Overview

• The annual commemoration honors the compassion and suffering of Mary in union with Jesus, observed worldwide on 15 September.
• The Seven Sorrows remembered today are Simeon’s prophecy, the flight to Egypt, the loss of Jesus, the encounter on the way to Calvary, the crucifixion, receiving Jesus’ body, and the burial with Mary’s solitude.
• Historical accounts note the Servite Order’s role in promoting the devotion from the 12th century before Pope Pius VII established the feast as a universal memorial in 1814.
• Liturgically the date follows the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, with a related commemoration on the Friday before Palm Sunday known as Viernes de los Dolores.
• Current coverage includes a prayer circulated via ACI Prensa for the faithful to recite, while the day’s santoral also remembers figures such as Saint Nicomedes and Saint Catherine of Genoa.