Solemn Novena

in honor of

La Santisima Virgen Maria

Nuestra Senora de la Soledad
Imprimatur:
REVRENDIMO ARTEMIO GABRIEL CASAS. D.D.
Episcopus Imusensis, Imus, 15 de Julio 15, 1967

OPENING HYMN :
Reina de Manila, Por Siempre Seras
Es prenda de tu nombre
De Jubilo y Paz (2x)
Madre Inmaculada
Prez de Serafin
Luz de Filipinas
protegenos sin fin (2x)

By the sign of the Holy Cross, from our enemies,

deliver us, Oh Lord, our God.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
ACT OF CONTRITION
Virgin most sorrowful! I am aware of Your incomparable grief as
well as of the deep pain that wounded Your loving heart during
those three days of Your solitude, while Your Son, Jesus, lay dead
and burried in the sepulchre, in order that I may be overwhelmed
with sorrow for the many times that, through my serious offenses,
I have expelled my Lord out of my soul.

I am heartily sorry for all and each one of my sins, and I would
even prefer death rather than commit any of them. But from now
on, dearest Mother, I am resolved to ammend my life and avoid
sin, hoping that Your Divine Son, who suffered a most ignonimous
death for my sake, will grant me mercy, forgiveness of sins and a
return to a life of grace. I also ask of you, my Mother, that I may
receive
these
favors
through
the
merits
of
Your
painful solitude. Amen.

FIRST DAY
Most aggrieved Mary, Mother of Thy most tormented Son! I am
aware of the great suffering that pierced Your tender heart
when, after depositing His lacerated body inside the sepulchre,
those kind and pious men placed a heavy stone on its entrance
and thus covered His mortal remains from Your view. Woe to me,
dearest Lady, for they were my grievious offenses which caused
so much torture and fatigue to Your pure heart. I beg of You,
therefore, to intercede for me in order that I may obtain through
the merits of Your painful Solitude, the grace of true repentance
for my sins and the honor of being buried with Your Divine Son,
together with all my disorderly passions and inclinations, for His
greater glory and for the favor which I hope to obtain in this
Novena. Amen.
(State your petition, then say three Hail Marys and continue with
the following:)

MEMORARE
Remember, O most gracious Virgin Mary, that never was it known
that anyone who fled to thy protection, implored thy help, or
sought thine intercession was left unaided. Inspired by this

confidence, I fly unto thee, O Virgin of virgins, my mother; to thee

do I come, before thee I stand, sinful and sorrowful. O Mother of
the Word Incarnate, despise not my petitions, but in thy mercy
hear
and
answer
me. Amen.
BATCH PRAYER TO THE VIRGIN OF SOLITUDE
Our most loving Mother, Our Lady of Solitude, Queen of All
Martyrs.
Look down upon us, your loving children, prostrate before your
august presence. We humbly beg and ask of Thee to obtain for us
from your Son Jesus, all the graces, favors, blessings and aids, we
badly need both for ourselves and our loved ones. Dearest
Mother, we loved Thee. Envelope us always within the Maternal
wings of thy Motherly Tutelage and protection. Amen.
CONDOLENCE TO OUR LADY IN THE SILENCE OF
HER SOLITUDE
O Mother most disconsolate, grant me permission to stay in Your
presence, since knowing that I am the cause of Your grief, through
my grievious sins, I am filled with compunction and dare not show
myself before You. Yet, knowing that You are the Mother of
sinners, I beseech You to be a special Mother to me whom You
now see weeping, contrite and begging pardon for my sins. And
since You withstood by the Church and Her faith during those
three days of Your Solitude, may She now triumph over Her
enemies; the souls in Purgatory be released soon from
their temporal punishment; and may I be numbered among Your
faithful servants to keep company during Your solitude, in order
that I may deserve Your valuable assistance at the hour of my
death, and Your glorious company forever and ever in
Heaven. Amen.
Then follows the prayer and hymn to Our Lady of Solitude.

SECOND DAY
Most tormented Mother, I am aware of the most grievious pain
that pierced Your heart to pieces when, directing Your steps
homeward, from where you were, you reached the place where
the Cross still stood. It was the same cross on which Your Son,
Jesus, consumated His great work of redemption, and from Your
heart, You adored this new tree of life, envisioning the vast
number of souls who would reach and possess the eternal bliss of
Heaven through it. On the other hand, I realize how through my
ingratitude, my impatience and my negligence in the fulfillment of
my duties, I have added weight and scorn to this cross which
rested on the shoulders of Your Son, and which merited all Your
compassion. I beseech You now, my dearest Lady and Mother, for
the pain that tortured Your heart at this stage, to obtain for me
the necessary courage to carry on my work, to mortify myself in
my desire for worldly pleasures, and to obtain the eternal glory in
Heaven; and if it be for the greater glory of God and my own
welfare, to grant me the favors which I hope to deserve through
this Novena. Amen.

