The sweet side of suffering
Patrick O'HearnLINCOLNTON — Pain and sorrow are top of mind during Lent as Jesus’s Passion draws near. They are difficult topics, but like a true mother, Our Lady of Sorrows soothes the sting of her children’s suffering in whatever form it may take through her own “dolors” or sorrows.
Perhaps no one understands this better than Patrick O’Hearn, a Catholic husband, father and parishioner of St. Dorothy Church in Lincolnton. He has been devoted to the Blessed Virgin Mary under her sorrowful title since childhood and is the author of seven books, including his most recent project, “Our Lady of Sorrows: Devotion to Mary’s Seven Sorrows for Children,” a new release from Sophia Institute Press.
“Mary is the secret to the best Lent ever because she understood Jesus’s pain more than anyone, so I believe she takes us by the hand and walks with us through these sorrows, but then at the end we’re consoling Jesus,” O’Hearn says. “It is the perfect book during Lent because it really helps us enter into the mystery of suffering in a beautiful way.”
Because the devotion waned in popularity since its inception during the Middle Ages, O’Hearn says he felt called by Our Lady to introduce her seven sorrows to new generations to help them navigate the inevitable sufferings of life, grow in virtue and strengthen in faith.
The Church observes two feasts in honor of the Seven Dolors of Mary – one on the Friday before Good Friday and the other on Sept. 15. The devotion itself includes a short introductory prayer, then a prayer for each of the sorrows, followed by a request for the given virtue and gift of the Holy Spirit, ending with a Hail Mary each time and brief concluding prayers after the seventh sorrow.
The sorrows include the Prophecy of Simeon, the Flight Into Egypt, the Loss of the Child Jesus in the Temple, Mary Meets Jesus on the Way to Calvary, Jesus Dies on the Cross, Mary Receives the Dead Body of Jesus in Her Arms, and Jesus is Placed in the Tomb. Great graces and heavenly favors are promised to those who pray the devotion.
“I’ve felt Mary’s presence throughout my whole life, protecting me from a lot of evils, so I think that writing this book was a way for me to say thank you to her for all she’s done for me,” O’Hearn says.
In the book, young readers will find Scripture, meditations and prayers for each mystery, aimed at helping children overcome fear, worry and doubt, develop virtues such as faith, courage and perseverance, and reflect on the life of Jesus.
Included in each sorrow is a reflection in which Mary speaks to the child, and then there’s a prayer to ask Mary for the virtue associated with the sorrow. O’Hearn says the work can be considered a devotional or mediational book. It also contains a collection of traditional prayers in English and Latin as well as four original prayers by Father Chad Ripperger that children can pray daily to grow closer to Our Lady and for their vocation and protection.
“I’ve always been drawn to the image of the seven sorrows,” O’Hearn says. “It took on greater depth throughout the course of my life, but I’ve always been drawn to her image of the swords in her heart. As a boy, I thought that was cool.”
As he grew, O’Hearn relied on Our Lady of Sorrows while he spent nearly three years in a Benedictine monastery and ultimately discerned out of religious life and into married life. When he and his wife Amanda lost two of their children to miscarriage, it was his devotion to the Seven Sorrows of the Blessed Virgin Mary that helped ease the pain.
“I think any woman – or man – can identify with Our Lady of Sorrows more than I think any other title because she’s suffering and she’s standing by her Son, and as parents we don’t want to see our children suffer. It’s that element that makes her so relatable to us.”
Order and learn more
At www.sophiainstitute.com: Buy a copy of “Our Lady of Sorrows: Devotion to Mary’s Seven Sorrows for Children.”
At www.patrickrohearn.com: Get to know the author and St. Dorothy parishioner
— Annie Ferguson