Consecration Mass at Our Lady Lourdes parish

The Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches,

Science and technology are precious resources when placed at the service of man and promote his integral development for the benefit of all. By themselves however they cannot disclose the meaning of existence and of human progress. (No. 2293)

The Mercedarian priest is aware of this awesome responsibility. He knows what it requires. The Constitutions of the Order of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Mercy state,

Because of the special participation in the priesthood of Christ that the presbyterate confers for the building up of the Mystical Body, the religious who are about to be ordained priests must possess a great love for Christ, whom they are to represent, and an ardent desire to serve and evangelize the people to whom they are sent.

Is God calling you to become a Mercedarian friar, either as a priest or a brother?

Click for more information:

>Greetings from Vocation Director Fr. Joseph Eddy, O. de M.
>Contact Fr. Joseph
>Mercedarian Formation
>7 Quick Questions About a Religious Vocation
>Information Form
>Mercedarian Facebook Page

Br. Scott Brentwood receiving diaconate ordination

in a special way to priests. They are called not only because they have been baptized, but also and specifically because they are priests, that is, under a new title and in new and different ways deriving from the Sacrament of Holy Orders.

Thoughts like these course through the minds of our friars as they approach the altar to receive the laying on of hands of the bishop in the Rite of Ordination. Indeed, the calling to the priesthood is sublime – not just another feather to be tucked into one’s cap in the journey of life.

Special Identification with Christ

As stated in our Constitutions, the Mercedarian priest has a special identification with Christ (N. 178). Our priests redeem those held in chains by modern forms of captivity. The Constitutions state that in their priestly training,

Theoretical formation must be united with pastoral practice so that, by knowing men well and loving Christ, they may be able to nourish the flock of the Lord with preference for those who faith is in danger and the most needy.

Is God calling you to become a Mercedarian friar, either as a priest or a brother?

Click for more information:

>Greetings from Vocation Director Fr. Joseph Eddy, O. de M.
>Contact Fr. Joseph
>Mercedarian Formation
>7 Quick Questions About a Religious Vocation
>Information Form
>Mercedarian Facebook Page

Blessing of books at our meeting. Fr Oscar and President, Sue Tambasco.

On April 27, we celebrate the feast of Blessed Peter Armengol (1238-1304). Following a misspent and dissolute youth he who came to serve the Lord later in life. He gave up worldly ways to work tirelessly for the ransom of captives and atoning for his sins. Blessed Peter Armengol is a model of confidence. His life inspires everyone who, amid the crisis of the modern world, needs special graces from Our Lady to remain completely faithful. He is the patron for the conversion of youth.

President, Sue Tambasco presents book to the Cathedral of St. Jude School principle, Mrs. Wiand and Media Specialist, Mrs. Evrin.

The Tampa Bay Third Order, during the month of his feast, purchased youth books about the founder of Our Order, Saint Peter Nolasco. These books were blessed during our meeting and presented to seven elementary school libraries though out the Diocese of St. Petersburg, FL. We pray that the will inspire and educate the youth in the Mercedarian Spirit.

Holy Thursday

Just a quick update from the Eternal City. Today we returned to class after our Easter break… and I can honestly say I was not ready to go back, but we do what we must.

As for Holy Week, I spent it in Sardinia at our Shrine of Bonaria (which as you remember we have had since 1334). Every Mass was full – standing room only – but it was a wonderful experience spending the Triduum with our community there.

Palm Sunday had a beautiful procession, and the youth performed a Passion play that was very well orchestrated.

Holy Thursday and Good Friday were spent with Archbishop Pier Giuliano Tiddia of Oristano…as well as the Vigil. I must admit, the most moving celebration was Holy Thursday… and nothing quite compares to sitting there in layers of antiquated grandeur (gold thread is heavy btw), with the central doors of the basilica open…. overlooking a sea of faces….and watching the ships move through the harbor as they enter the Mediterranean….all while listening to ancient Latin hymns sung in a most excellent fashion by a talented choir……… definitely makes a ceremony seem like a dream……

Veneration of the Cross

Good Friday was enveloped in clouds – a fitting ambiance – and the ceremony was particularly moving given that the Cross used for the veneration was practically life sized, and the Corpus was (in that lighting) rather authentic looking. An interesting tradition here is the presentation of Our Lady of Sorrows to the Crucified Christ after the veneration by the people.