THIRD DAY
O most afflicted Mother, I can feel the incomparable grief that
shook Your innermost being when You descended from Mount
Calvary while remembering that You ascended it some few hours
ago on that same day, following the footsteps of Your most
patient Son. If I could only shed tears of regret for the many
times when, in company with false friends and listening to their
insidious invitations, I have strayed away from my God and
from the true path of life eternal. May I beg of you, my dearest
Mother and Queen, the necessary light to understand the depth to
which my bad examples have brought me, and, availing myself of
the lessons taught to us in His passion, as well as in Your Solitude,

may I tread on the path of the Commandments and of all virtues.

And, if it be for the greater honor of God and for the good of my
soul, grant that I may obtain the favors that I plead for in this
Novena. Amen.
FOURTH DAY
O my most aggrieved Mother, who could ever comprehend the
fathomless sorrow that pained your precious heart when,
returning home in the afternoon and while passing through the
passion road from Calvary, you could not but remember vividly
the horrible scenes that took place that same morning,
particularly what occured in the house of Pontius Pilate, the
Roman Governor in Judea, until the sentence of death was
executed on top of the mount. Those were memories that
threatened to wreck Your mind and Your heart. May I be granted
the grace to keep and perpetuate the same Passion and death of
your Son, Jesus, in my memory in order that I may not make any
step in the future that might not be in consonance with His love
for me and with my gratitude for Him. Finally, if it be for the
greater honor of God and the good of my soul, please intercede
for me that i may receive the favors that i plead for in
this Novena. Amen.
FIFTH DAY
O most tormented Mother, you suffered the increasing pangs of
Solitude in Your precious heart when, the night having fallen, You
entered anew the gates of Jerusalem and beheld with awe the
dark mantle of grief and solitude that befell that populous city,
after its people had committed the horrible sacrilege
against the exalted Person of the Messiah, crucifying Him to
death, He who was their Redeemer and Benefactor. In the silence
that gripped Your heart, You must have echoed anew the
same sentiments of Your Son and expressed Yourself thus: Poor
Jerusalem! How you have wasted away so much joy and grace!

What has my Son done to you to have deserved so much calumny

and sacrifice? I beseech You, my dearest Mother, to help me
attain, through mercy, the necessary light to know the great
malice to which I have fallen, in order that feeling sorry for my
sins, I may avoid the punishment that is due to me. Finally, if it be
for the greater honor of God and the good of my soul, may I
deserve to receive the favors that I plead for in this
Novena. Amen.
SIXTH DAY
O Virgin of dolours, how much you must have felt the Solitude
that engulfed Your heart when You returned to the Cenacle after
the burial of Your Son, remembering that only the night before,
You had a talk with Him, and realized that He was no longer there,
but in the damp darkness of hte sepulchre. With what loving
devotion you must have kissed repeatedly the floor on which He
had walked on! What could I do, O most benign Mother, in order
to keep You company and console you? It was in this same
Cenacle where Your Son, Jesus, gave His parting greetings the day
before, knowing that on the following day, Holy Friday, He was to
give you, instead, to all of us as our own Mother. And since I am
one of these, Your children, and the most miserable, I beg of You
not to exclude me from Your Maternal solicitude: keep me as Your
Son, even if I am unworthy of the honor, and may I live and move
as You would want me to. Finally, may I receive the favors which I
ask of You through this Novena, if they be for the greater honor of
God and the good of my soul. Amen.
SEVENTH DAY
O most unhappy Mother, who preferred to suffer alone in the
midst of Your Solitude, inspite of the proffered sympathy and
kindness of Your adopted Son John and of the other pious women,
in order to give vent to the sorrowful lamentations of Your heart,
in the silence of Your dwelling. May I be privileged to keep you

company in Your Solitude, and please do not send me away from

You. Share with me even one drop of Your bitter tears, in order
that I may understand fully the gravity and malice of my
innumerable sins, as well as to suffer with heroic fortitude and
patience all contradictions and humiliations which the Lord
may design to send me, in atonement for my sins. Lastly, may I
obtain the favors I ask of You in this Novena, if they be for the
greater
honor
of
God
and
the
good
of
my soul. Amen.

