Roman Catholics will observe Wednesday, Sept. 15, the feast day of Our Lady of Sorrows (Mater Dolorosa), in solemn commemoration of the spiritual martyrdom of the Blessed Mother.
Also known as Our Lady of Dolours, the Sorrowful Mother, Mother of Sorrows (Latin: Mater Dolorosa), and Our Lady of Piety, Our Lady of the Seven Sorrows or Our Lady of the Seven Dolours, the feast significantly follows the Feast of the Holy Cross (Triumph of the Holy Cross) to signify the participation of the Blessed Virgin Mary in the Passion of her Son Jesus Christ.
In observance of the feast, Church leaders encourage the faithful to recite seven Hail Mary’s and to reflect on the Seven Sorrows of Our Lady namely: 1. The Prophecy of Simeon in the Temple, 2. The Flight into Egypt, 3. The Carrying of the Cross on Mount Calvary, 5. The Crucifixion, 6. The Taking Down from the Cross, and the 7. The Burial of Jesus.
Devotion to the sorrows of Mary gave rise to the figure in Christian art of the Pieta, the sorrowing mother holding the lifeless Body of her Son. Initiated by the Servants of Mary in 1668, the feast was extended to the Universal Church by Pope Pius VIII in 1814.
Meanwhile, a thanksgiving mass will be celebrated on Sept. 15, at 6 a.m. at the Our Lady of Sorrows Parish on Harrison Street, Pasay City. A full novena and holy mass to be presided by Manila Archbishop Jose Cardinal Advincula will be held at 5:30 p.m.
The last of the nine-day novena masses will be celebrated on Sept. 14. This year’s celebration coincides with the opening of the 80th founding anniversary of the parish and the 80 years presence of the Society of St. Paul in the Archdiocese of Manila.