suffering to Jesus through Mary’s loving intercession.
There is no need to rush. This devotion is not simply about finishing every prayer. It is an invitation to remain close to Jesus and Mary, especially during painful or uncertain seasons.
You may pray this devotion throughout the year or include it in your preparations for the Memorial of Our Lady of Sorrows on September 15.
Our Lady of Sorrows, pray for us.
The prayers and meditations in this guide were adapted from “The Rosary of the Seven Sorrows of Our Lady,” with prayers and meditations composed by Fr. Scott McCaig, CC, and published by the Companions of the Cross. Scripture references are included so readers may consult their preferred Catholic Bible translation.
