Contemplating the Seven Sorrows of Mary

Laura Range reviews a unique new book on Our Lady of Sorrows and the devotion of the Seven Sorrows Chaplet. 

Contemplating the Seven Sorrows of Mary: A Chaplet with St. Alphonsus Ligouri

by Joseph Hollcraft and Ruth Bergorst
Publisher: Sophia Institute Press

When I was at a Catholic mothers’ retreat years ago, one of the activities was to reach into an envelope and pull out a slip of paper that had a title of Our Lady on it from the Litany of the Blessed Virgin Mary. We were to spend some time praying over the title we drew. I pulled a slip of paper with “Mary, Solace of the Afflicted” typed on it. I was less than thrilled. Did this mean I was going to have lots of afflictions and I would need Mother Mary’s solace in the coming year?

Though I smile at the memory and my misguided reaction to it, I have come to realize motherhood is full of afflictions for all of us, not just those who pull out the slip of paper at a retreat! Whether it be brokenness from our past, current difficulties, or simply feeling the weight of evil in our world, we are all in great need of a model to show us how to look to Jesus in the midst of such suffering. 

In the new book Contemplating the Seven Sorrows of Mary: A Chaplet with St. Alphonsus Ligouri, authors Joseph Hollcraft and Ruth Bergorst have done a beautiful job in sharing Mary’s relevance as a model of redemptive suffering, providing solace to us in our own struggles and the suffering in the world around us. Digging deeply into Mary’s title of Our Lady of Sorrows (whose feast day is this month, September 15!), this book explains the Seven Sorrows Mary experienced in her life and relates them to modern-day suffering in our world.

A contemplative experience of a devotion

Uniquely written, the book contains not only the informative theology but is also a contemplative experience with the devotion of the Chaplet of the Seven Sorrows of Mary. There was a lot packed into this book, including the history of the chaplet, how to pray it, explanations of redemptive suffering and contemplative prayer, meditations of the Seven Sorrows with current sins and sufferings that correlate with them as a prayer intention, and finally saints and sacraments to go along with each Sorrow. My favorite chapter was “How to Pray with a Contemplative Heart.”   

Reading this book inspired me to consider praying the Chaplet of the Seven Sorrows as a new devotion for myself. Whatever sufferings might be weighing you down in your life right now, I encourage you to look to Mary as solace and guide. Perhaps reading this book and trying out the Chaplet of the Seven Sorrows will give you the courage and grace you need. 

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Copyright 2024 Laura Range
Images: (top) detail from book cover