When the Virgin Mary ordered to release Christian captives in Morocco

The Order of Our Lady of Mercy, commonly known as the Mercedarian Order, was created in to liberate Christian captives in Muslim lands. The origin of the establishment of the Order dates back to the 13th century, when Our Lady appeared to Saint Peter Nolasco (1189-1256). It was in the middle of the night of August 1, 1218, in a church in Barcelona, Spain, ​​that the Virgin Mary, accompanied by angels and saints, appeared to St Peter Nolasco and told him:

"My son, I am the Mother of the Son of God, who, for the salvation and freedom of the human race, shed all his blood, suffering the cruel death of the Cross. I come here to seek men who, like my Son, want to give their lives for the salvation and freedom of their captive brothers."

She said she wanted a new religious order placed under her protection, to "redeem the Christian slaves from the power and tyranny of the Turks, even pledging their person, if necessary, for those whom they can’t redeem otherwise." Finally, the Virgin Mary assured Peter that she would assist him in this undertaking.

Approved and supported by King I of Aragon (Spain), the Order of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Mercy (‘Merced’ means "grace" in Spanish and alludes to "merces" or "ransom" in Latin), began sending missionaries to Muslim lands soon after. Peter Nolasco went on the first expedition with another religious and managed to buy the release of 400 Christians enslaved in the kingdom of Al Andalous, in Granada and Valencia (711-1492).

Today, the Order of Our Lady of Mercy still exists and has no less than 700 religious around the world. Like the Order of the Trinitarians, these monks work in the fields of education and healthcare, in many clinics around the world, as well as orphanages and prisons.

Yabiladi