Our Lady of Sorrows
Fourth window on the right side of the Church
On September 19, 1846, the Blessed Virgin appeared to two peasant children in the town of LaSalette nestled in the Alps of Southern France. The children saw the Virgin seated upon a stone, weeping bitterly. The stone was situated in a dry bed of a stream. She told the children that people would suffer if they continued in their evil ways. Not long afterwards, the people visited the place in great numbers and found the now famous fountain of LaSalette, which is believed to have miraculous power. The secret that Our Lady confided to the children was communicated to the Pope. Pius IX declared: "This is the secret of LaSalette: unless the world repent, it shall perish!"
The upper medallion of the window, "Repent or Perish" depicts the cross and the instruments of the Passion of Our Lord, pincers and a hammer. When Mary first appeared, she wore a very small chain on which was a cross and these very same instruments mentioned above. The central figure of Our Lady of LaSalette shows Mary as she appeared to the children. She wore white shoes, with roses of all colors around them, a golden apron, a white robe covered with pearls, white cape over her shoulders circled with roses, and a white cap bent a little forward as a crown topped with roses. Our window substitutes blue for the white color of the original.
The lower medallion displays "The Weeping Madonna". In the spot where Mary sat weeping, an ever-flowing fountain of water sprang up. It is seen intertwining around Mary. A vast basilica which was built on the spot of the apparition and which is visited by thousands each year, is seen above the head of Our Lady. The bottom shield shows the heart of Mary pierced by the Swords of the Seven Sorrows, fulfilling the words of the prophet Simeon, "A sword shall pierce your heart."
Our Lady of Sorrow, pray for us |