The Vigil went well as did the celebrations for Easter Sunday. After the morning Masses, there was another “meeting” of the Blessed Mother, but this time with the Risen Christ that was VERY well attended.

Before returning to Rome I accompanied the Provincial to visit our community in Alghero. I was there two days before returning to Cagliari, and the next day returned to Rome. The day after my arrival I attended the Priestly Ordination of a Jesuit classmate at the Church of the Gesu, and afterwards was taken to the rooms used by St. Ignatius of Loyola (founder of the Jesuits) and ultimately where he died. After a day of “rest” (Sunday), we returned to classes.

The Risen Lord meets Our Lady

All of those were great experiences, even if they left me tired before returning to class. I am truly thankful for the graces of this Easter Season, and I pray you are experiencing the same.

I’ll be in touch. -Deacon Scottston-

Santuario Nostra Signora di Bonaria

http://www.bonaria.eu/public/index.php

Today is Divine Mercy Sunday. It is based on a private revelation of Jesus to a Polish religious sister before World War II. The private revelation was accepted by the Church and the devotion has rapidly spread throughout the world. Christ appeared to Sr. Faustina over a period of several years and taught her to pray for an out-pouring of Divine Mercy on sinners throughout the world. One of the most popular aspects of the devotion is the Image of Christ with white and red rays bursting forth from his wounded side. The Doctrine of God’s Divine Mercy expressed in St Faustina’s diary is not a new teaching, but only a reminder to the world of God’s greatest attribute, His mercy.

The word Mercy, according to Webster’s Dictionary originates from the 13^th Century term Merced. Merced means a price paid. The 13^th Century was a difficult time for the Church in Europe. For several centuries, Islam had been creeping up into Spain and other Christian countries by force. They enforced their Suria Law on all living in those concurred lands. Christians were prevented from openly practicing their faith and were treated as second class citizens unless they would apostize or renounce the Catholic faith. Some were even held in bondage and cruel captivity for holding to their Christian Faith. A letter dating from 1311 gives us an idea of the magnitude of the crisis facing Christendom. King James II of Aragon informed Pope Clement V that there were 30,000 “wretched” Christian captives in the Moslem-held kingdom of Granada and that “500,000 renounced their Catholic faith and embraced the Mohammedan sect locally.” Seeing the so many in danger of losing their faith, St Peter Nolasco, under the inspiration of the Blessed Mother, founded the Order of the BVM of Mercy of the redemption of captives. They would raise money to buy back Christians in danger of renouncing the faith and take them to Christian lands. The Order, also known as the Mercedarians, took a 4^th Vow to be willing to offer their own lives in order to pay the price of the captive’s freedom.

The Mercedarians did not come up with this idea of redemption. Jesus Christ is the authored redemption when he paid the price on the Cross for all sinners. Just after His death, John’s Gospel tells us that a soldier took a lance and thrust it into Christ’s side. At that moment, blood and water flowed out from his side as a symbol of the Sacramental life of the Church. The Precious Blood is the payment for our sins and the Sacrament of the Eucharist. The water is the Sacrament of Baptism, which cleanses us of Original Sin and personal sin.

When Jesus appeared to St. Faustina he was clothed with an ankle length white robe and out of his open side were the rays of God’s Divine Mercy. The rays were red for the Precious Blood and white for the cleansing water. To His wounded side the Savior invites all people to have their sins paid for and be washed clean by Baptism. This is Divine Mercy. We deserve strict justice by our sins, but instead, for no reason but Love, Jesus offers us mercy. He welcomes us to live the life of God. Jesus offers mercy to all people. His death on the cross was offered once for all. But not all accept the Divine Mercy.

There are many reasons people do not accept God’s offer of Mercy. One is because they do not believe that they have a debt to be paid. People today do not recognize that they have sin. Sin is a lack of love and is opposed to God who is Love. The Old Testament tells us that “the just man sins 7 times a day”. For the unjust it must be much more! Another reason people do not accept the Divine Mercy is because they do not believe that the debt has really been paid. Unfortunately we, like St. Thomas, doubt that Jesus is paid the debt of our sins. How could any man take away my sins? My sins are just too great! We often cannot forgive ourselves for what we have done, let alone allow God to forgive us.

