The Chaplet of the Seven Sorrows, also known as the Rosary of the Seven Sorrows or the Servite Rosary, is a

Rosary based prayer Rosary-based prayers are Christian prayers said on a set of rosary beads, among other cords. These prayers recite specific word sequences on different parts of the rosary beads. They may be directed to Jesus Christ, the Virgin Mary or God the Fathe ...

that originated with the

Servite Order The Servite Order, officially known as the Order of Servants of Mary ( la, Ordo Servorum Beatae Mariae Virginis; abbreviation: OSM), is one of the five original Catholic mendicant orders. It includes several branches of friars (priests and brothe ...

. It is often said in connection with the

Seven Dolours of Mary Our Lady of Sorrows ( la, Beata Maria Virgo Perdolens), Our Lady of Dolours, the Sorrowful Mother or Mother of Sorrows ( la, Mater Dolorosa, link=no), and Our Lady of Piety, Our Lady of the Seven Sorrows or Our Lady of the Seven Dolours are names ...

. It is a

chaplet Chaplet may refer to: * Chaplet (headgear), a wreath or garland for the head * Chaplet (prayer), a string of prayer beads and the associated prayer * Chaplet (metallurgy), a metal form to hold a core in place See also * Wreath (attire) * Ukraini ...

consisting of a ring of seven groups of seven beads separated by a small medal depicting one of the sorrows of Mary, or a single bead. A further series of three beads and a medal are also attached to the chain (before the first "sorrow") and these are dedicated to prayer in honour of Mary's Tears, as well as to indicate the beginning of the chaplet. Conventionally the beads are of black wood or some other black material indicating sorrow. It has also been called the Seven Swords Rosary referring to the prophecy of Simeon:

''"Behold this child is set for the fall, and for the resurrection of many in Israel, and for a sign which shall be contradicted; and thy own soul a sword shall pierce, that, out of many hearts, thoughts may be revealed."'' - (Lk.2:34-35)

It received approval through the grant of

indulgence In the teaching of the Catholic Church, an indulgence (, from , 'permit') is "a way to reduce the amount of punishment one has to undergo for sins". The '' Catechism of the Catholic Church'' describes an indulgence as "a remission before God o ...

s by

Pope Benedict XII Pope Benedict XII ( la, Benedictus XII, french: Benoît XII; 1285 – 25 April 1342), born Jacques Fournier, was head of the Catholic Church from 30 December 1334 to his death in April 1342. He was the third Avignon pope. Benedict was a careful p ...

Pope Clement XII Pope Clement XII ( la, Clemens XII; it, Clemente XII; 7 April 16526 February 1740), born Lorenzo Corsini, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 12 July 1730 to his death in February 1740. Clement presided over the ...

, and

Pope Clement XIII Pope Clement XIII ( la, Clemens XIII; it, Clemente XIII; 7 March 1693 – 2 February 1769), born Carlo della Torre di Rezzonico, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 6 July 1758 to his death in February 1769. ...

History

This devotion to the Our Sorrowful Mother was originated in the thirteenth century, when seven professional men from Florence, which was an important commercial center of Europe, were influenced by the penitential spirit common to the Brothers of Penance with whom they were in close contact. In 1240 they withdrew from the world to pray and serve the Lord, leading a life of penance, prayer and service to Mary. Because of so many visitors, they retreated again to

Monte Senario Monte Senario is a Servite monastery in the comune of Vaglia, near Florence in Tuscany, in central Italy. It stands on the mountain of the same name, on the watershed between the Valdarno to the south and the Mugello The Mugello is a his ...

, where the Servites (Servants of Mary) was formed. By 1244, under the direction of

Peter of Verona Peter of Verona (1205 – April 6, 1252), also known as Saint Peter Martyr and Saint Peter of Verona, was a 13th-century Italian Catholic priest. He was a Dominican friar and a celebrated preacher. He served as Inquisitor in Lombardy, was kille ...

, they began to wear a religious habit similar to the Dominicans and began to live under the

rule of Saint Augustine The Rule of Saint Augustine, written about the year 400, is a brief document divided into eight chapters and serves as an outline for religious life lived in community. It is the oldest monastic rule in the Western Church. The rule, developed b ...

. The Servites devoted their prayer to the rosary of the Seven Sorrows. The choice of the number was derived from the symbolic value of the number seven, suggesting fullness, completeness, and abundance. Consequently, only the principal sorrows are listed. The chaplet recalls the Sorrows the Virgin Mother of God endured in compassion for the suffering and death of her Divine Son. The Seven Dolors are taken from Scripture events and the devotion has a long history, and developed gradually. Before

Pope Pius VII Pope Pius VII ( it, Pio VII; born Barnaba Niccolò Maria Luigi Chiaramonti; 14 August 1742 – 20 August 1823), was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 14 March 1800 to his death in August 1823. Chiaramonti was also a m ...

