Fall is a season for many Catholics to explore the mysteries of redemption, especially with September being the month for meditation on the seven sorrows of Mary.

"The month of September ... is traditionally a time for meditation on the seven sorrows of Mary and the prayers and devotions related to them," the Rev. James Richardson, pastor of St. Ann Catholic Church in Augusta, said in the Sept. 13 bulletin. "In the meditation on the Seven Sorrows, Catholics consider the ways in which Mary shared the weight of the Passion of her Son Jesus."

Richardson listed the seven sorrows: the prophecy of Simeon (Luke 2:34-35); the flight into Egypt (Matthew 2:13-14); the loss of the child Jesus in the temple (Luke 2: 43-45); the meeting of Jesus and Mary on the way of the Cross; the Crucifixion; the taking down of Jesus' body from the Cross; and the burial of Jesus.

"Especially in this season of stress and struggle, this devotion is a moving way to consider the works of our redemption and to pray interceding for the suffering and sorrowful of the world," Fr. Richardson said.