Rosary of Our Lady of Sorrows

“During the Middle Ages, when the ordinary Catholic no longer knew the language of the official prayer of the Church, many other prayer forms or devotions developed to fill the prayer vacuum that resulted. One of these was the rosary. And one of the adaptation of this prayer form was the Rosary of the Seven Sorrows of Mary. Like all rosaries, the Rosary of the Sorrowful Mother is a meditation on the mystery-events of God’s love for us as reflected in the life of Jesus and Mary. Specifically, it invites us to meditate on those times in the life of Mary when she experienced the pain and suffering that tested her faith and invited her to a full sharing of the mystery of God’s salvation in her Son, Jesus.”

The Sisters of Our Lady of Sorrows pray the rosary of the Sorrowful Mother as a sign of unity with Mary in her suffering and grief.

Rosary of Our Lady of Sorrows

Looking at Our Lady of Sorrows, who dominates the apse of this church, we can better understand that Mary’s new motherhood in the order of grace is the fruit of the love which achieved its full growth at the foot of the cross, through her participation in the Son’s redeeming love. In this way Mary acquired a new title on Calvary, which is why she is and can be called the spiritual Mother of her Son’s brothers and sisters.
(Blessed Pope John Paul II)