Lenten Campaign 2025
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For many centuries, the Roman Rite commemorated a special observance of the Seven Sorrows of the Blessed Virgin Mary on the Friday of "Passion Week."
This occurred the Friday before Holy Week and acted as a preview of what was to come.
Passion Friday
The commemoration no longer exists in the current Roman Missal, but it still provides an alternative prayer for that day (Friday in the Fifth Week of Lent), remembering Mary’s own bitter passion.
O God, who in this season
give your Church the grace
to imitate devoutly the Blessed Virgin Mary
in contemplating the Passion of Christ,
grant, we pray, through her intercession,
that we may cling more firmly each day
to your Only Begotten Son
and come at last to the fullness of his grace.
Outside of this nod to the older tradition, various cultures and countries still observe this day with great festivity.
Spanish-speaking countries in particular, as well as the Philippines, hold processions on this day, honoring the Seven Sorrows of Mary.
Currently the feast of Our Lady of Sorrows is paired-up with the feast of the Exaltation of the Cross in September. The general liturgical calendar lists September 15 as the feast of Our Lady of Sorrows.
This particular devotion recalls seven events in the life of Mary when she experienced great sorrow. They are as follows:
- The Prophecy of Simeon (Luke 2:34–35)
- The Flight into Egypt (Matthew 2:13)
- The Loss of the Child Jesus in the Temple of Jerusalem (Luke 2:43–45)
- The Meeting of Mary and Jesus on his Way to Calvary (traditional)
- Standing at the Foot of the Cross (John 19:25)
- Jesus Being Taken Down from the Cross (Matthew 27:57–59)
- The Burial of Jesus (John 19:40–42)
Devotion to Our Lady of Sorrows is very ancient and over time pious customs were developed to enter into the heart of Mary that was pierced so “thoughts out of many hearts may be revealed” (Luke 2:35). The Seven Sorrows custom owes its origin to the Servite Order founded by a group called the Seven Holy Founders in 1233. From the very beginning they sought to live a life dedicated to Our Lady of Sorrows.
While Passion Friday is no longer an official commemoration of the Church (though it is still observed in the 1962 Missal and in the Anglican Use), the traditions of local people continue to maintain it.
