Category: Prayers and Devotions

Today, in our world, there are Christians being held captive, and they need ransoming. In fact, the whole world is now in a state of captivity, requiring supernatural deliverance and rescue through ransom payment. We all need to be ransomed.

September 24 – The Feast of Our Lady of Ransom (Nuestra Señora de la Merced) is a Roman Catholic liturgical Marian feast. This feast was extended to the whole Church in thanksgiving to the Blessed Virgin, for having in the thirteenth century inspired St. Peter Nolasco and St. Raymond of Pennafort to found a religious order for the release of Christians captured by the Saracens. The Mercedarians vowed to give themselves up as hostages for the imprisoned Christians when ransom and military means failed. Their heroism saved countless souls from apostasy and despair.

“Truly we are passing through disastrous times, when we may well make our own the lamentation of the Prophet: “There is no truth, and there is no mercy, and there is no knowledge of God in the land” (Hosea 4:1). Yet in the midst of this tide of evil, the Virgin Most Merciful rises before our eyes like a rainbow, as the arbiter of peace between God and man.” (Pope Saint Pius X)

Prayer for the Feast of Our Lady of Ransom

O God, through the glorious Mother of Your Son You enriched the Church with a new religious congregation dedicated to freeing Christians from slavery among the heathens. We venerate Mary as the foundress of this institution and pray that she may also deliver us from our sins and the slavery of the devil through her own merits and intercession. Through the same Christ, our Lord, Amen.

Petition to Our Lady (which is also a commitment)

Remember, O most gracious Virgin Mary,
that never was it known that anyone who fled to thy protection,
implored thy help, or sought thy
intercession was left unaided.

Inspired with this confidence, I flee unto thee,
O Virgin of virgins, my Mother.
To thee I come, before thee I kneel, sinful and sorrowful.
O Mother of the Word Incarnate,
despite not my petitions, but in thy mercy,
hear and answer me.

Remember also this title, Our Lady of Ransom,
by which thou art invoked for the deliverance of captives.
Deliver us, O powerful Virgin,
from the media tyranny to which is country is subjected.
Help us to avoid this slavery which, under the lures of the media,
leads so many souls to Hell.

Imploring thy help, we come also to place in thy hands
our good will and the promise, in order to show it, to abstain from
all televised or filmed spectacles, including all secular media
during this (Lent, Advent, etc) season of the year.

Help us, Our Lady, to remain faithful to our promise;
help us also to spread around us this sound resolution,
so that, freed in their turn from the yoke of the media,
an increasing number of Christians
may be able to serve God here below,
so as to reach heavenly bliss.

Virgo Sacrata

VIRGÓ SACRÁTA is a Christian mission-driven online resource and shop inspired from the beauty of Catholic faith, tradition, and arts. Our mission is to “Restore All Things to Christ!”, in continuing the legacy of Pope St. Pius X under the patronage of the Blessed Virgin Mary. “Who is she that cometh forth as the morning rising, fair as the moon, bright as the sun, terrible as an army set in battle array?” O Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to Thee.

www.virgosacrata.com