Our Lady Of Ransom

The Blessed Virgin Mary by repeated visions inspired St. Peter Nolasco and St. Raymund of Pennafort to found with the aid of King James of Aragon the Order of Our Lady of Ransom for the redemption of Christian captives from the infidels. The Church commemorates today this incomparable work of charity. (From The 1962 Roman Missal)

The Virgin Mary appeared separately to St. Peter Valasco, his confessor Raymund of Pennafort, and King James of Aragon on the night of August 1, 1218 requesting that a religious Order bearing the name of her mercy be established to deliver Christian captives from the infidels. Christians at the time were being seized from the coastal towns of Europe, especially Spain and Italy, and being cruelly tortured to force them to deny their faith by Muslim Moors. Many were taken as slaves, the children raised to be Muslim. It was possible to rescue these unfortunates by paying a ransom.

The Order of Our Lady of Ransom was also known as the Order of Mercy or the Mercedarians. The original Mercedarians traveled throughout the Muslim territories rescuing Christians by paying a ransom, thus restoring Christians to their Faith.

The prayer to Our Lady of Ransom is as important today as it was back then, for the same problem exists today. Christians in many places are persecuted, tortured and killed because they will not deny their faith. Many European cities have huge Muslim populations. Christians need to be ransomed not just from physical torture, but from apathy, from political correctness and pressure, from fear and secularism. Please pray.

O 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 we too, who love and honour her as the foundress of so great a work, may by her merits and intercession be ourselves delivered from all our sins and from the bondage of the evil one. Through the same, Christ our Lord.

Amen