- Also called:
- Nolascan
- Member of:
- Order of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Mercy (O.deM.)
- Formerly called:
- Order of the Blessed Virgin Mary for the Ransom of Captives or Knights of Saint Eulalia
- Date:
- 1218 - present
- Areas Of Involvement:
- mendicant
- Related People:
- St. Peter Nolasco
Mercedarian
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Who were the Mercedarians?
The Mercedarians are members of a Roman Catholic religious order that St. Peter Nolasco founded in Spain in 1218. The order's original purpose was to rescue Christian captives held by the Moors during the Crusades. They were initially a military order known as the Order of the Blessed Virgin Mary for the Ransom of Captives, and were also called the Knights of Saint Eulalia. In addition to the standard vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience, Mercedarians take a fourth vow to offer themselves as hostages for Christian prisoners at risk of losing their faith, even to the point of giving their own life if needed.
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When and where was the Mercedarian order founded?
The Mercedarian Order, officially known as the Order of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Mercy, was founded in 1218 in Spain by St. Peter Nolasco. The order's initial purpose was to ransom Christians held captive by the Moors during the Crusades. St. Raymond of Peñafort, Nolasco’s confessor, based the order's rule on that of St. Augustine. Pope Gregory IX approved the order in 1235, and it quickly spread throughout Europe.
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What was the main purpose of the Mercedarian order?
The Mercedarian order, officially known as the Order of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Mercy, was founded in 1218 by St. Peter Nolasco in Spain. The primary purpose of this Roman Catholic religious order was to ransom Christians who had been captured by the Moors during the Crusades. Members took a fourth vow, in addition to the standard vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience, to offer themselves as hostages in place of Christian prisoners in danger of losing their faith or to liberate those held captive or oppressed, even if it meant giving up their own lives.
The order, also called the Knights of Saint Eulalia, was originally a military order, but later became a mendicant order. Pope Gregory IX approved the order in 1235, and it quickly spread throughout Europe. The Mercedarians continue to pursue educational, charitable, and social work in the 20th and 21st centuries.
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What special vows did Mercedarians take?
The Mercedarians, also known as the Order of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Mercy, take a fourth vow in addition to the standard religious vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience. This vow, sometimes called a "blood vow," involves offering themselves as hostages for Christian prisoners in danger of losing their faith or for the liberation of people who are held captive or oppressed. This commitment extends to giving up one’s life if necessary. Founded in 1218 by St. Peter Nolasco, the order aimed to ransom Christians held captive by the Moors during the Crusades.
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How did the Mercedarians help people in the past?
The Mercedarians, officially known as the Order of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Mercy, were founded in 1218 in Spain by St. Peter Nolasco to ransom Christians captured by the Moors during the Crusades. Members took a fourth vow, offering themselves as hostages for Christian prisoners in danger of losing their faith or for the liberation of the captive and oppressed, even giving up their lives if necessary.
During the founder’s lifetime, the order freed 2,700 prisoners and overall, claimed to have freed about 70,000 prisoners. While the order nearly disappeared in the 19th century, they revised their constitution to focus on educational, charitable, and social work.
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What is the Mercedarian order doing in the world today?
Today, the Mercedarian Order, officially known as the Order of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Mercy, continues the mission of its 1218 founding. With about 800 friars in over 150 communities globally, they focus on educational, charitable, and social work. In the United States, their ministries are primarily in parishes, schools, hospitals, and prisons. Additionally, the Mercedarian Sisters, numbering nearly 450, serve in schools, parishes, diocesan missions, and prayer centers across Italy, Spain, and the Americas.
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Mercedarian, member of a Roman Catholic religious order founded by St. Peter Nolasco in Spain in 1218 for the purpose of ransoming Christians who had been taken captive by the Moors during the Crusades. Founded as the Order of the Blessed Virgin Mary for the Ransom of Captives, it was originally a military order (i.e., a brotherhood of knights). It was also called the Knights of Saint Eulalia because the order’s first headquarters was a hospital in Barcelona dedicated to St. Eulalia, the city’s patron saint. In the 21st century the Mercedarians are officially known as the Order of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Mercy.
St. Raymond of Peñafort, Nolasco’s confessor and the author of the order’s rule, based the rule on that of St. Augustine. In addition to the usual three religious vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience, the Mercedarians take a fourth vow, sometimes known as a “blood vow”: to offer themselves as hostages for Christian prisoners in danger of losing their faith or for the liberation of people who are held captive or oppressed. This vow includes giving up one’s life if necessary.
The habit of a Mercedarian is white, originally to facilitate entrance into Muslim territory. Mercedarians also wear a wide leather belt with a chain, suggesting the sword that all members once customarily carried.
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Pope Gregory IX approved the order in 1235, and it spread rapidly throughout Europe. During the founder’s lifetime, the order freed 2,700 prisoners and, overall, claimed to have freed about 70,000 prisoners. In 1265 an order of Mercedarians for women was founded in Spain by St. Mary de Cervello.
In 1318 Pope John XXII decreed that the leader of the order should be a priest, an action that caused lay knights to leave the Mercedarians and join a military order of Our Lady of Montesa. The Mercedarians subsequently became a mendicant order (i.e., an order of friars). In the late 15th century Mercedarians accompanied Christopher Columbus to America and founded monasteries in Latin America. In time they also established themselves in Africa, Italy, France, Ireland, and the United States.
In 1602 a reform movement led by Juan Bautista Gonzalez resulted in the Discalced Mercedarians, whose rule was approved in 1606 by Pope Paul V. Peter Nolasco was canonized as a saint by Pope Urban VIII in 1628.
By 1770 there were nearly 5,000 Mercedarians living in about 230 convents located in southern Europe and in North and South America. The anticlerical mood of the 19th century came close to extinguishing them. In 1880, however, Pedro Armengol Valenzuela became master general, revised their constitution, and guided the order to educational, charitable, and social work, which the Mercedarians continued to pursue in the 20th century. In addition, the Mercedarian Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament, founded in Mexico in 1910 by María del Refugio Aguilar, was aggregated to the Order of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Mercy in 1925 upon approval from Pope Pius XI.
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In the early 21st century there were about 800 Mercedarian friars in more than 150 communities throughout the world. Their primary ministries in the United States are in parishes, schools, hospitals, and prisons. The Mercedarian Sisters comprise nearly 450 women religious who serve in schools, parishes, diocesan missions, and prayer centers throughout Italy, Spain, and North and South America. In 2015 María del Refugio Aguilar was declared “Venerable” (the first step in canonization) by Pope Francis.