Solemn High Mass, Sept. 24, Our Lady of Mercy

In celebration of the feast of Our Lady of Mercy, St. Rocco Church will offer a Solemn High Mass on Saturday,  September 24, 2011, at 9:00am. This is an important feast to the Mercedarian Order.

The Order of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Mercy, founded in 1218, is an international community of priests and brothers, who live a life of prayer and communal fraternity based on the Rule of Saint Augustine and the Constitutions of the Order.

From this life flows the apostolic work of the Order that seeks to carry on the work of our founder, Saint Peter Nolasco, who in imitation of Jesus the Redeemer, offered even his life for those Christians in need of redemptive love.

 Information on the Mercedarian Order can be found here.

On Saturday, September 24th, the Order of the Blessed Virgin Mary for the Redemption of Captives celebrates the Solemnity of Our Lady of Mercy. The title of "Mercy" (Ransom) for Our Lady has its origins in the Order founded by St. Peter Nolasco in 1218. Through Divine intervention and the assistance of the Virgin Mary of Mercy, the Order was founded to visit and free Christians who were being held in captivity on account of their Faith. The Order has always attributed to Mary a special participation in its foundation.  For this reason the Order has always honored Mary under the title of Mercy (Ransom) with particular devotion since its beginning and in accordance with its founder, St. Peter Nolasco, who in 1249, dedicated a church in her honor.  In 1600, permission was granted to celebrate on the feast of the Nativity of Mary a special liturgy dedicated under the title of "Mercy".  In 1696, the feast was extended to the whole Church.