Marian Devotions Through the Year: September

A couple weeks ago, Beata Home's Journal featured an article on how to add Marian touches throughout your home. Now we would like to offer you a simple guide at the beginning of each month over the next twelve months on the Marian aspects of the current month — virtue, antiphon, feast days, and other devotions or customs particular to that period of days in the liturgical calendar. While in no way exhaustive of all the traditions that surround Our Lady, the hope is that these monthly entries can be easy reference guides to come back to over the years as you incorporate living with Mary all year into your Catholic home culture. 

Marian Virtue: Compassion

Marian Theme: The Seven Sorrows of Mary

This month’s Marian theme aligns with the liturgical devotion of the month of September. 

Marian Antiphon: Salve Regina

Salve, Regina, mater misericordiae;
vita, dulcedo et spes nostra, salve.

Ad te clamamus exsules filii Hevae.
Ad te suspiramus gementes et flentes
in hac lacrimarum valle.

Eia ergo, advocata nostra, 
illos tuos misericordes oculos ad nos converte. 
Et Iesum, benedictum fructum ventris tui, 
nobis post hoc exsilium ostende.

O clemens, o pia, o dulcis Virgo Maria.

V. Ora pro nobis, sancta Dei Genitrix. 
R. Ut digni efficamur promissionibus Christi.

Oremus. Omnipotens sempiterne Deus, qui gloriosae Virginis Matris Mariae corpus et animam, ut dignum Filii tui habitaculum effici mereretur, Spiritu Sancto cooperante, praeparasti, da, ut cuius commemoratione laetamur; eius pia intercessione, ab instantibus malis et a morte perpetua liberemur. Per eundem Christum Dominum nostrum. Amen.

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Hail, holy Queen, Mother of Mercy,
Hail our life, our sweetness and our hope.

To thee do we cry,
Poor banished children of Eve;
To thee do we send up our sighs,
Mourning and weeping in this valley of tears.

Turn then, most gracious advocate,
Thine eyes of mercy toward us;
And after this our exile,
Show unto us the blessed fruit of thy womb, Jesus.

O clement, O loving, O sweet Virgin Mary.

V. Pray for us, O holy Mother of God.
R. That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.

Let us pray. Almighty and everlasting God, Who by the working of the Holy Spirit didst prepare both body and soul of the glorious Virgin Mother, Mary, that she might deserve to be made a worthy dwelling for Thy Son, grant that we who rejoice in her memory, may, by her loving intercession, be delivered from present evils and from lasting death, through the same Christ our Lord. Amen.

The liturgical year cycles through four Marian Antiphons, each having a Simple Tone and Solemn Tone in Gregorian chant. Since September falls in the period after Pentecost and before Advent, the Salve Regina is the proper Antiphon for the whole month. Marian antiphons are typically chanted after night prayer and immediately before going to bed. 

The Salve Regina has been attributed to a couple different authors — Hermann Contractus, the Bishop Petrus of Monsoro (+ circa 1000 A.D.), the Bishop Adhemar of Podium who supposedly composed it as a war song asking intercession of the Queen of Heaven on Crusade, but most notably St. Bernard of Clairvaux who was said to have added the triple salutation, “O clement, O loving, O sweet Virgin Mary!” when moved to do so. Many know the Salve Regina today particularly because of the Carmelites who have claimed it as their own in a special way with their singing of its Solemn Tone amid candlelit procession every Saturday evening on the way to Solemn Vespers.

Sheet music for the Simple Tone may be printed from here (page 232 of the Parish Book of Chant pdf).

Sheet music for the Solemn Tone may be found on page 233 of the same pdf. 

Marian Feasts

• September 8  — Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary
• September 12  — The Most Holy Name of Mary 
• September 15  — Our Lady of Sorrows (New) or The Seven Sorrows of Our Lady (Traditional)
• September 19 — Our Lady of La Salette 
• September 22 — The Giving of the Name of Mary to our Lady by St. Anne (Historical Feast)
• September 24 — Our Lady of Ransom (Traditional)

Marian Devotion: The Seven Sorrows Devotion

This devotion began very early in the Church, especially in the Mediterranean region, and several Saints and Blesseds had received visions by the 13th century detailing its efficacy to the soul and consolation to Our Lady. The most well known revelation though is that of the Blessed Virgin to St. Bridget of Sweden (1303-1373) where she states that devotion to the Seven Sorrows would bring great graces to the soul. Her method consists of praying seven Hail Marys while meditating on the Seven Sorrows. While there are also longer meditations, including a form approved by Pope Pius VII in 1815 and a Seven Sorrows Chaplet or Rosary, this one is simple enough for the entire family to join in on. 

The Seven Sorrows of Mary

 1. The Prophecy of Simeon (Luke 2:34-35)

 2. The Flight into Egypt (Matthew 2:13-21)

 3. The Loss of Jesus for Three Days (Luke 2:41-50)

 4. The Carrying of the Cross (John 19:17)

 5. The Crucifixion of Jesus (John 19:18-30)

 6. Jesus Taken Down from the Cross (John 19:39-40)

 7. Jesus Laid in the Tomb (John 19:39-42)

Seven Promises from Our Lady

1. “I will grant peace to their families.”
2. “They will be enlightened about the Divine Mysteries.”
3. “I will console them in their pains and I will accompany them in their work.”
4. “I will give them as much as they ask for as long as it does not oppose the adorable will of my Divine Son or the sanctification of their souls.” 
5. “I will defend them in their spiritual battles with the infernal enemy and I will protect them at every instant of their lives.”
6. “I will visibly help them at the moment of their death. They will see the face of their Mother.”
7. “I have obtained this grace from my divine Son, that those who propagate this devotion to my tears and dolors, will be taken directly from this earthly life to eternal happiness since all their sins will be forgiven and my Son and I will be their eternal consolation and joy."

Marian Customs Highlight

One custom for September that a family can introduce and keep annually is a birthday celebration for Mary. In our family from the time we were very young, this consisted of attending Holy Mass as a family on September 8. Following, we would all help to bake a cake which we would then decorate with candles and sing “Happy Birthday” to Our Lady plus a Marian Hymn (“Immaculate Mary” and “Hail Holy Queen” were easily learned favorites) before cutting into the cake for dessert.