Divine Mercy is offered to all, even the worst sinner! Jesus appears to us today, as He appeared to St. Faustina. He appears in the Sacraments of Confession and Eucharist. Like in the Gospel today, Christ shows us His wounds. He has risen from the dead and these wounds are no longer a source of shame to him, but trophies. The Glorified Body is beautiful beyond compare to those who look upon it. The most beautiful aspect is the wounds, which show us the entire price paid for our redemption. When we come to Confession, we come to Jesus and “touch his wounded side”.  We realize that God is truly merciful! Though we deserve to be condemned by justice, instead he forgives everything.

The Divine Mercy devotion has been given to us in these times to help us realize that Jesus will forgive us always, but we need to accept his offer. Accepting Jesus’ mercy means just coming to His Body the Church and receiving it “from his wounded side”. Then, we must sincerely try to be merciful with others. Other people hurt us deeply with their sins. We see people who live very sinful lives. Yet, we do not have the authority to condemn. Instead, we can offer our mercy to them. We can pray for those who hurt us deeply. We can let them know that the debt of our sins was paid for those who wish to receive Divine Mercy. We, like the Mercedarians, can help to free them from their captivity to sin. We do this by bringing them spiritually and literally to the wounds of Christ. From these wounds flow rays of red and white, which cleanse us all from our sins. Divine Mercy is open to all of us. Let us be ministers of God’s Divine Mercy to each other!

The Constitutions of the Order tell us that the Third Order is “an association of lay people integrated into the Mercedarian family, which participates in the redemptive spirit.” (Constitutions of the Order of the B.V.M. of Mercy, #117). Members of the Third Order know and cherish the spiritual treasure of the Order so they are able to realize the Mercedarian ideal, according to the directives of the Church and of the Order, in keeping with the circumstances of each country. Here is some local activities of our Thrid Order in St. Petersburg, Florida:

Also see: http://orderofmercy.org/collaborators/third-order/

Deacon Scottston (middle) at his Ordination.

Just a quick update to let everyone know how things are going here in the Eternal City.

I trust all is well back in the United States; here things are rather quiet.

We began our second semester at the Gregorian in mid February, and I must admit that this semester is rather challenging – Temporal Goods of the Church, Processes (inner workings of the various tribunals, but specifically tribunals for nullity cases), the Relationship between Religious Professions and the State, Penal Law, a Praxis in Penal Law, a Praxis in Rotal Matrimonial Jurisprudence, and Canonical Latin. I also have a seminar on the Apostolate of Institutes of Consecrated Life in the Local Church that requires a 20 min presentation based on a text I have to write. Most of these are interesting, but it is a rather heavy load,especially given that everything is done in Latin (primarily) and Italian. Fiat voluntas tua.

Aside from school, there is very little going on – I have 4-6 hours of class every day, and with 1.5 hrs total spent on the METRO (subway) going to and from class, there is little time to do much else. I still find myself in various places throughout the city…churches mostly… or an obscure museum… but the majority of my time (lately) is spent with books, or with translating etc. in preparation for the Chapter.

A classroom at the Gregorian where Deacon Scott studies.

I have been spending more time with our friars in the Generalate, and last week I was invited by the General for lunch. After a nice meal we spent the next few hours chatting about various things, and as he too had studied Canon Law, we discussed briefly what was going on with the revisions for the New Constitutions. From a juridical point of view, this really is an exciting time for the community… as we prepare for the eighth version of the Constitutions of the Order.

Aside from that, as I said before, all is quiet. I hope everyone is well, and I will be in touch soon.

