OUR LADY OF MERCY Patroness of the Mercedarian Order On the night of the first to the second of August in the year 1218, the Blessed Mother appeared to Peter Nolasco. She asked him to found an Order to redeem Christian captives from the Moors. The Moors dominated Spain for seven centuries, taking Christians captive
“The knowledge of Christ absorbs and fills me with joy.” “Let us not allow the sun to set on our lives without having done something big, very big for Christ.” “Love finds a solution to all problems.” “There are moments in our lives of the greatest importance, such as when God indicates the road He
This month has a triduum (three days) which you can mark on your calendar to remember Mother Margarita. The bookends of life are our Birthday—the day we enter into life and the day of our death—the day that we enter eternal life. Such are July 25 and July 23, respectively, for Mother Margarita.
• July 25, 1884 Maria Pilar Lopez de Maturana and her twin sister, Leonor, were born in Bilbao, Spain. • January 10, 1901 she entered the boarding school of Berriz. • January 25, 1903 she joined the Mercedarian monastery of the “Vera Cruz” of Berriz. • August 15, 1904 she made her first vows and
The opening scenes of the American television series, Mission: Impossible (1966-1973) always included, “(Name), your mission, should you decide to accept it . . .” The show was a product of its time about secret government agents. Later five movies followed from 1996 to 2015, with the sixth now set to be released in 2018.
MEDIEVAL times fascinate most people; they love to hear of the stories about knights and chivalry. King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table searching for the Holy Grail are perhaps the most memorable tales of Knighthood. While such tales abound, few people have ever heard of the valiant Knights of Peter Nolasco. “Knighthood”
In 1218, the Blessed Virgin appeared to Peter Nolasco and asked him to participate in the work of redeeming captive Christians, who were being cruelly tormented in prisons, trying to make them deny their faith. She desired the establishment of a religious order, which would derive its name from the Spanish “merced” or mercy. The
People who love life are al- ways a joy to be around. Mother Margarita’s joy was one of her most endearing qualities. She was a woman who was open, simple and transparent in her life and options. She was gifted with a joyful and communicative character, even though her health was always very fragile. She
MOTHER MARGARITA’S experience of Christ the Redeemer was the driving force behind her mission. I am sure that if we even came close to understanding the immensity of the Redemption: Life, Death and Resurrection of Jesus, we would be holy people ourselves, and sainthood would not elude us. But Mother Margarita not only possessed a
Mother Margarita gave twenty years of her life to education. She was of course, an outstanding educator, but more than that, she cared about the destiny of her pupils. When speaking about her pupils to her sister Leonor, she said: “I like to educate them individually, personally. May Our Lord give me some of His
