Novena to Our Lady of Sorrows

Fr. Scott Haynes

September 6-15

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The Our Lady of Sorrows Novena is a powerful devotion that honors the profound grief and suffering of the Virgin Mary. This novena invites the faithful to reflect on the seven sorrows that pierced Mary’s heart, from the prophecy of Simeon to the burial of Jesus.

Beginning on September 6th and culminating on her feast day, September 15th, the novena provides an opportunity to unite our own sufferings with those of Mary and to seek her intercession for the grace to endure life’s trials with faith and courage. Submit prayer requests to be remembered in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass.

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Graces Promised

According to St. Alphonsus de Liguori (The Glories of Mary) it was revealed to Saint Elizabeth that at the request of Our Lady, Our Lord promised four principal graces to those devoted to Her Sorrows:

1. That those who before death invoke the divine Mother in the name of her Sorrows will obtain true repentance of all their sins.

2. That He will protect all who have this devotion in their tribulations, and will protect them especially at the hour of death.

3. That He will impress on their minds the remembrance of His Passion.

4. That He will place such devout servants in Mother Mary’s hands to do with them as She wishes and to obtain for them all the graces she desires.

Novena Prayers

V. O God, come to my assistance.

R. O Lord, make haste to help me.

V. Glory be to the Father, and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit

R. As it was in the beginning is now and ever shall be, world without end. Amen

Day I – First Sorrow: The Prophecy of Simeon   

“Now there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon, and this man was righteous and devout, looking for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he should not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Christ … Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother, ‘Behold, this child is set for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign that is spoken against (and a sword will pierce through your own soul also), that thoughts out of many hearts may be revealed.’”– Luke 2:25–26, 34–35

We Pray: I grieve for Thee, O Mary most sorrowful, in the affliction of Thy tender heart at the prophecy of the holy and aged Simeon. Dear Mother, by Thy heart so afflicted, obtain for me the virtue of humility

and the Gift of the holy Fear of God.

Pray one Hail Mary.

Day 2 – Second Sorrow: The Flight into Egypt

“An angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, ‘Rise, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there till I tell you, for Herod is about to search for the child, to destroy him.’ And he rose and took the child and his mother by night, and departed to Egypt, and remained there until the death of Herod.”– Matthew 2:13–15

We Pray:  grieve for Thee, O Mary most sorrowful, in the anguish of Thy most affectionate heart during the flight into Egypt and Thy sojourn there. Dear Mother, by Thy heart so troubled, obtain for me the virtue of generosity, especially towards the poor, and the Gift of Piety.

Pray one Hail Mary.

Day 3 – Third Sorrow: Loss of the Child Jesus for Three Days

“Now his parents went to Jerusalem every year at the feast of the Passover. And when he was twelve years old, they went up according to custom; and when the feast was ended, as they were returning, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem. His parents did not know it. … After three days they found him in the temple, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions; and all who heard him were amazed at his understanding and his answers. And when they saw him, they were astonished; and his mother said to him, ‘Son, why have you treated us so? Behold, your father and I have been looking for you anxiously.’”– Luke 2:41–43, 46–48

We Pray: I grieve for Thee, O Mary most sorrowful, in those anxieties which tried Thy troubled heart at the loss of Thy dear Jesus. Dear Mother, by Thy heart so full of anguish, obtain for me the virtue of chastity and the Gift of Knowledge.

Pray one Hail Mary

Day 4 – Fourth Sorrow: Mary Meets Jesus on His Way to Calvary

“And as they led him away, they seized one Simon of Cyrene, who was coming in from the country, and laid on him the cross, to carry it behind Jesus. And there followed him a great multitude of the people, and of women who bewailed and lamented him.”– Luke 23:26–2

We Pray: I grieve for Thee, O Mary most sorrowful, in the consternation of Thy heart at meeting Jesus as He carried His Cross. Dear Mother, by Thy heart so troubled, obtain for me the virtue of patience and the

Gift of Fortitude.

Pray one Hail Mary.

Day 5 – Fifth Sorrow: The Crucifixion and Death of Jesus

“Standing by the cross of Jesus were his mother, and his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. When Jesus saw his mother, and the disciple whom he loved standing near, he said to his mother, ‘Woman, behold your son!’ Then he said to the disciple, ‘Behold, your mother!’”