In Our Lady of Mercy and St. Peter Nolasco,

-Deacon Scottston O. de M.-

The message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing,

Those who reject the cross are really rejecting Christ. Unfortunately, there are many who call themselves Xian that say of Catholics: “Why do you put Christ on the cross. He was raised from the dead.” Perhaps to those Christians who lived in the Roman Empire, the image of a cross was enough of a reminder. Crucifixion as torture and execution was present reality to them. To us it is a religious symbol, so we need to be reminded what the cross signifies: torture, ugliness, and death. Many want to clean up the Christian message and make it look nice and easy. Jesus did the work. We are off the hook. We have it made. All is warm and fuzzy! This, of course, is an attitude for disaster. There is no resurrection for us without the cross. Not all who say Lord, Lord will enter the kingdom of heaven. We have to do the will of the Father—not our own will.

…but to us who are being saved [the cross] is the power of God.

To take up our cross means to embrace a life of self-sacrifice—daily. It means dying to self and putting on Christ. The cross is ugly. This self-emptying with Christ will get ugly. It is never easy, but God will give us the strength we need.

For it is written: “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and the learning of the learned I will set aside.”

There is nothing new under the sun. The evil one is intelligent and persistent but not very creative. It’s the same thing over and over again. This is why those who are ignorant of history are doomed to repeat it. Evil is cyclical, because people do not pay attention. The pride of the tempter rears its head in every age. Socrates held that “wisest was he who knew nothing.” In other words, those declare themselves wise will perish. Those puffed with intellectual pride will be humbled. It is the truth that Mary proclaims in her Magnificat, he has scattered the proud in their conceit, he cast down the mighty from their thrones. This is why Mary is the seat of Wisdom. Through her humility, she bears the very source of true Wisdom.

Where is the wise one?

The spirit of the anti-Christ thinks itself too wise to need God, or his body the Church. The so-called intellectuals tell us the Church is an irrelevant relic of the past. We are too sophisticated to need her. Well, we will find more true wisdom from the soldier in the foxhole than from the self-proclaimed intellectual. Those who point out the arrogance are labeled as out of touch and too extreme to matter.

Where is the scribe?

Apparently, in our country the scribes are in the seats of government, looking for ways to write policies, edicts, and laws that stomp on religious freedom. They declare that one person’s so-called man-made rights trample the God-given rights of another. My right to comfort trumps your right to life—put it in writing. My right to not feel bad about myself trumps your right to practice your religion in the public square—write it down. My right to believe in relativism is more important that your right to believe in objective truth—remove any reference to universals.

Where is the debater of this age?

Apparently the debates of this age are brought before Congress to tell us that not only do we have a right to choose sin—which no one denied—but, others should pay to enable my sin! We should be able to chose sin, and have someone else pay for the consequences. Of course, where will this stop? The clever debaters—and, frankly, even the least talented debaters—will be able to ride this tyrannical slippery slope to chaos!

Has not God made the wisdom of the world foolish?

Yes, He has. We don’t know if we should laugh or cry because the foolish are too foolish to even recognize it. As it says in the Book of Proverbs, As dogs return to their vomit, so fools repeat their folly. We all struggle with this, but as Catholics, hopefully we humbly place ourselves before God’s mercy. Better to say what a fool I was than what a fool I am.

For since in the wisdom of God the world did not come to know God through wisdom,

If we were to come to know God through our own effort, we would soon declare ourselves God. Hence, we must be humbled. We only know God through the action of His Grace.

it was the will of God through the foolishness of the proclamation to save those who have faith.

It is through emptying ourselves—as did Christ—that we are filled with Grace. Our faith is a paradox—an apparent contradiction, but not actually so. Our faith is filled with paradox—with statements, propositions, and situations that seems to be absurd or contradictory, but in fact they are true:

· Three Persons, One God.

· One Divine Person, two Natures, human and Divine.

· The Body and Blood of Christ under the appearance of bread and wine.

· A virgin Mother.

· We die to self in order to live.

This all seems in the eyes of the world to be foolishness—but these are salvific truths!

For Jews demand signs and Greeks look for wisdom, but we proclaim Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, but to those who are called, Jews and Greeks alike, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.

The more we are broken down, the stronger we become. The more Christian blood is spilled, the more Christian life is increased. The more the world tries to sterilize or shun the Cross—the more the world tries to rid itself of suffering apart from the Gospel—the greater the horror, atrocities, and injustices will be. The more irrelevant they think that we Christians are, the greater our vitality will be. For the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than human strength.

