Apparition
Our Lady of Mercy and the Founding of the Mercedarians
Private revelation · Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain, 1218
Mercedarian tradition holds that in 1218 the Blessed Virgin Mary made known to Saint Peter Nolasco, and to those who counselled him, her desire for an order devoted to ransoming Christians held captive and in danger of losing their faith. On 10 August 1218 Peter and his first companions were received as the Order of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Mercy, whose members take a fourth vow to give themselves as hostages in place of captives if need be.
Background
The Church has issued no decree on the vision itself; her approval belongs to the order and to the devotion that came from it. Saint Raymond of Penyafort assisted the foundation and King James I of Aragon protected it; Pope Gregory IX confirmed the order in 1230 and gave it the Rule of Saint Augustine. Our Lady of Mercy — Nuestra Señora de la Merced — is honoured on 24 September and is patroness of Barcelona and of the Dominican Republic; the Mercedarians continue their work today among prisoners and the trafficked.
Location
Barcelona, Catalonia
Country
Spain
Approved status
Private revelation
Year of apparition
1218
Visionaries
- Saint Peter Nolasco
Subject
marian
Feast day
September 24
Decision year
1230
Content subtype
unapproved_apparition
Decision authority
Pope Gregory IX, by the bull confirming the Order of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Mercy