September 15 - Our Lady of Sorrows, or more often: Our Lady of Seven Sorrows, and invoked in Latin as Beata Maria Virgo Perdolens, or Mater Dolorosa, is one of the many titles by which the Catholic Church venerates the Virgin Mary, Mother of Jesus.

The title emphasizes the association of the mother with the suffering of her son. The "Seven Sorrows" refer to the events, recounted in the Gospels, that caused the mother of Jesus to suffer as she accompanied her son in his mission as Redeemer.

The cult of the Mater Dolorosa appears officially in 1221, in the Monastery of Schönau, Germany. In 1239, in the Diocese of Florence, Italy, the Order of the Servants of Mary (Ordo Servita), whose spirituality is very attached to the Blessed Virgin, set the feast of Our Lady of Sorrows for September 15. This title owes its name to the seven Sorrows experienced by the Virgin Mary :

  • The Prophecy of Simeon on the Child Jesus. (Lk, 2, 34-35).
  • The flight of the Holy Family to Egypt. (Mat, 2, 13-21)
  • The disappearance of Jesus for three days in the temple. (Lk, 2, 41-51)
  • The meeting of Mary and Jesus on the via crucis. (Lk, 23, 27-31)
  • Mary contemplating the suffering and death of Jesus on the Cross. (Jn, 19, 25-27)
  • Mary welcomes her dead son in her arms during the Descent from the Cross. (Mat, 27, 57-59)
  • Mary abandons the body of her son at the time of the burial. (John 19, 40-42).

 

Message from the Bishops at the end of the Pilgrimage

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, You who have come in such large numbers to take part in this national pilgrimage, as well as all of you who are following it from home through the media. We, the bishops of Madagascar, would like to express our deep gratitude to you for having responded to our invitation and for having brought this jubilee initiated by Pope Francis to life spiritually. With you, we take up Mary's song: ‘My soul exalts the Lord’ and we repeat with her: ‘What shall I repay the Lord for all the good he has done me?’....

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Love and Salvation

Christmas is a great joy, because it is the love of God that has come to us, proclaims Fr. Bizimana Innocent, Provincial Superior of the Salesians Don Bosco of Madagascar and Mauritius, presenting his Christmas greetings. Salvation is accomplished, so life is not in danger of disappearing. It is this love and this salvation that we wish to fill our life so that we have peace.

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Zatti, our brother

The short film "Zatti, our brother" (Argentina, 2020) focuses on one of the most difficult episodes of his life. We are in Viedma, in 1941: at the age of 60, Zatti is forced to leave the hospital he has attended for decades. His faith and strength are tested.

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