"The Blessed Virgin appeared in 1218, to St. Peter Nolasco, to St. Raymund of Penafort and to James, king of Aragon, requesting them to found a religious institute with the object of delivering Christan captives from the barbarous Saracens, who then held a great part of Spain.
In consequence of this, on August 10, 1218, King James established the royal, military and religious Order of our Lady of Ransom. Most of them were knights, and while the clerics recited divine office in the commanderies, they guarded the coasts and delivered prisoners. This pious work spread everywhere and produced heroes of charity who collected alms for the ransom of Christians, and who often gave themselves up in exchange for Christian prisoners."
CALL TO ACTION: Enlist yourself in Our Lady of Ransom's army to liberate sinners from the slave of sin through prayer and reparation.
Source of quote: St. Andrew's Daily Missal, page 888; the E. M. Lohmann Co., St. Paul, Minnesota (copyright 1949); Nihil Obstat: J. Gerard Kealy, D.D., Cens. Theol. Deput.; Imprimatur: Samuel Cardinal Stritch, Archrepiscopus Chicagiensis
Photo by Hasan Almasi