Join Loretto this Lent as we walk with Mary through her Seven Sorrows
Posted on February 16, 2026, by Loretto Community
Photo courtesy of Loretto Heritage Center
Ash Wednesday, Feb. 18, begins our Lenten journey. This year, Loretto will gather weekly in prayer guided by Scripture through the Seven Sorrows of Mary. The choice is quite fitting, as I Am the Way, Loretto’s Constitutions, #54, reminds us, “As friends of Mary, mother of Jesus and woman of faith, we unite ourselves with her seven sorrows and frequently invoke her intercession.”
The Sorrows present Mary in her profound humanity, in relationship with the very human Jesus, her own son. When we can imagine her thoughts and feelings coming out of these moments with Christ, we are invited to see him with her, with a deeply-rooted human love. We are moved to compassion for both of them. Such a practice then invites us to experience graced compassion for our fellow humans. By love for neighbor we are led to love for God, and to see Christ’s face in the poor.
The Sorrows’ prophecy is based on the presentation of Jesus in the temple, found in the Gospel of Luke 2:33: “Then Simeon said to Jesus’ Mother: ‘This child is destined to be the cause of the falling and rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be spoken against, so that the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed. And a sword will pierce your own soul, too.’”
The swords Simeon referred to represented the Seven Sorrows — events in Mary’s life that made her a unique participant in Christ’s own sacrifice. No one suffers quite like a mother who watches her child endure pain and agony.
The Seven Sorrows of Mary, all rooted in Scripture, are as follows:
- The Prophecy of Simeon
- Flight into Egypt
- Loss of Jesus in the Temple
- Carrying of the Cross
- Crucifixion of Jesus
- Jesus Taken Down from the Cross
- Jesus Laid in the Tomb
Please join us on our socials this Lent as we walk with Mary through her Seven Sorrows.
