History of Our Church

 

The Story of Our Lady of Mercy

 

Our Lady of Mercy comes from the 1218 apparition asking for the ransom of Christians (mercede) who sell prisoners to Arabs (Saracens) occupying Southern Spain and Northern Africa. The title was promoted by the congregation of the Mercedarians: a feast in her honor was proclaimed in 1615 to commemorate the apparition. Until 1961 celebrated on September 24, it is no longer part of the Roman liturgical calendar, but we celebrate it here locally at OLM every year. The idea of ransom was amplified in the course of history and came to signify mercy in the generic sense of grace.