HOLIDAY: Our Lady of Seven Sorrows

The Irish pray to St Patrick, the Brits to St George. Slovaks refer to Mary of the seven sorrows as the patron saint of their country. She was proclaimed the national saint in 1927. The government set the date of September 15 as a religious bank holiday 30 years ago, in 1993. According to the TASR press agency, Slovakia is the only country in the world in which a day dedicated to Our lady of the seven sorrows has been set as a holy day.

According to the Catholic church, the purpose of the Devotion of the Seven Sorrows is to promote union with the sufferings of Christ through union with the special suffering that Virgin Mary endured because she was the Mother of God. The Lady of seven sorrows was first mentioned at the synod in the German town of Cologne back in 1412.

Talking to Jana Zaujecová at her exhibition Gloriae Dei Creatum Máte problém s prehrávaním? Nahláste nám chybu v prehrávači.

In September 2021, the Holly Mass at the national Pilgrimage in Sastin Straze, western Slovakia, was celebrated by Pope Francis. It was held at an open-air podium decorated with bouquets of local flowers and a painting of St Joseph by significant Slovak contemporary artist Dorota Sadovska. Exceptional were the vestments Pope and his concelebrants were wearing. In September 2023, it was possible to see and sense these garments displayed in the Franciscan chapel of St John Church in Bratislava in the exhibition “Gloriae Dei Creatum”.

Talking to a visitor of Gloriae Dei Creatum exhibition Máte problém s prehrávaním? Nahláste nám chybu v prehrávači.

The 7 sorrows of Virgin Mary start with the prophesy of Simeon who, on the 40th day after Mary gave birth to Jesus, foretold the difficult future of the Son of God. Listen to Father Branislav Čaniga to learn more.

Father Čaniga on tradition of worshipping Our Lady of Seven Sorrows Máte problém s prehrávaním? Nahláste nám chybu v prehrávači.