THIS IS OUR FAITH. THIS IS THE WAY OF THE CROSS.

Dear Fr. Ken,

Fr. Ken when he was in India.

Sorry if it has been a long time since I send you an e-mail. But I was thinking to write you in these coming days in order to let you know about the new house which we have opened in Tamil Nadu. Last Friday, February 3^rd, Fr. Cyril, Fr. Antony, and Bro. Victor took charge of the substation of Patlur in the Salem Diocese. There are 60 Christian families of good tradition living there. Another substation with 30 families, has been entrusted to our religious as well. It is 3 Kilometers from Patlur. Fr. Jaison, Fr. Siju and myself have accompanied our brothers as they went to their new assignments. The bishop couldn’t come, because he was participating to the Conference of Indian Bishops in Bangalore. It was the first Friday of the month so, more or less, all the priests were busy with functions in their churches. Only Fr. Francis, Vicar Forane, and Fr. Michael (a parish priest where the substation is located) were present. Fr. Antony celebrated mass in Tiruchengode in order to allow Fr. Francis to accompany us to the new substation.

Everything was simple and good. At 6.30 p.m., we celebrated mass followed by a small reception and supper with porrotas and vegetable curry. In this place, there is a round new beautiful chapel and the old chapel in good condition where the religious will stay as accommodation. Two small bathrooms are here and nearly 3 cents of land. It is located not so far from the river Cauvery, therefore, they have good water.

In these months till the Provincial Chapter they will work in that area, looking also for a future land and to discern if it will be the proper place or we will go to another substation suggested by the bishop. This decision will be by the new government after the  Provincial Chapter. The bishop assured us that, after making the final decision, he can erect the substation as a parish. It seems that the three religious are happy.

Several of the young Indian friars.

Please send this report to the other community of USA, because I will send to Fr. Provincial the same in Italian to be sent to the Italian community. About the emblems, we need a good number (at least 100) of metal. If you arrange those in cloth is also good.

Greetings to everybody. In Christ,

Fr. Vincent

Also see “Amazing India” http://orderofmercy.org/2011/04/amazing-india/

The Eucharist, the source and Summit of our life.

1) What attracted you to Religious Life? 

Looking back I would have to say that what attracted me to Religious Life was three things: 1) To be more closely united to Jesus through the Vows of Chastity, Poverty and Obedience, 2) To live a stable and structured life revolving around prayer and service, and 3) To live common life with other brothers united in the Lord.  It is still these three things that keep me enthusiastic about Religious Life.

2) Describe a typical day as a religious?

A typical day always begins with the praises of the Lord in Morning Prayer and Holy Mass.  After Morning Prayer there is the various responsibilities and service of the Community and the Apostolate that need to be attended to.  The community comes together at various times of the day for meals, recreation, Meditation, Rosary, and the other Hours of the Divine Office.

3) Why is prayer important to you? Was prayer always an important part of your life? 

Prayer is an important part of my life because prayer is the way that God relates to me and I relate to God.  Prayer keeps me in union with God and gives me the strength and light to do His will.  Prayer was always an important part of my life in grade school and High School.  Even though it was important to me in college I did not devote as much time to it as I should have.  Because of this I was slow to hear the “Call” of God.

4) What role does the Liturgy of the Hours play in your prayer Life?  Why is it so important to you? 

I love the Liturgy of the Hours.  It is not only a responsibility given to us by the Church to sing the praises of God throughout the day and to pray for the needs of the Church but it is a joy and an honor!  The Liturgy of the Hours keeps me united to God throughout the day.

5) How does the Liturgy of the Hours nourish or sustain you?

At times in our spiritual lives we simply don’t have the words to express to God what we want about what is going on in our lives.  The Liturgy of the Hours always seem to be able to express at any given time what I want to share with God.

6) What challenges do you face in praying the Liturgy of the Hours?  How do you meet those challenges?

The biggest challenge would be to be faithful to those Hours that are not prayed in Community. I need to make sure that a busy schedule does not keep me from those Hours.  To do that you always need to pencil in space for God in a busy schedule.

7) In what other ways do you pray? 

My favorite forms of prayer are silent Adoration before Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament, reading Sacred Scripture, reciting the Rosary on my own, and walking in the beauty of nature.

