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” played a significant role in European Church history of the Middle Ages. Usually, knights pledged to protect their feudal lords, but there were also those knights that vowed to defend the Christian faith. The word knight comes from the old English word meaning “servant.” Some men were the servants of their earthly lords while some served “The Lord of Lords”. A true knight was required to emulate certain virtues in his service, and Mercy was at the top of the list. Mercy toward the poor and the oppressed, the suffering, the most despised; these were the people they served. Humility, Honor, Courage, Sacrifice and Fear of God were also a part of the “Code of Knighthood.” Only the wealthiest could afford to be knights. This was because they needed very expensive armor, weapons and a powerful war horse.
Peter Nolasco was born in France in approximately 1180 A.d. toward the end of the twelfth century. At that time the Moors still held much of Spain, and in sudden raids from the sea, they would carry off into captivity thousands of Christians. Peter was from a well-to-do family and was a merchant by profession. As a merchant he made frequent business trips and while traveling around, became aware of the plight of Christians who were captured and held as slaves in Granada in the South of Spain, as well as along the African Coast. deeply moved by their suffering, he vowed to free them from this slavery. Peter began ransoming captives as early at 1203.
Coming from a wealthy family, after his father’s death, Peter was able to use his sizeable inheritance to ransom captives. However, soon his money was depleted and he fervently turned to God to know what else to do.
On August 1, 1218 he had a vision of the Virgin Mary and heard these words, “Find me men like your- self, an army of brave, generous, unselfish men and send them into these lands where the children of the faith are suffering.” Peter went at once to his spiritual director, St. Raymond of Pennafort. After giving his account to Saint Raymond, he found that his confessor had also had a similar vision on the same night. Both of them then went to King James, who had been tutored by Peter Nolasco years earlier. King James had also been visited by the Blessed Mother with the same message. St. Raymond then used his influence to create a community called “Our Lady of Mercy for the Redemption of Captives” which later became known as Mercedarians. With knightly chivalry Peter and his men traveled throughout Christian Spain recruiting new members and collecting funds to ransom captives. Then they began negotiating with the slave owners for the release of the captives. They penetrated Andalusia (southern Spain), crossed the sea to Tunis and Morocco, and brought home shipload after shipload of Christians.
Peter, as head of the community, was occupied with its organization and administration, but also made two trips to Africa, where besides liberating captives, he converted many Moors. According to records, the valiant knights accomplished ap- proximately 70,000 rescues.
Originally the order was a military order and the members were all knights, laymen fully living the highest standards of their knighthood. The order attracted young noblemen whose heritage equipped them for the valorous task of ransoming captives and guarding the coasts. This Order of Knights spread rapidly.
Peter required himself and his followers to devote their whole selves to the ransoming of slaves, even to the point of changing places with the hostages in order to free them. Peter and his Knights were exposed to many persecutions, yet had the great consolation of witnessing to their faith and freeing others to do the same. Peter governed his Order for thirty years and his Knights opened the prison doors of thousands of captives, showing them the mercy Our Lady had asked him to bestow on them.
In 1318, Pope John XXII, decreed that the leader of the order should be a priest, an action that disbanded the lay knights. The Mercedarians then became a religious order.
“Find me men like yourself, an army of brave, generous, unselfish men and send them into these lands where the children of the faith are suffering.”
In 1880 their constitutions were revised and their apostolate of mercy included educational, social work, and other charitable activities which the Mercedarians have continued to pursue in contemporary times.
Before his death, Peter called his followers to his bedside, and asked them to persevere in their love for captives saying, “O how sweet it is to die under the protection of Mary.”
Peter died on May 6, 1256 and that day is now celebrated as his Feast day by all Mercedarians. He went home to God during the month of “his Lady”—Our Lady of Mercy– who had confirmed the path of her Son to him. Peter was to be servant, even to laying down his own life. This later became known as The Fourth Vow of Redemption.
Peter Nolasco was canonized (made a Saint) by the Church in 1628.
Though Knights in the Mercedarian Order disappeared with the Middle Ages, the Spirit of Knighthood has never died. Peter Nolasco is a role model of a Christian who responded to a need in his time as a “Knight of Mercy.” How are we being called to respond to the needs of our time as “Knights of Mercy”?
(Committee for the Canonization of Mother Margarita Maturana)
