Our Lady of Mercy is an apparition of Mary that took place around the Middle Ages, during the times of the Crusades. During this time, Christians who were captured by Muslims were forced to deny their faith and held for ransom. Those not ransomed were sold as slaves. Our Lady of Mercy, as she came to be known, appeared to two men and the king of Aragon on the day of August 1st, 1218 with a request. Our Lady asked these men to establish a religious order with the duty of rescuing the Christians who were captured by the Muslims. This order would dedicate their lives and possessions to gathering alms to pay the ransoms imposed by the Muslims.
The order that they created became known as the Royal, Celestial and Military Order of Our Lady of Mercy and the Redemption of the Captives, or the Mercedarians for short. In addition to the usual vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience, the Mercedarians take a fourth vow: to give their lives for anyone in danger of losing their faith. If necessary, the Mercedarians were prepared to offer themselves in place of the captive Christians as ransom, knowing that they themselves would be sold as slaves. Our Lady of Mercy’s feast day was initially celebrated within the Mercedarian order on September 24th and spread to Spain and France. Eventually, the feast day was extended to the entire Church by Pope Innocent XII in the 1690’s.
Prayer to Our Lady of Mercy
Mary, Mother of God, I turn to you in all my pressing needs and difficulties as to a most sure refuge. I implore the help of your protection and choose you as my advocate. I entrust my cause to you who are the Mother of Mercy, and I wish to offer you day by day my most reverent love. But that my devotion may be pleasing to you, help me to maintain my soul and body in the spotlessness of your purity, help me to try as best I can to walk in your footsteps, humbly seeking to be like you.
Even if I have committed all possible sins, let me never lose confidence in you, for I know I shall always find your Heart filled with mercy The Son of God has His justice, but you, the Mother, have only your mercy. You desire more to do good to me than I can desire to receive favors from you, for your Heart is all love and mercy.
Mary, My Mother, how shall I stand before my Judge at the day of judgment? How shall I answer for the wasted days and years which God has given me to serve Him alone? I look to you, Mother of Mercy. You are all-merciful that you may obtain for me pardon and mercy. You are kind and loving for you have a mother’s heart, full of pity for the erring. You are a Mother of Mercy to the sinner and the fallen; have pity on me!
