Begin
Opening Prayers
Make the Sign of the Cross.
Recite the Act of Contrition, asking God for the grace to enter into this prayer with a contrite and open heart.
The Seven Sorrows
For each sorrow: pause to contemplate. Then pray one Our Father and seven Hail Marys.
First Sorrow
The Prophecy of Simeon
In the Temple of Jerusalem, the elderly Simeon takes the infant Jesus in his arms and turns to Mary: "A sword will pierce through your own soul also." From this moment, Mary carries the weight of what is to come.
One Our Father · Seven Hail Marys
The First SorrowSecond Sorrow
The Flight into Egypt
An angel warns Joseph in a dream: Herod seeks the child's life. In the night, the Holy Family flees — into exile, uncertainty, and danger — Mary holding her Son close in the darkness.
One Our Father · Seven Hail Marys
The Second SorrowThird Sorrow
The Loss of the Child Jesus
After the feast of Passover, the boy Jesus remains in Jerusalem — unknown to his parents, who travel a day's journey before they realize he is gone. Three days of anguished searching follow before they find him in the Temple.
One Our Father · Seven Hail Marys
The Third SorrowFourth Sorrow
Mary Meets Jesus on the Way to Calvary
Along the road to Calvary, their eyes meet. Mary sees her Son — beaten, crowned with thorns, carrying the instrument of his death. Jesus sees his Mother. No words are recorded. None were needed.
One Our Father · Seven Hail Marys
The Fourth SorrowFifth Sorrow
The Crucifixion
While the Apostles fled, Mary remained. She stood at the foot of the Cross — stabat Mater — through three hours of darkness, until her Son breathed his last. Her fidelity in that hour is without comparison.
One Our Father · Seven Hail Marys
The Fifth SorrowSixth Sorrow
Mary Receives the Body of Jesus
He is taken down from the Cross and placed in her arms — the same arms that held him as an infant in Bethlehem. The Pietà. The sword Simeon prophesied has now passed completely through her soul.
One Our Father · Seven Hail Marys
The Sixth SorrowSeventh Sorrow
The Burial of Jesus
Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus carry the body to a new tomb in the garden. The stone is sealed. Mary is left alone with the silence. The longest night of human history begins.
One Our Father · Seven Hail Marys
The Seventh SorrowClose
Closing Prayers
Pray three Hail Marys in honor of the tears of Our Lady.
Conclude with the Sign of the Cross.