8)Is there anything else about religious life or prayer that you would like to share with us? 

Religious Life is a wonderful life, very fulfilling. Prayer is the very soul of that life.

"The whole experience was phenomenal," says Deacon Scott

The video weaves images of the rustic Blue Ridge Mountains in Virginia where Deacon Scott grew up and has many pictures of his ordination by Most Rev. Giuseppe Mani, the archbishop of Cagliari, against the backdrop of the historic Shrine of Our Lady of Bonaria in Cagliari, on the island of Sardinia in the Mediterranean Sea.

“The whole experience was phenomenal, but to me the most rewarding part was being in one of our oldest Sanctuaries, surrounded by numerous priests/brothers of the community, knowing that those in the USA were able to participate via internet….” Deacon Scott said in his article, “A Mercedarian Journal from Rome.”

The video traces his Catholic upbringing in rural Virginia where the Catholic population was very small, as well as his attraction to the Order of Mercy through holy cards that he came across during an unexpected stay at a friend’s apartment.

See the video on Gloria TV, or the articles on our website: “One of Our Own Is To Be Ordained to the Sacred Diaconate,” or Deacon Scott’s complete story, “A Friend’s Suggestion Leads to a Mercedarian Vocation.”

Virgen Merced

The Mother of God graces America’s Hispanic Southwest in a multitude of glorious guises. While Our Lady of Guadalupe is certainly la favorita, countless other images color Marian devotions in southern Colorado and northern New Mexico, and their heritage stems from medieval Spain.

But among all the Old World Madonnas revered, only one counts among her accessories a royal coat of arms. La Merced, or “Our Lady of Mercy,” emerges from the storybook era of Marco Polo and Don Quixote, and her 13th century history rivals Hollywood for intrigue, romance and adventure.

In the 1200s, the Moors were very efficiently rampaging through Spain. As they advanced, the Spanish were simultaneously penetrating Arab territories, bent upon converting “infidels” to Christianity and defending Crusader strongholds in the Holy Land.

At home and abroad, then, from the early 13th century until near the close of the 18th century, the Spanish faced capture and imprisonment. If they refused to renounce their Christianity, they were almost certainly marked for torture and death.

While some Spanish religious orders of a military nature (peculiar to that time and place) were dedicated to nursing and giving comfort to the captives, a totally unique and dramatic approach to their relief was effected by the Virgin Mary.

In a vision to a young nobleman, Mary urged the formation of a military fraternity that would rescue prisoners by means of ransom.

Military orders

St. Peter Nolasco (c. 1189-1258) was born in France, educated in Spain and, through the fortunes of war, was eventually appointed tutor to King James of Aragon. From childhood, he had exhibited a unique spirituality and disregard for the luxurious environment to which he was born.

He habitually gave lavishly to the poor, and fashioned for himself a very austere and prayerful lifestyle. His vision of the Blessed Mother in 1218 not only catapulted him into the unlikely role of sword-bearing leader, but it would also touch the lives and times of future centuries of Spanish-speaking peoples—wherever they were destined to plant and preserve the faith.

After securing the required sanction of King James of Aragon, Nolasco initiated the military Order of the Blessed Virgin Mary for the Ransom of Captives (O de M.) in 1218.

The order originally attracted young noblemen whose heritage equipped them to practically address the matter of ransom. They were known as “knights,” and it was only later that clergy were represented in the ranks.

Although he was the first commander general of the order, Nolasco was not himself a priest, nor did he ever become one. It was 100 years until a papal order required that at least the leader of the community must have received the Sacrament of Holy Orders.

The founder required of himself and his followers a special vow in addition to the usual three—to devote their “whole substance and very liberty to the ransoming of slaves,” even to the point of acting as hostages in order to free others.

70,000 Rescues

According to records, the Order of the Blessed Virgin Mary for the Ransom of Captives accomplished approximately 70,000 rescues—some 2,700 during the founder’s lifetime.

The order elected a habit of white, signifying innocence. Some histories claim that Mary provided such guidance during her appearance to Nolasco. An enthusiastic King James authorized the members to wear—emblazoned on their breasts and long scapulars—his own distinguished arms -of Aragon.