EIGHTH DAY
O most tortured Mother and Queen, now you are alone in Your
dark room where everything around you seems to conspire to add
greater weight to Your painful solitude. The night is long, and now
that the Sun of Justice, Your Jesus, had breathed His last in the
twilight of Calvary, you feel as if the light of joy would never
brighten gain Your days on earth. Oh, how different is this night
from that other one when You conceived in Your womb the Son
of God! Or that from that other night when You gave Him birth in
the manger of Bethlehem! If only my past ingratitude would not
add pain in Your heart, i would volunteer to keep You company in
Your Solitude! I promise, therefore, to weep over my past sins
and never to offend Your Son again, in order that i may deserve
to receive His pardon and the grace to die first before I commit
another sin. These favors I ask of You through this Novena, and I
hope to obtain them, together with the other petitions of mine,
if they be in accordance with the will of God and for the good of
my soul. Amen.
NINTH DAY
O most sorely tired Mother, how long and painful must have been
the three agonizing days during which you waited for the
resurrection of Your dead Son. And with what anxiety You must

have yearned for the opening of that memorable morn when You
would see Him again, this time, immortal and triumphant. With
this burning trust in Your heart, You exercised the virtue of Faith
believing in the promise of your beloved Son; Your hope made You
await His glorious Resurrection; Your charity made You love Him
all the more; Patience gave You strength to suffer Your
Solitude; Resignation made You embrace Your sufferings, and
finally, Your kindness to Your fellowmen led You to suffer all trials
for them. Your edifying example, sweet Mother, gives me courage
to pray for Holy Mother Church, for the christian nations and their
leaders, for this City of Cavite, and for the entire Philippines, as
well as for all of us here present and for those who are
absent. May we all obtain for us the fruits of Your Solitude,
through Your powerful intercession, including the favors which I
ask of You through this Novena. Amen.

HYMN TO OUR LADY IN HER SOLITUDE

At the foot of the Cross
Stood His Mother,
eyes are streaming
for Her dearly beloved Son.
Pray for us, oh Virgin,
to Your dearly beloved Son.
Your heart clouded
with bitter pain;
You comforted Him in His suffering.
With infinite sorrow
In Your heart and soul.

Pray for us, oh Virgin,

to Your dearly beloved Son.
V. Pray for us, O Virgin most Sorrowful.
R. That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.
LET US PRAY.
O God, at Whose passion, according to the prophecy of Simeon, a
sword of sorrow pierced the most sweet soul of the glorious virgin
and mother Mary; grant in Thy mercy that we, who call to
mind with veneration her soul pierced with sorrow, through the
glorious merits and prayers of all the saints faithfully standing by
Thy cross, may obtain the blessed result of Thy Passion. Who
livest and reignest with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, one
God, forever and ever. Amen.

NUESTRA SENORA DE LA SOLEDAD

Reina de los Martires
This feast dates back to the 12th century. It was especially
promoted by the Cistercians and the Servites, so much so that in
the 14th and 15th centuries it was widely celebrated throughout
the Catholic Church. In 1482 the feast was added to the Missal
under the title of "Our Lady of Compassion." Pope Benedict XIII
added it to the Roman Calendar in 1727 on the Friday before Palm
Sunday. In 1913, Pope Pius X fixed the date on September 15. The
title "Our Lady of Sorrows" focuses on Mary's intense suffering
during the passion and death of Christ. "The Seven Dolors," the
title by which it was celebrated in the 17th century, referred to
the seven swords that pierced the Heart of Mary. The feast is like
an octave for the birthday of Our Lady on September 8th.
Excerpted from Our Lady of Sorrows by Fr. Paul Haffner
(Inside the Vatican, September 2004)
This feast is dedicated to the spiritual martyrdom of Mary, Mother
of God, and her compassion with the sufferings of her Divine Son,
Jesus. In her suffering as co-redeemer, she reminds us of the
tremendous evil of sin and shows us the way of true repentance.
May the numerous tears of the Mother of God be conducive to our
salvation; with which tears Thou, O God, art able to wash away
the sins of the whole world.
As Mary stood at the foot of the Cross on which Jesus hung, the
sword of sorrow Simeon had foretold pierced her soul. Below are
the seven sorrows of Mary:
1.
2.
3.
4.