We Pray: I grieve for Thee, O Mary most sorrowful, in the martyrdom which Thy generous heart endured in standing near Jesus in His agony. Dear Mother, by Thy heart afflicted in such wise, obtain for me the virtue of temperance and the Gift of Counsel.

Pray one Hail Mary.

Day 6 – Sixth Sorrow: The Body of Jesus Taken from the Cross

“Since it was the day of Preparation, in order to prevent the bodies from remaining on the cross on the sabbath (for that sabbath was a high day), the Jews asked Pilate that their legs might be broken, and that they might be taken away. So, the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first, and of the other who had been crucified with him; but when they came to Jesus and saw that he was already dead, they did not break his legs. But one of the soldiers pierced his side with a spear, and at once there came out blood and water.”– John 19:31

We Pray: I grieve for Thee, O Mary most sorrowful, in the wounding of Thy compassionate heart, when the side of Jesus was struck by the lance and His Heart was pierced. Dear Mother, by Thy heart thus

transfixed, obtain for me the virtue of fraternal charity and the Gift of Understanding.

Pray one Hail Mary.

Day 7 – Seventh Sorrow: The Burial of Jesus

“Joseph of Arimathea, a respected member of the council, who was also himself looking for the kingdom of God, took courage and went to Pilate, and asked for the body of Jesus. … And (Joseph of Arimathea) bought a linen shroud, and taking him down, wrapped him in the linen shroud, and laid him in a tomb which had been hewn out of the rock; and he rolled a stone against the door of the tomb.”– Mark 15:43, 4

We Pray: I grieve for Thee, O Mary most sorrowful, for the pangs that wrenched Thy most loving heart at the burial of Jesus. Dear Mother, by Thy heart sunk in the bitterness of desolation, obtain for me the

virtue of diligence and the Gift of Wisdom.

Pray one Hail Mary

Day 8 – Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross

The Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross is on September 14, the day before the Feast of Our Lady of Sorrows. It celebrates two historical events: the discovery of the True Cross by Saint Helena, the mother of the Emperor Constantine, in 320 under the temple of Venus in Jerusalem, and the dedication in 335 of the basilica and shrine built on Calvary by Constantine, which mark the site of the Crucifixion.

We Pray: Sweet Mother of Sorrows, Providence wished that Saint Helena, like you the mother of a king, find the cross of your Son and lavish honors on this relic of relics. Grant, me Sorrowful Queen and Mother that, like Saint Helena, I always honor the symbol of our salvation, the cross. And like the Church, may I hold it high, display and wear it with gratitude and pride. Above all, may I unite my sufferings to that of Jesus on the cross, and carry my crosses not in shame but in faith, love and patience as He did.

Pray one Hail Mary.

Day 9 –Feast of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of Sorrows

“While other martyrs suffered by sacrificing their own lives, the Blessed Virgin suffered by sacrificing Her Son’s life – a life that She loved far more than Her own; so that She not only suffered in Her soul all that Her Son endured in His body, but moreover the sight of Her Son’s torments brought more grief to Her heart than if She had endured them all in Her own person.” — St. Antoninus

“The martyrs endured their torments in their bodies; Mary suffered Hers in Her soul.” … St. Alphonsus de Liguori. “Now, as the soul is more noble than the body, so much greater were Mary’s sufferings than those of all the martyrs, as Jesus Christ Himself said to St. Catherine of Siena: ‘Between the sufferings of the soul and those of the body there is no comparison.’”

We Pray: O most holy Virgin, Mother of our Lord Jesus Christ: by the overwhelming grief you experienced when you witnessed the martyrdom, crucifixion, and death of your divine Son, look upon me kindly, and awaken in my heart a tender sympathy for Our Lord’s sufferings.

Grant me a sincere detestation of my sins, so that free from undue affection for the passing joys of earth, I may set my sights higher on the eternal joys of heaven. May all my thoughts and all my actions be directed towards this one great goal. Honor, glory, and love to our divine Lord Jesus, and to the holy and immaculate Mother of God.

Pray one Hail Mary

V. Pray for us, O Virgin most sorrowful,

R. That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ

Let us pray.

Let intercession be made for us, we beseech Thee, O Lord Jesus Christ, now and at the hour of our death, before the throne of Thy mercy, by the Blessed Virgin Mary, Thy Mother, whose most holy soul was pierced by a sword of sorrow in the hour of Thy bitter Passion. We ask this through Thee, Jesus Christ, Saviour of the world, who with the Father and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns world without end.

Amen.