The Chaplet of the Seven Sorrows

Our Blessed Mother asks us to accompany her in her anguish by meditating on the Passion of her son, Jesus.

The devotion to Our Lady’s Sorrows has its roots in the Middle Ages, with the founding of the Servite Order in 1233. They dedicated themselves to this cause, promoting recognition and honor of Mary’s suffering.

Our Lady revealed to the mystic Saint Bridget of Sweden that devotion to her Sorrows would bring graces. In one instance, she said to Saint Bridget, “I look around at all who are on earth, to see if by chance there are any who pity Me, and meditate upon My Sorrows; and I find that there are very few. Therefore, My daughter, though I am forgotten by many, at least do you not forget Me; consider My anguish, and imitate, as far as you can, My grief.”

In more recent times, the Vatican-approved apparitions of Our Lady of Kibeho have revitalized the devotion to the Seven Sorrows. In 1981, Mary appeared to 16-year-old Alphonsine. Soon after, she appeared to two of her classmates, Natalie and Marie Claire. Blessed Mother’s messages focused on repentance, prayer, and conversion. She asked Marie Claire to renew and spread devotion to the Chaplet of the Seven Sorrows, although not to supersede the necessity of the daily Rosary.