's formal approval, the Servite Order had permission in 1668 to celebrate the Feast of the Seven Dolors because the Order was instrumental in popularizing the Seven Sorrows Devotion. Members of the Servite Order actively promoted the Chaplet of the Seven Sorrows during the time of the Black Death (1347-1351).Miller, John D., ''Beads and Prayers: The Rosary in History and Devotion'', A&C Black, 2002

Meditation methods

Methods of praying the chaplet vary. This devotion may be spread over a week, commemorating one sorrow each day, or it may be prayed as whole in a single day. A method provided by th

of "

The Raccolta The ''Raccolta'' (literally, "collection" in Italian), is a book, published in many editions from 1807 to 1952, that collected the texts of Roman Catholic prayers and briefly described other acts of piety, such as visiting and praying in particula ...

" is shown below. The recitation begins with the

sign of the cross Making the sign of the cross ( la, signum crucis), or blessing oneself or crossing oneself, is a ritual blessing made by members of some branches of Christianity. This blessing is made by the tracing of an upright cross or + across the body with ...

and an

Act of contrition An Act of Contrition is a Christian prayer genre that expresses sorrow for sins. It may be used in a liturgical service or be used privately, especially in connection with an examination of conscience. Special formulae for acts of contrition are ...

. Each sorrow is announced, (and in some versions of the recitation, a meditatory prayer is said, or a segment from the Hymn '' Stabat Mater Dolorosa''). Then on the separate bead an

Our Father The Lord's Prayer, also called the Our Father or Pater Noster, is a central Christian prayer which Jesus taught as the way to pray. Two versions of this prayer are recorded in the gospels: a longer form within the Sermon on the Mount in the Gosp ...

is said, followed by a

Hail Mary The Hail Mary ( la, Ave Maria) is a traditional Christian prayer addressing Mary, the mother of Jesus. The prayer is based on two biblical passages featured in the Gospel of Luke: the Angel Gabriel's visit to Mary (the Annunciation) and Mary's ...

for each of the seven beads. Some then close the septet of Hail Marys with a brief invocation to Our Lady of Sorrows (Commonly: ''"Sorrowful and Immaculate Heart of Mary pray for us"''), or a

Glory Be The Gloria Patri, also known as the Glory Be to the Father or, colloquially, the Glory Be, is a doxology, a short hymn of praise to God in various Christian liturgies. It is also referred to as the Minor Doxology ''(Doxologia Minor)'' or Lesser ...

. The next sorrow is then announced, and carried out in the same manner until all seven have been meditated upon. The three Hail Marys dedicated to her tears are said and then a closing prayer is said, the most commonly known or traditional closing prayer in the English speaking world is the following:

V. Pray for us, O most sorrowful Virgin.
R. That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.

''Let us pray.''

Lord Jesus, we now implore, both for the present and for the hour of our death, the intercession of the most Blessed Virgin Mary, Thy Mother, whose holy soul was pierced at the time of Thy passion by a sword of grief. Grant us this favor, O Saviour of the world, Who liveth and reigneth with the Father and the Holy Ghost, forever and ever. Amen.St. John, A. (1857)
''The Raccolta'': 97. Chaplet of the Seven Dolours
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Mother of the Word

On July 2, 2001, the

Holy See The Holy See ( lat, Sancta Sedes, ; it, Santa Sede ), also called the See of Rome, Petrine See or Apostolic See, is the jurisdiction of the Pope in his role as the bishop of Rome. It includes the apostolic episcopal see of the Diocese of Rome ...

released a declaration by

Augustin Misago Augustin Misago (1943 – March 12, 2012) was the Roman Catholic bishop of the Diocese of Gikongoro, Rwanda. Ordained in 1971, Misango was named bishop in 1992. In the aftermath of the Rwandan genocide, he was accused of helping the Rwandan ...

, Bishop of Gikongoro, on

Marian apparitions A Marian apparition is a reported supernatural appearance by Mary, the mother of Jesus, or a series of related such appearances during a period of time. In the Catholic Church, in order for a reported appearance to be classified as a Marian ap ...

that took place in 1981-83 in Kibeho, Rwanda indicating that they were “worthy of belief”. The visionaries, three local schoolgirls, reported seeing the Virgin Mary who identified herself to them as ''Nyina wa Jambo'' (

Kinyarwanda Kinyarwanda, Rwandan or Rwanda, officially known as Ikinyarwanda, is a Bantu language and a dialect of the Rwanda-Rundi language that is spoken in Rwanda and adjacent parts of Burundi, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Uganda (where there ...

for “Mother of the

Word A word is a basic element of language that carries an semantics, objective or pragmatics, practical semantics, meaning, can be used on its own, and is uninterruptible. Despite the fact that language speakers often have an intuitive grasp of w ...

”). Mary instructed the third seer, Marie-Claire Mukangango, to spread the devotion of the Seven Sorrows Rosary. Mukangango quoted the Virgin as saying:To avoid a horrible war
/ref>

“One must meditate on the Passion of Jesus, and on the deep sorrows of His Mother. One must recite the Rosary every day, and also the Rosary of the Seven Sorrows of Mary, to obtain the favour of repentance.”

Notes

References

* Matthew Bunson, 2004, ''Encyclopedia of Catholic History'', OSV Press

External links

"Servite Rosary", National Sanctuary of Our Sorrowful Mother
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rosary Of The Seven Sorrows Catholic spirituality Catholic devotions