What are the Seven Joys of Mary?
The Seven Joys of Mary are a series of events within Mary’s life surrounding Jesus and the joy His life brought her. Meditating on these joys and praying the Franciscan Crown is a powerful devotion to Mary within the Catholic community. The seven joys recognized within this devotion are as follows:
1) The Annunciation (Luke 1:26-38)
2) The Visitation (Luke 1:39-45)
3) The Birth of Our Lord Jesus Christ (Luke 2:1-8)
4) The Adoration of the Magi (Matthew 2:1-12)
5) The Finding of the Child Jesus in the Temple (Luke 2:41-52)
6) The Appearance of Christ to Mary after the Resurrection (Matthew 28:1-20)
7) The Assumption and Coronation of Mary as Queen of Heaven (Revelation 11-12)
What is the Franciscan Crown?
The Franciscan Crown is a special devotion to Our Lady started by a young franciscan named James and promoted by St. Bonaventure, Bl. Cherubin of Spoleto, St. John Capistran, Pelbart of Temesvár, and St. Bernadine of Siena, as well as many others. Franciscans pray this devotion every saturday but amny other Catholics beyond the franciscan order pray it as well.
History of the Franciscan Crown
It is said that a young franciscan named James was accustomed to weaving a crown of flowers each day to adorn a statue of Mary in honor of her. When He joined the Fraciscan order however, He was no longer able to do so. Discouraged by this, James attempted to leave Franciscan formation. Mary then appeared to Him in a vision and told Him to return to the Franciscan order.
Within this vision, Mary told James that although he could no longer weave a physical crown for her, he could weave a spiritual crown. She explained to him that this sort of crown is much more precious to her and indeed very powerful. In order to weave this crown, Mary taught James to pray one decade of a rosary for each of her seven joys. This he did, and it soon became a popular Franciscan tradition.
Why Pray the Franciscan Crown?
In short, we pray the Seven Sorrows Chaplet in order to grow closer to our Lord Jesus Christ through the life and intercession of Mary.
“From Mary we learn to surrender to God’s will in all things. From Mary, we learn to trust even when all hope seems gone. From Mary, we learn to love Christ, her Son and the Son of God”
St Pope John Paul II
In particular, this devotion invites us to recognize the insurmountable joy that comes from saying “yes” to the Lord. It is a celebration of Mary’s profound “yes” and the salvation which caem from it. Mary also promised in her vision to James that many graces would come of it for him and many others.
How to Pray the Franciscan Crown (praying with the Seven Joys)
The Franciscan Crown is praye very similarly to the traditional Rosary. The mystery/joy is named, followed by 1 Our Father and 10 Hail Mary’s. This pattern of prayers is known as a decade. When all seven decades have been prayed, it is customary to pray an additional 2 Hail Mary’s in honor of the 72 years of Mary’s life. An additional Hail Mary and Our Father are also prayed for the intentions of the Pope.
The seven joys of the Franciscan Crown do not have to be prayed all at one but rather can we “woven” throughout the day. An individual can pray one or two decades at a time and continue to pray the rest later in the day. It is in this way that we can honor Mary and receive that graces and joys which come with growing closer to her Son.
If you are looking for a way to enhance this beautiful experience of prayer, I have created a printable pocket book devotional you can find here. There are also beautiful hand crafted rosaries available on my shop (the single decade Gaudium&Tristitia rosary chaplet is perfect for weaving this crown throughout the day!).
Thank You
It means so much to me that you read these posts! Know of my thoughts and prayers for you and until next time, may peace be with you ♡
Always in Christ,
-me (elijah jane)
