Consecration to Our Lady of Sorrows

Most holy Virgin and Queen of Martyrs,
Mary, would that I could be in Heaven,
there to contemplate the honours rendered to thee
by the Most Holy Trinity
and by the whole Heavenly Court!

But since I am still a pilgrim in this vale of tears,
receive from me, thy unworthy servant and a poor sinner,
the most sincere homage
and the most perfect act of vassalage
a human creature can offer thee.

In thy Immaculate Heart,
pierced with so many swords of sorrow,
I place today my poor soul forever;
receive me as a partaker in thy dolors,
and never suffer that I should depart from that Cross
on which thy only begotten Son expired for me.

With thee, O Mary,
I will endure all the sufferings,
contradictions, infirmities,
with which it will please thy Divine Son
to visit me in this life.

All of them I offer to thee,
in memory of the Dolors
which thou didst suffer during thy life,
that every thought of my mind,
every beating of my heart
may henceforward be an act of compassion to thy Sorrows,
and of complacency for the glory
thou now enjoyest in Heaven.

Since then, O Dear Mother,
I now compassionate thy Dolors,
and rejoice in seeing thee glorified,
do thou also have compassion on me,
and reconcile me to thy Son Jesus,
that I may become thy true and loyal son (daughter);
come on my last day and assist me in my last agony,
even as thou wert present at the Agony of thy Divine Son Jesus,
that from this painful exile I may go to Heaven,
there to be made partaker of thy glory.

Amen.

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The legacy of Consecration to Our Lady of Sorrows

The Consecration to Our Lady of Sorrows is a Catholic prayer that has its roots in the deep devotion to Mary as the Mother of Sorrows. From the earliest days of Christianity, Mary has been revered as a compassionate mother who suffered alongside her Son Jesus during His Passion and death.

The Consecration to Our Lady of Sorrows gained particular popularity in the 19th century after Our Lady of Sorrows appeared to St. Bridget of Sweden and revealed to her the Seven Sorrows of Mary. These seven sorrows include the prophecy of Simeon, the flight into Egypt, the loss of Jesus in the temple, the meeting of Jesus and Mary on the way to Calvary, the crucifixion of Jesus, the taking down of Jesus’ body from the cross, and the burial of Jesus.

In the Consecration to Our Lady of Sorrows, Catholics seek to consecrate themselves to Mary and to entrust their sufferings and sorrows to her maternal care. They recognize that Mary, as the Mother of Sorrows, can empathize with the sorrows and sufferings of all humanity and can intercede for them before her Son.

Today, the Consecration to Our Lady of Sorrows prayer remains a powerful and meaningful devotion for Catholics. It provides a way for individuals and communities to recognize Mary’s special role as the Mother of Sorrows and to seek her help and intercession in times of trial and difficulty.