Our Lady Asks for Establishment of an Order for Redeeming Captives
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Marian Calendar August 1 - Our Lady asks for Establishment of an Order for Redeeming Captives (1218) At that time in history, during the 13th Century, the powerful Islamic Taifa kingdoms in Spain, as well as the Ottoman Empire at the opposite end of the Mediterranean Sea, operated a slave trade the scope of which has not been seen anytime else in history. The Spanish, particularly, were subject to raids in which they would be captured and imprisoned, sold into slavery and often forced to renounce their Catholic faith or face discrimination, torture and death. Long before the First Crusade, organizations like the knights of St. John Hospitaller and the Templars were formed to protect Christian pilgrims in the Holy Land, while the Hospitallers also ran hospices along the route to the Holy Land and even a hospital in Jerusalem. There were also charitable institutions, usually run by the nobility, that would ransom Christian captives from imprisonment. In 1203, a layman, Peter Nolasco formed an organization that would ransom those who were not wealthy or prominent men, whom he called the “poor of Christ.” He worked diligently to rescue Christian captives, and other men soon joined him in this charitable work. Unfortunately, there were far more captives than he was able to help, so Peter turned to God and His Blessed Mother in prayer for help. It was then that the Blessed Mother, Our Lady of Ransom, appeared to him on August 1, 1218, turning his order into a religious organization with the assistance of Saint Raimund, and the protection of King James I of Aragon. Saint Peter Nolasco went to the court of King James I the following day, and as the king had also received a vision of the Blessed Virgin, he was extremely supportive of what Peter Nolasco intended to do. In fact, King James considered himself a founder of the order. On August 10th, the Celestial and Military Order of Our Lady of Mercy and the Redemption of the Captives were officially constituted at the Cathedral of the Holy Cross in Barcelona. One of the vows of its members is that they will take the place of captives, and even die for any Christian who was in danger of losing his Catholic faith. In 1235 Pope Gregory IX formally recognized the Order inspired by Our Lady of Ransom, which at one point was renowned for having rescued 70,000 Christian souls. It is estimated that 2,700 were rescued during the lifetime of Saint Peter Nolasco, who died in the year 1258. 2 - Our Lady of Angels, Assisi, Italy (13th century) The original chapel is thought to date from the 4th Century, and was built by holy hermits who had come from the Valley of Josaphat. It is said that they brought relics of the Blessed Virgin with them to the region when they constructed the chapel. When Saint Francis came upon the little, run down and abandoned chapel of Our Lady of Angels in 1208, it was almost completely hidden in shrubs and brush. Saint Francis entered the hidden church, which measured only twenty-two feet by thirteen feet, and saw the ancient fresco that had been placed above the main altar. It was an image of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin surrounded by angels. Some say that this is why the chapel was named Our Lady of Angels, although there are also legends that angels could often be heard singing there. The place took its name, the Little Portion, from the small section of fertile land that was gifted to the monks for them to work for their support. It is said that this was the place where Saint Francis first understood his vocation, received visions, and was also where the saint desired to live. The Benedictines had lived at that location for hundreds of years, but the Benedictine monks gave this chapel to Saint Francis upon his request. It was certainly here that the Franciscan Order was founded. At first Saint Francis wished the convent which he built there to be the principal one of his order. He assembled the first General Chapter there, where there were five thousand religious. It was also where he died on October 3, 1226, the twentieth year of his conversion, and at the age of forty five. The cell in which the poor man of Assisi died can still be seen where it rests against one of the columns of the cupola under the choir bay. 3 - Our Lady of Bows, London (1071) There is a church currently in London named Saint Mary-le-Bow that was constructed in about 1080 by the Archbishop of Canterbury. It is a Norman church which may have replaced a previous structure of Saxon origin, and that building may have been destroyed in a storm in 1071. What is certain is that there was a terrible storm in the city of London in the month of October in 1091, based on a 12th century chronicle. There was a great wind and a tornado from the south that killed two men and lifted the roof and rafters of the church so high that when they fell the rafters were driven so far into the earth that only a seventh or eighth part of them remained visible. The rafters were nearly 30 feet long. It is also mentioned that the rafters could not be pulled back out of the ground, and so were sawed off at ground level and left. The church of Saint Mary-le-Bow takes its name from the unusual Norman arches, or bows, which were considered a novelty. The church is thought to be built above a crypt from a much earlier age. Sir Christopher Wren, who rebuilt the church after it was destroyed in the Great Fire of 1666, felt it was of Roman origin, and wanted it used as a burial chamber. At that time the only access to the crypt was by a trapdoor with a ladder, although later a staircase was constructed to assist access. Besides the tornado that struck the church in 1091, there was a fire in 1196. A tower of the church collapsed in 1271, and the church was completely destroyed by the German’s in World War II before being rebuilt in 1964. There is a saying that to be a true Londoner, a Cockney, one must be born within hearing distance of the bells of Saint Mary-Le-Bow. It is now an Anglican church. 4 - Our Lady of Dordrecht, Holland, Shrine built by St. Santera According to tradition, it was built by Saint Sauters, also known as Saint Sura or Saint Santera, in about the year 1300, on the spot designated by an angel, as it is said, who was sent by the Blessed Virgin. Saint Sauters is said to have planned on building the church when she only had three small coins in her purse, much as Saint Don Bosco later did in the 19th Century. The saint afterward received the crown of martyrdom in the same church where the shrine was erected, as Saint Sauters was said to have been murdered by the builders of the chapel out of greed because of her supposed wealth. There is a legend that Saint Sauters rose from the dead after her murder. To render her memory more celebrated, God caused a fountain to flow, after her death, which, through the intercession of the Saint and recourse to Mary, cured fevers. The healing water soothes troubled minds, brings relief to aching brows and strength to weakened limbs, as Mary’s sick children come for aid to her. Dordrecht is the oldest city in Holland, having been granted city rights by the Count of Holland, William I, in 1220. The church was built in the Gothic style, and is the only one in Holland with stone vaulting. The tower is the still the tallest structure in the city. In 1568, the Dutch revolted against Spain and King Philip II, and nearly all of Holland met at Dordrecht for what was called the First Assembly of the Free States. The church was already the home of Michelangelo’s sculpture known as the Madonna and Child, which had been donated to the church in the year 1514. Thankfully, it somehow survived the ravages of the French Revolution, as was returned to the church after being stolen by Nazis in World War II. 5 - Our Lady of the Snows, Rome (352) A nobleman, John and his childless wife who lived in Rome, had been blessed with much of this world’s goods. They chose the Mother of God as the heir to their fortune, and at the suggestion of Pope Liberius, prayed that she might make known to them how to do this by a particular sign. In answer, the Virgin Mother during the night of August 5, appeared to John and his wife and also to the Holy Father, Pope Liberius, directing them to build a church in her honor on the crown of the Esquiline Hill. And what would be the sign that John and his wife had requested? “Snow will cover the crest of the hill.” Snow rarely falls in Rome, but the flakes fell silently during that night, blanketing the peak of the historic hill. In the morning the news quickly spread and crowds gathered to throng up the hill and behold the white splendor. The snow had fallen in a particular pattern, showing the outline of the future church. When it became known that the snow was a sign from Mary, the people spontaneously added another to her long list of titles, Our Lady of the Snows.