Every September 24, the Virgin Mary is celebrated under the invocation of the Virgen de la Merced, or Virgen de las Mercedes.
The name of this Marian devotion evokes the infinite mercy of God, who has left us in the person of Mary an authentic mother, a safe channel of grace and a thorough intercessor. It is no coincidence that “mercy” means “mercy”, “gift”, “grace” and, simultaneously, “forgiveness”.
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Called by Mary to save lives and preserve the faith
The origins of this dedication date back to the 13th century, when the Virgin appeared to Saint Peter Nolasco (1180-1256) to encourage him to the task of freeing the Christians who had fallen prisoners in the hands of the Muslims.
It was very common at that time for the so-called “Moors” to plunder the coastal towns of the Mediterranean to take prisoners as slaves. Generally, the victims were Christians who were transferred to North Africa. There they were subjected to forced labor, prison and mistreatment. Subjected to such a horrendous condition, the majority ended up losing faith, believing that God had abandoned them.
A merchant named Pedro
Pedro Nolasco, a merchant born in Aquitaine (present-day France) and established in Barcelona (Spain), upon seeing this situation on his travels, was moved and began to use his own assets to free the captive Christians. Nolasco “bought slaves” or exchanged them for merchandise, and then restored their freedom.
When he ran out of resources, he formed aid and assistance groups to ask for money to finance expeditions to negotiate the “redemption” of prisoners. Unfortunately, what was gathered also became insufficient.
Nolasco, powerless to achieve his goal, intensely asks God to provide him with the necessary help. In response to his prayers, on August 1, 1218, an extraordinary event occurred: the Virgin Mary appeared to him and asked him to found a congregation dedicated exclusively to redeeming captives.
Immediately, Nolasco asks the Mother of God: “Oh Virgin Mary, Mother of Grace, Mother of Mercy! Who can believe that you command me? To which Mary responded: “Do not doubt anything, because it is the will of God that an Order of this type is founded in my honor; It will be an Order whose brothers and professed, in imitation of my son, Jesus Christ, will be destined for the ruin and redemption of many in Israel, that is, among Christians, and will be a sign of contradiction for many.”
The Order of Our Lady
Then, the saint, encouraged by the Virgin of Mercy, organized with his friends the initial group of what would be the “Royal and Military Order of Our Lady of Mercy and the Redemption of Captives”, whose members called themselves “ Mercedarians.”
The story goes that Saint Peter Nolasco was not the only one to whom the Virgin appeared. On August 10 – the day on which the Order of Mercy was to be founded – Nolasco met with his confessor, Saint Raymond of Peñafort, and with the king, James I of Aragon. In the middle of the conversation, the three testified that the Virgin had appeared to each of them, independently, to communicate her only wish: the new religious Order should be dedicated to the redemption of captives.
In this way, that same day, August 10, 1218, the Order of Mercy was founded in the city of Barcelona (Spain). Pope Gregory IX, from Rome, had ordered that Pedro Nolasco be the first to occupy the position of Superior General.
Holy exchange
The Mercedarians, in addition to the vows of poverty, chastity and obedience, made a fourth vow by which they committed to dedicate their lives to freeing slaves, and, if necessary, to stay in the place of a captive in danger of losing their faith. , or for which there was not enough money to pay for his release. Many Mercedarians gave their lives for this cause, always taking refuge in the “mercy” of Our Mother.
Years later, in 1265, the devotion to the “Virgin of Mercy” was approved by the Holy See. Then, in 1696, Pope Innocent XII set September 24 as the date on which her feast day should be celebrated.
In the Evangelization of America
The Mercedarians have been in charge of spreading the devotion to the Virgen de las Mercedes, which has spread throughout the world, over several centuries. It is known that, for example, when the Mercedarian friars arrived in America in the 16th century, they introduced this beautiful devotion to several countries on the continent.
That is why today, the Virgin of Mercy is celebrated by her devotees from Brazil, the Dominican Republic, Peru, Ecuador, Argentina among many other countries.
Patronages
Our Lady of Mercedes is the patron saint of various cities, many of them in Spain (Barcelona); It is also the responsibility of prisons and penitentiary institutions, as well as of captives or those serving time in prison.
She is the Patron Saint of the Dominican Republic, of the Armed and Police Forces of Peru, as well as Patron Saint of Latacunga, Machala (Ecuador) and the Patron Saint of Santiago de los Caballeros de León (Nicaragua).
Virgin of Mercedes, pray for us!
To learn more about this dedication, visit:
Central Editorial
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