The prophecy of Simeon (Luke 2:25-35)

The flight into Egypt (Matthew 2:13-15)
Loss of the Child Jesus for three days (Luke 2:41-50)
Mary meets Jesus on his way to Calvary (Luke 23:27-31; John
19:17)
5.
Crucifixion and Death of Jesus (John 19:25-30)
6.
The body of Jesus being taken from the Cross (Psalm 130;
Luke 23:50-54; John 19:31-37)

7.

The burial of Jesus (Isaiah 53:8; Luke 23:50-56; John 19:3842; Mark 15:40-47)
Symbols: heart pierced with a sword; heart pierced by seven
swords; winged heart pierced with a sword; flowers: red rose, iris
(meaning: "sword-lily"), cyclamen.
Mary was the QUEEN OF MARTYRS, for her martyrdom was
longer and greater than that of all the Martyrs.
Who can ever have a heart so hard that it will not melt on hearing
the most lamentable event which once occurred in the world?
There was a noble and holy Mother Who had an only Son. This
Son was the most amiable that can be imaginedinnocent,
virtuous, beautiful, Who loved His Mother most tenderly; so much
so that He had never caused her the least displeasure, but had
ever shown her all respect, obedience, and affection: hence this
Mother had placed all her affections on earth in this Son. Hear,
then, what happened. This Son, through envy, was falsely
accused by His enemies; and though the judge knew, and himself
confessed, that He was innocent, yet, that he might not offend His
enemies, he condemned Him to the ignominious death that they
had demanded. This poor Mother had to suffer the grief of seeing
that amiable and beloved Son unjustly snatched from her in the
flower of His age by a barbarous death; for, by dint of torments
and drained of all His blood, He was made to die on an infamous
gibbet in a public place of execution, and this before her own
eyes.

Coronilla of the Seven Sorrows

of the blessed virgin mary
Description:
This devotion was originated in the thirteenth century It recalls the Sorrows the Virgin
Mother of God endured in compassion for the suffering and death of her Divine Son.

The Seven Sorrows rosary consists of seven Hail Marys For each of the seven
Sorrows. One Our Father is said before each group of seven Hail Marys: which ore
separated by a medal. On the three beads of the rosary at the end three Hail Marys are
said in honor of the Tears of Our Sorrowful Mother. While reciting the prayers meditate
upon.

HAIL MARY OF SORROWS

"Hail Mary, full of sorrows, the Crucified is with thee; thou
art pitiable amongst women, and pitiable is the Fruit of thy
womb, Jesus! Hail Mary, Mother of the Crucified, implore for
us, the crucifiers of thy Son, tears of contrition, now and at
the hour of our death. Amen."

Prayer:
1. Prophecy of Simeon
reflect on and sympathize in the sorrow of our Blessed Lady,
when she presented her Divine Child in the Temple, and heard
from the aged Simeon that a sword of grief should pierce her soul
on His account.
Our Father, Seven Hail Mary's
2. Flight into Egypt
reflect on her sorrow when, to escape the cruelty of King Herod,
she was forced to fly into Egypt with St. Joseph and her beloved
Child.
Our Father, Seven Hail Mary's
3. Three-day Separation from Jesus in Jerusalem
reflect on her grief, when, in returning from Jerusalem she
perceived that she had lost her dear Jesus, whom she sought
sorrowing during three days.
Our Father, Seven Hail Mary's

4. Meeting Christ on the Road to Calvary

reflect on her meeting her Divine Son, all bruised and mangled,
carrying His cross to Calvary, and seeing Him fall under His heavy
weight.
Our Father, Seven Hail Mary's
5. Crucifixion and Death of Jesus Christ
reflect on her standing by when her Divine Son was lifted up on
the cross, and the blood flowed in streams from His sacred
wounds.
Our Father, Seven Hail Mary's
6. Our Lord is Taken Down from the Cross (Pieta)
reflect on her sorrow, when her Divine Son was taken down from
the cross, and she received Him into her arms.
Our Father, Seven Hail Mary's
7. Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ is Buried in the Tomb contemplate her following His sacred body, as it was borne by
Joseph of Arimathea, and Nicodemus, to the sepulcher, enclosed
there, and hidden from her sight.
Our Father, Seven Hail Marys
3 Hail Mary's in honor of the Sorrowful tears of Our Lady
V. Pray for us, O most Sorrowful Virgin
R. That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ
Let us pray:

Lord Jesus, we now implore, both for the present and for the hour
of our death, the intercession of the most Blessed Virgin Mary,
Thy Mother, whose holy soul was pierced at the time of Thy
Passion by a sword of grief. Grant us this favor, O Savior of the
world, Who livest and reignest with the Father and the Holy Ghost
for ever and ever. Amen.