Mater Dolorosa

Mater Dolorosa is Latin for Mother of Sorrows. It is a title which honors the suffering of the Blessed Mother as she saw her Son suffering and dying on the Cross, and the sorrows she experienced throughout her life. The Servites (Servants of Mary) began the custom of the Seven Sorrows rosary in the thirteenth century. Mary’s first Sorrow occurred when Simeon prophesied to her that Jesus would be a “sign that is spoken against” and that “a sword will pierce your through your own soul also.” (Luke 2:34). The Second Sorrow of Mary was the flight into Egypt (Matthew 2:13) and the Third Sorrow was the loss of Jesus for three days in Jerusalem when He was twelve (Luke 2:43). The Fourth Sorrow, the meeting of Jesus and His Mother as He carried His Cross is not specifically recorded in Sacred Scripture, but is an ancient tradition. The Crucifixion during which Mary stood at the foot of the Her Son’s Cross, watching Him die is the Fifth Sorrow of Mary. The Descent from the Cross when Mary takes the Body of her dead Son in her arms is the Sixth Sorrow and her Seventh Sorrow is the burial of Jesus (John 19:40). The Mother of Sorrows is also called Our Lady of Sorrows. The feast of Our Lady of Sorrows is September 15, the day after the feast of the Holy Cross. During the sixteenth century, the custom of honoring the Mother of Sorrows on Holy Saturday began in Spain and spread through the Spanish colonies.