Our Lady of Kibeho
The Chaplet of the Seven Sorrows
This devotion goes back to the Middle Ages but has gained
new popularity following the Church-approved Marian apparitions in Kibeho,
Rwanda in the 1980s. In her apparitions, Our Lady of Kibeho recommended that
people pray the Chaplet (or Rosary) of the Seven Sorrows to obtain the favor of
repentance.
Father Leszek Czelusniak, MIC, who is in charge of the Marian mission
in Rwanda, interviewed Nathalie, one of the visionaries of Kibeho and asked
her to summarize the messages of Mary. Here was Nathalie's response:
"The Holy Virgin insisted on the need for prayer.
She said that the world is bad. It is necessary to pray, to pray, to pray a lot
for this world that is bad, to pray for sinners, to pray for their conversion.
She insisted a lot on the need for conversion: Convert to God! Convert to God!
Convert to God! While saying that people don't respect God's commands, that
people have a hard heart, she also asked us to meditate on the mysteries of the
Rosary and to recite it every day. She also taught us the Rosary of the Seven
Sorrows. She asked us to pray it every Tuesday and Friday. She asked us to obey
the Church, to love God in truth, and to love our neighbor in humility and
simplicity. She spoke of the need for mortification, a spirit of penitence and
sacrifice. She also spoke of the need for suffering, to bear our sufferings
every day. She said that no one enters heaven without suffering. She also told
us that acts of charity for the poor make us beautiful flowers that God likes.
She wanted a chapel to be constructed here in Kibeho, so everyone would
remember her visit and pray for the Church and religious. Holy Mary spoke to us
in Kinyarwanda [the language of Rwanda] with her very soft voice."
How to pray the
Chaplet of the Seven Sorrows;
To begin, make the Sign of the Cross and say this prayer:
“My God, I offer You this rosary for Your
glory, so I may honor Your Holy Mother, the Blessed Virgin, so I can share and
meditate upon her suffering. I humbly beg You to give me true repentance for
all my sins. Give me wisdom and humility so that I may receive all the
indulgences contained in this prayer.
Follow now with the Act of Contrition. For each of the
next three beads, say a “Hail Mary”.
Before each sorrow, pray, “Most merciful mother, remind us always about the sorrows of your son,
Jesus.”
Meditate on the First Sorrow of Mary, and say an Our Father,
followed by seven Hail Mary’s.
The First Sorrow of Mary: The Prophecy of Simeon (Luke
2:22-35): “And a sword shall pierce your heart”
Meditate on the Second Sorrow of Mary, and say an Our
Father.
The Second Sorrow of Mary: The Flight into Egypt (Matthew
2:13-15): Mary’s heart broke and her mind was greatly trouble when Joseph
revealed to her the words of the angel: they were to wake up quickly and flee
to Egypt because Herod wanted to kill Jesus.
“Most merciful
mother, remind us always about the sorrows of your son, Jesus.”
Meditate on the Third Sorrow of Mary, and say an Our
Father.
The Third Sorrow of Mary: The Loss of Jesus in the Temple
(Luke 2:41-52): Jesus was the only begotten Son of God, but He was also Mary’s
child….As the Holy Mother looked anxiously for her beloved boy, deep pain
welled in her heart.
“Most merciful
mother, remind us always about the sorrows of your son, Jesus.”
Meditate on the Fourth Sorrow of Mary and say an Our
Father.
The Fourth Sorrow of Mary: Mary meets Jesus on the way to
Calvary (Luke 23:27-31): Mary’s eyes, so full of tender love and compassion, met
her son’s eyes, which were pained and covered in blood. Their hearts seemed to
be sharing the load; every pain He felt, she felt as well.
“Most merciful
mother, remind us always about the sorrows of your son, Jesus.”
Meditate on the Fifth Sorrow of Mary and say an Our
Father.
The Fifth Sorrow of Mary: Mary stands at the foot of the
Cross (John 19:25-27): As they hammered the nails through His hands and feet,
Mary felt the blows in her heart; the nails pierced her flesh and they tore
into her son’s body.
“Most merciful
mother, remind us always about the sorrows of your son, Jesus.”
Meditate on the Sixth Sorrow of Mary and say an Our
Father.
The Sixth Sorrow of Mary: Mary receives the dead body of
Jesus in her arms (John 19:38-40): As she washed her son, she prayed that
everybody would know the riches of paradise and enter the gates of heaven. She
prayed for every soul in the world to embrace God’s love so her son’s torturous
death would benefit all humankind and would not have been in vain.
“Most merciful
mother, remind us always about the sorrows of your son, Jesus.”
Meditate on the Seventh Sorrow of Mary and say an Our
Father.
The Seventh Sorrow of Mary: Jesus is placed in the tomb
(John 19:41-42): Our sorrowful mother, with the help of John and the holy
women, devoutly placed Jesus’ body in the sepulchre…and went home with great
pain and tremendous sorrow.
Concluding Prayer:
Queen of Martyrs, your heart suffered
so much. I beg you, by the merits of the tears you shed inn these terrible and
sorrowful ties, to obtain for me and all the sinners of the world the grace of
complete sincerity and repentance. Amen. (Say three times: Mary, who was
conceived without sin and who suffered for us, pray for us.)
Now make the Sign of the Cross to wipe away the tears Mary
shed during the Passion of Jesus. (selections taken from Our Lady of Kibeho, Immaculee Ilibagiza, Hay House, 2008).