Shield of Mercy

The Maltese Cross is its most striking component—a unique cruciform that commemorates Malta’s steadfast defense against the Turks.

Papally confirmed in 1235, the fraternity became popularly known as the Order of Our Lady of Mercy, or the Mercedarians. It rapidly spread throughout Western Europe, and some of its friars eventually sailed with Columbus to America.

Those who later accompanied the conquistadors’ relentless march through the New World and New Spain were extremely vigorous in the conversion of indigenous peoples.

Almost 300 monasteries and convents were rapidly established in Latin America, and all required appropriate decoration. La Merced therefore became a very popular subject of Spanish colonial paintings.

Our Lady of Mercy is frequently portrayed in a queenly stance, extending a generous mantle to either side. Huddled beneath its protection is a group of the faithful.

Begging for Mary’s Intercession

Virgen Merced, from the Museum of Bellas Artes, Valencia.

There is a less common La Merced. The Madonna format is embellished with a base of supplicants—captives begging Mary’s intercession. This glowing rendition, by Manuel de Samaniego (1767- 1824), can be admired today in a historic Mercedarian church in Quito, Ecuador.

The ethereal luminance of the background smacks of the influence of the Spanish painter Bartolome Esteban Murillo (1617-82), whose popular Marian prints were provided as models to Indian and mestizo artists.

The bold colors and lavish embellishment with gilt brocade are characteristic of the paintings accomplished in the great colonial art centers of Peru, Ecuador and Bolivia.

However varied her portrayals may be, La Merced is immediately recognizable. Without exception, on her breast and often repeated on the scapular extended from her hand, is the distinctive royal signature of the Mercedarian order: the splendid arms of the King of Aragon.

What an incredible journey in time and place from medieval Spain and Africa to the missions of the New World and New Spain, and hence to the American Southwest, where Our Lady for the Ransom of Captives continues to respond to prayers murmured in “the language of the angels.”

Modernized mission

Mercedarians evangelizing the New World.

The Mercedarians remain an active order, principally in Spain and Latin America. Lacking a military mission, they have long since turned to education and social causes.

Only a bit of chain attached to the belt remains as a reminder of its ancient accommodation of swords, but the order persists in its original concern for captives: they are often prison chaplains.

Nolasco died in 1258, after a lifetime dedicated not only to the rescue of Spanish captives, but to the simultaneous and massive conversion of Moors to Christianity. Countless miracles are attributed to his relics, and he was canonized in 1628.

St. Peter Nolasco, who obviously relished a military ambiance, must be delighted with the reputation and honors that his Lady of Mercy has acquired—especially in Peru. In 1615, she was credited with saving Lima from an invasion by Dutch pirate ships.

Not surprisingly, she became patron of the country. General San Martin, Latin America’s great revolutionary leader and liberator of Peru, promoted her to Marshal of the Peruvian Army in 1823.

Among Lima’s magnificent Spanish colonial churches is La Merced, a Baroque extravagance fitted with exquisite silver altars, bejewelled gold appointments and wall and ceiling carvings of lacelike delicacy.

In 1921, its ancient Spanish statue of Our Lady of Mercy was formally crowned in an elaborate ceremony. On Sept. 24, the anniversary of that coronation, the president of Peru and top officials of all the armed forces stand tall before Our Lady for the Ransom of Captives.

The dignitaries wear full military regalia, which in Latin American nations are extraordinarily “spiffy.” It isn’t difficult to imagine the figure of St. Nolasco there among them—sword at his side, proudly displaying on his white habit the ancient arms of the king of Aragon, respectfully waiting for his Lady to address her commander general.

Stevens writes from Colorado Springs, Colo. This article was taken from the December 15, 1996 issue of Our Sunday Visitor. To subscribe, write Our Sunday Visitor, Inc, 200 Noll Plaza, Huntington, In 46750.

Our Sunday Visitor is published weekly.

Copyright (c) 1996 EWTN Online Services.

Provided courtesy of: Eternal Word Television Network PO Box 3610 Manassas, VA 22110 Voice: 703-791-2576 Fax: 703-791-4250 Web. Read original article.