Madonna della Misericordia, Bartolomeo Caporali, 1482

Our Lady of Ransom - The Mercedarians

The Blessed Virgin Mary by repeated visions in 1218 inspired Saint Peter Nolasco (1189-1256) and Saint Raymond of Penafort (1175-1275) to found with the aid of King James I of Aragon the Royal and Military Order of Our Lady of Mercy of the Redemption of the Captives (the Order of Our Lady of Ransom, or the Mercedarians) for the redemption of Christian captives from the infidels. These apparitions of Our Lady have given rise to the title of Our Lady of Ransom.

St. Peter Nolasco was the first Superior of the Mercedarians and also held the position of Ransomer, the order being concerned with the freeing of Christian prisoners from the Moors. The Mercedarians were originally a military order of knights. St. Peter himself was never ordained priest, and the first seven generals or commanders were chosen out of the knights though the friars were always more numerous. St. Peter required of himself and his followers a special vow in addition to the usual three vows:  to give everything, including one’s life, should it be necessary, and even to the point of acting as hostages in order to free others, for the redemption of captives and the oppressed (the blood vow). According to records, the Mercedarians accomplished approximately 70,000 rescues including some 2,700 during the founder's lifetime.

St. Raymond of Penafort was the third Superior General of the Dominicans, and after retiring and returning to the life of a friar he preached, evangelized, catechized, and heard confessions. He felt especially called to preach to Jews and Muslims and helped establish schools where his fellow friars could learn Hebrew and Arabic to help them better evangelize these non-Christians. To help this endeavour, he encouraged Saint Thomas Aquinas (c. 1225-1274) to write one of his greatest works, Summa contra Gentiles, to provide a theological basis for this evangelization. When Fr. Raymond was in his early eighties, he wrote a letter to his Superior General stating that 10,000 Muslims had been converted and baptized through these evangelical efforts.

Today the Mercedarians devote their lives to freeing people from all forms of slavery, including social, political and psychological forms, and to free from the new forms of slavery the Christians who are in danger of losing their Faith. 

Prayers to Our Lady of Ransom are sorely needed today, as Christians are increasingly persecuted across the world, there are the terrible sufferings of those who are victims to human and child trafficking, and Christians in the West are punished and restricted for honouring their Faith while society ignores and promotes the evil-doing of others.

An article on the Feast of Our Lady of Ransom from New Liturgical Movement and the Feast of Our Lady of Ransom from Fish Eaters. A Link to Mercedarians worldwide.

Prayer to Our Lady of Ransom

Mary, Our Lady of Ransom and Mercy,

sweet Mother of God,

who loves the liberty of your children,

and suffers with those who are imprisoned,

listen to the request I make of you:

[intention]

Break the chains of our sin

and the structures of sin in our world,

so that, free from them,

we might unite ourselves completely to your Son, Jesus,

and live like him, in freedom,

dedicated to that for which we were created: to love.

Amen.

Painting of Our Lady of Ransom

Collect for the Commemoration of Our Lady of Ransom

God, Who by means of the most glorious Mother of Thy Son, wast pleased to give new offspring to Thy Church for the deliverance of Christians from the power of the heathen: grant, we beseech Thee, that she, whom we piously venerate as the founder of so great a work, may, through her merits and prayers, deliver us from all our sins and from the captivity of the devil. Through the same Lord.

DEUS, qui per gloriosíssimam Fílii tui Matrem, ad liberándos Christi fidéles a potestáte paganórum, nova Ecclésiam tuam prole amplificáre dignátus es: præsta, quæsumus; ut, quam pie veneramur tanti óperis institutrícem, ejus páriter méritis et intercessióne, a peccatis ómnibus, et captivitáte dæmonis liberémur. Per eúmdem Dóminum.

This Webpage first posted on

The Feast Day of Our Lady of Ransom, 24 September 2024.

Immaculate Queen of Peace, pray for us.